Chapter 1 Heartbreaking

Zenab recognized the familiar citrus scent when she heard the door open, a clear sign that Dave had arrived home. She remained seated, not bothering to stand. What was the point? She was well aware that he wouldn't appreciate the gesture or even desire it.

Zenab was taken aback by Dave's return. She seldom saw him these days and when their paths crossed, he often ignored, avoided, or lashed out at her. His absences grew so frequent that Zenab sometimes forgot she had a husband. Only the constant ache in her heart reminded her that she shared her life with someone—a mate who no longer desired her.

Dave's footsteps approached the dining room. Zenab sat at the table, cradling a cup in her hands. She didn't look up as he got closer, nor when he stopped nearby. He tossed some documents onto the table, prompting Zenab to finally raise her eyes.

"What are these?" she asked cautiously, meeting his dark, cold gaze. His expression was one of indifference, a stark contrast to the man who had enveloped her in love only a few months prior. Was it all an act? Had he been biding his time for Miles to return?

"Sign them. They're divorce papers. Since I never marked you, it was easy to get the elders to approve our separation," Dave snapped, his glare as cold as ever, as if speaking to her was a burden.

Zenab couldn't believe his unmarked bond was now being used against her. The topic of marking was the only thing they'd ever argued about. Dave always had excuses, promising to do it when he was ready. Zenab had made excuses for him, hoping he'd eventually come around.

She looked at him, shocked that he would go to such lengths. After ten good years together, after building a life, could he really destroy it all for someone who had only recently reappeared in their lives?

"You can't be serious, Dave," Zenab murmured, her voice almost breaking. Tears threatened to fall, but she refused to give them power. She had cried enough over these past months. Couldn't Dave see the anguish in her eyes? Was he so oblivious to her pain? She had stood by him when Miles left, rebuilding him piece by piece. How could he now casually discard everything they had for a woman who had once broken him?  

"I am. Sign the papers!" Dave barked, his fist hitting the table with such force it nearly broke. Zenab flinched, fear causing her to stumble into him. Up close, she smelled Miles's perfume on him and noticed a lipstick stain on his neck. He must have come straight from her place.

The disgust Zenab felt was overwhelming—he would come home reeking of another woman, flouting his vows so blatantly. The pain of imagining them together was like a knife to her heart. The image of him with Miles, touching her the way he once touched Zenab, refused to leave her mind, further tearing at her shattered heart.

Zenab took a step back, meeting his gaze with defiance. "I won't sign them!"

"Excuse me?"

Zenab stood her ground as Dave's eyes darkened with fury. The tension in the air made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Though the threat was palpable, she steeled herself against it. She couldn't let him dismantle everything they had built together; she was determined to fight for their family.

"I said I won't sign them!" Zenab retorted, a fierce glare meeting his ashen gaze.

Her heart was fractured, yet she refused to surrender. Surrendering meant letting Miles destroy what Zenab had painstakingly constructed. She wouldn't allow Miles to waltz back in and demolish her life.

"You'll sign them, or by the moon goddess, I swear I'll destroy you," Dave growled menacingly.

"Do your worst, Dave. You can't break me any more than you already have," Zenab responded, gazing at him. She implored him silently to remember their love, to see through the web of deceit Miles had spun, and to recognize the havoc he was wreaking on her soul. But he remained unmoved, and Zenab feared he was already beyond reach.

"Oh darling, you're mistaken... You have no idea how much more damage I can do," Dave smirked with chilling malice, making Zenab suppress a shiver at his coldness.

He turned abruptly and stormed out of the kitchen. Moments later, Zenab heard his footsteps on the stairs. Her strength waned, and she slumped against the table, finally allowing the tears she had been holding back to flow freely. 

Where had it all gone wrong? Had she angered the moon goddess, incurring some cosmic punishment? She couldn't understand.

Just months ago, Zenab had been blissfully content. Surrounded by friends and family, with a thriving business, she had even been planning to expand their family. But in an instant, everything seemed to collapse.

Miles had returned to their lives like a destructive whirlwind, leaving devastation in her wake. She had started by reappearing at Dave's company. When Zenab learned of this, she confronted Dave, who reassured her that it meant nothing—just a lunch to catch up, and that Miles was firmly in the past.

Zenab should have worried. And now, months later, faced with separation papers, her greatest fear had materialized. Dave was leaving her for Miles, and Zenab felt lost on how to cope.

Angrily wiping away her tears, Zenab chastised herself for her weakness. She couldn't afford to succumb to it, or she might lose everything she cherished.

She walked unsteadily to her room. Dave had expelled her from their shared bedroom when he began seeing Miles. Sleep eluded her, as her mind refused to find solace in night's embrace.

It was around nine, and knowing that her daughter, Emerald, would be asleep, Zenab tiptoed up the stairs to Emerald's room. Familiar with the room, she quietly approached the bed.

Sitting on the small bed, Zenab gently ran her fingers through her daughter's soft hair. The child's scent brought Zenab a measure of calm. Unbeknownst to Zenab, Emerald wasn't fully asleep. The bedside lamp flicked on suddenly, and upon seeing Zenab, Emerald screamed.

"Get out of my room! Get out," Emerald shrieked.

"Daddy!" she yelled frantically, as if in danger.

Dave burst through the door within seconds, switching on the lights to search for the intruder. When his eyes locked on Zenab, his expression turned murderous as he strode towards her. Emerald clung to her father, trembling as if she had encountered a monster rather than her mother.