Prologue

—Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio, US— 

"Did you cheat on me?" I looked up with tears streaming down my face when I heard the sound of the bedroom door opening at 2 a.m. 

The dark room around us was the first thing that greeted my husband—Alban Scott, the high-profile lawyer whose name was praised all over town. My heart trembled whenever I thought of his name, even if only in my mind. While others saw his name as a blessing, to me, it felt like the worst curse I'd ever received. 

"Didn't I tell you I don't like this room being dark? Are you really deaf that you still do it?" 

Rather than answering my first question, he chose to grumble and walked over to the switch to turn on all the lights. 

I scoffed when I heard his footsteps getting closer. I knew Alban didn’t like the dark, but he wouldn’t like what he saw when the lights were turned on either. 

"Are you out of your mind?!" His voice shouted as soon as the lights came on. 

I wiped my tears—allowing myself to fully look at the bastard who, unfortunately, was my husband. 

"Are you out of your mind?!" I stood up and threw the vase I was holding. It was something I thought I would never do to him after all my silence, but honestly, I didn’t regret what I had just done. 

Alban managed to dodge, but the vase hit the TV at the far end of the room. Once again, the sound of breaking glass filled the silence of our room—making the entire floor more chaotic, just like the mess I had created a few hours ago. 

"Do you want to kill me?!" Alban walked toward me with angry steps. His eyes stared at me with fury as he realized that I had truly destroyed our room. 

All the things fell to the floor and shattered glass covered the room, making it look as though a storm had just hit it. But who cares? I let that storm take over me again because I couldn’t hold it back anymore. 

What’s the difference between me and that bastard Alban? Aren’t we both destroying this house? I destroyed its structure, but he destroyed our marriage. 

"If I could, I would’ve done it already!" I screamed right in front of my husband’s face—I couldn’t believe I had the courage to do it. "You cheated on me, and you expect me to sit quietly like I always did?!" 

"What nonsense are you talking about? Are you accusing me of cheating?" 

"I have the proof, Alban!" I threw a few photographs that proved his infidelity. 

Alban didn’t seem surprised when he saw the photos I threw at him. It felt as though the man wasn’t even bothered to know that his wife had discovered his affair. 

Damn it. This man made me feel worthless just for expressing my anger. 

"I want a divorce," I took a deep breath. 

"There’s not going to be a divorce." Alban grabbed my wrist and pushed me gently. 

"You cheated on me six times, and you expect me to just take it, idiot?!" I tried to resist by pulling my hand away—fighting to break free from Alban and any devious plans he might have after what I just told him. 

"You’re overreacting if you’re using this as an excuse for divorce. Do you think you can divorce me after all I’ve given you?" Alban pushed me out of the room—away from the chaos in the room as if he didn’t want me to grab anything else to throw at him. 

"What have you given me in three years of marriage other than betrayal, you bastard?!" I felt like I was going crazy having to face the bastard in front of me. This man cheated on me and didn’t feel the slightest remorse for what he did. "There’s no better reason for a divorce than infidelity. And damn it, you’ve done it six times, you bastard!" 

"Your mouth always says such harsh things, and I’ve already told you I hate you doing that to me. Didn’t your mother teach you how to speak to your husband?!" Alban slapped my face—his hand, much larger than mine, hit my lips. 

My face was thrown to the side, and I felt a painful ache at the corner of my lips. Maybe the wound would bruise like the ones I always got, or maybe it would bleed. I couldn’t think about it or even make sure how bad the wound was right now. 

"It’s your fault you couldn’t keep your mouth shut in front of me," I could vaguely hear the doubt in Alban’s voice when he saw me crouching on the floor after what he did. 

This man cheated on me in front of my face and now slapped me for no logical reason. It felt like I wanted to curse myself for my misfortune. 

"Am I supposed to keep my mouth shut in front of a man who just cheated on me?" I looked up, my eyes glaring at Alban. To hell with it if he thought I was weak because of the cut on my lips—this time, I wasn’t holding myself back. 

"So you still haven’t realized your mistake?!" 

"Have you ever realized yours?" I asked back. 

"My mistake was marrying you!" 

"Then we should get a divorce!" I screamed loudly as I stood up—how I found this much courage, I had no idea. "You think I’m happy being married to a bastard like you?" 

"Damn it!" Alban raised his hand again, and this time, I didn’t expect his slap to be much harder than usual. 

My body fell to the floor, and I felt dizzy because the slap landed right on my head. 

It hurt so much. Not just my body but also my heart, which had been repeatedly wounded as I realized I didn’t have the perfect marriage every woman dreams of. 

But honestly, what did I expect from a bastard like Alban? From the beginning, I knew our marriage wouldn’t go well. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stop feeling disappointed when I realized I wasn’t just betrayed by infidelity but also physically hurt by the man who was supposed to guarantee my safety and happiness. 

"Should’ve kept your mouth shut and stopped talking nonsense, Ann. You’re the one who caused all of this. If you were better at controlling your mouth, you know I wouldn’t have hit you, right?" He continued speaking with a smug tone, as though the fact that he had just cheated on me and was now blaming me for everything wasn’t a big deal worth discussing. 

I hated this man. I hated him with all my heart more than I hated my father. 

"Everyone in this town knows about your father's affair, but your mother never did anything about it. That’s why your father is still happily married to her. Maybe you should learn something from your mother and stop making a big deal out of things that don’t matter." 

That was enough. I was sick of all of this—sick of everything I always received, even though I knew I didn’t deserve all the mistreatment. 

"And I will never be like my mother," I took a deep breath and tried to stand up. 

Alright, I had to admit once again that my head was dizzy and throbbing in pain. But maybe this was the only chance I had before I realized it, and lost the courage to make a decision. 

I had to do something now or I would be trapped in this same situation for the rest of my life because I never had the courage to run. 

"Do whatever you want, but I want a divorce, and I will get one as soon as I leave this house," I said calmly. 

I could vaguely see the shock in Alban's eyes. 

Of course, he wasn’t shocked by my request for a divorce; he was shocked because of the courage I was showing—a courage I had never shown before. I hadn’t even shown this courage when I refused our arranged marriage three years ago. 

"If you step down those stairs, I’ll make sure you’ll regret it for the rest of your life." Those words came just as I stood at the edge of the first step that would take me to the first floor. By walking down those stairs, my step toward leaving this house would be easier. 

"I’ll regret it more if I decide to stay here, damn it!" I said that with full confidence. 

After this, who knows what I would do? But the conviction in my heart gave me immense courage.

Whatever lay ahead, I knew I would face many difficulties because I had dared to raise a war flag against one of the most well-known lawyers in this city. 

Alban would not let me go easily, and he would make my life hell if I dared to defy him. My father would make sure I lived in misery for the rest of my life if he found out what I was doing. But I didn’t want to let my courage fade before I at least tried to do something for myself. 

Unfortunately, I took the wrong step. 

Maybe I should’ve realized that courage alone wasn’t enough to fight the bastard who was my husband. 

And now, I had to realize that along with the pain coursing through my body. 

"You asked for this, bitch!" The moment he said those words, Alban pushed my arm hard, causing me to lose my balance. 

I couldn’t feel anything except for my vision spinning as my body fell, slamming against the floor.

Everything happened so fast that I didn’t have time to grab anything to stop myself. But one hard impact on my lower abdomen made me groan in pain—a pain that immediately caused me to curl up, clutching my body. 

"Oh shit!" 

I could still vaguely hear his voice—hearing the bastard who, this time, was not just destroying my heart but also destroying my body. 

Six times I faced the same thing over three years of marriage to Alban. 

Six times, I saw my husband cheat in front of me, and he never showed any remorse or guilt. 

Six times, I faced betrayal, but this time, I was truly fed up with everything. 

I was sick of Alban and all his bastard behavior. 

I was sick of myself for never having the strength to fight back. 

I was sick of my parents for destroying my life. 

And I was sick of myself for allowing this to happen over and over again. 

Oh God, can someone die from falling down the stairs? If it’s possible, maybe it’s better if I die this time.