CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

HEAVEN

I froze, staring hard at the podium.

"I’d like to make an announcement: my wife—well, ex-wife now—"

My eyes widened in confusion. Atlas had only gone to the stage to receive his award. What was he saying?

"...we've decided to go our separate ways. Heaven and I are getting divorced. Thank you." 

I turned to the stage, my vision blurring as Atlas smiled, stepping down like he hadn’t just shattered my world in front of the entire country. Ex-wife? Did I hear him correctly? Was this a nightmare?

Gasps filled the air. 

My breath caught in my throat as I watched him stride off the stage with the award in hand and a wide smile on his face like he hadn't just ruined my day.

Was this a bad dream?

"This is shocking news! Are you really divorcing your husband?" The interviewer beside me questioned bringing me back to reality.

I wasn't hearing things. This was really happening.

Atlas just announced our divorce on national TV at the biggest award of the year without me having any idea about it.

He really decided to blindside me and divorce me in that manner? 

My heart hammered in my chest, the color drained from my face, a wave of rage surging through me as my heart shattered into pieces. I couldn't believe what just happened. I couldn't believe he had publicly announced a divorce without talking to me about it.

Never in my life did I expect us to divorce. Not in this way. 

I should have seen this coming when he suddenly turned against me. 

As I stood there, frozen in shock, the audience continued to erupt into a mixture of gasps and murmurs. The lights from the cameras and phones blinded me, making it hard to see Atlas's smug face.

Atlas approached me with that annoying smile on his face like he hadn't just humiliated me in front of the entire country. I felt like I was going to collapse, but I grabbed my purse without much thought and my legs somehow carried me out of the hall ignoring the rush and calls from the reporters, journalists and bloggers who wanted to cover the most juicy news of the country.

“Move!” I yelled, pushing through the crowd.

A cab screeched to a halt, and I threw myself inside. I elbowed past reporters, their microphones nearly hitting my face, before diving into a cab.

"Belmont estate," I snapped, slamming the door shut.

The driver gawked at me through the rearview mirror. "You’re Belmont’s wife, right?

Belmont was a household name in New York. It was almost as popular as the president's name and of course, people going there weren't expected to board a taxi.

"Go!" I shouted in frustration as the bangs from the reporters got louder. They just couldn't get the hint that I wasn't in the mood for any stupid interview.

The driver zoomed off that instant and I shut my eyes in frustration. Gosh! Why must I face this terrible humiliation? Why didn't Atlas just talk about it at home? Why didn't we end everything at home? Why did he feel the need to humiliate me this much?

"Aren't you the Belmont's wife?" The driver asked again, stealing a glance at me through the rearview mirror. I opened my eyes that instant feeling a rush of rage. 

Of course, a lot of people recognised me. 

I ignored the driver as my phone started buzzing in my purse. I knew what it was but I wasn't ready to face it yet. But then, I just couldn't escape facing it everywhere. The driver turned on his radio that minute and of course the first thing that had to come on was my divorce announcement.

Gosh!

“Breaking news! Billionaire Atlas Belmont has just announced his divorce during his acceptance speech at—”

"Turn that off!" I barked, my patience snapping and he did as told but a few minutes later, he turned back to me.

"Is it true that you're getting divorced? Why? You guys were like the perfect couple ever. What went wrong.." The driver rambled on. Why can't he just get a hint? How can someone be that insensitive?

"Can you just focus on driving?" I asked almost raising my voice but I needed to control my anger. I couldn't pass the aggression on him.

Thankfully, he shut up and the rest of the ride was in peace and quiet but when I finally got home, I was horrified by the scene I met.

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law were just at the entrance watching or rather ordering the maids to throw out my things. Of course they knew about it. They had definitely planned it with Atlas. 

But that wasn't the most annoying thing, but the fact that my belongings were scattered across the driveway. Suitcases, clothes, shoes—all dumped like trash. 

Anger rushed through my brain that minute and I could feel myself going crazy. 

"What the hell are you doing?" I shouted as I rushed towards them.

"What does it look like? You're out!" Summer, Atlas's younger sister retorted, her head high up the sky.

"You have no right to do this!" I hollered, my frustration increasing. They couldn't just wait for me to return and get my things.

"Oh, we do. You're no longer married to my son," she spat, her thick brows raising in the most horrible manner. 

"Actually, we can," his mother said, her voice dripping with venom. "You’re no longer part of this family."

"That’s not official yet!" I shot back.

Atlas’s voice cut through the chaos. "It will be."

I turned to see him approaching, a file in hand, his expression as cold as stone.

"Sign it, Heaven," he said flatly, tossing the file at me.

"Why?" I demanded. "Why should I agree to this?"

"You know why," he replied, his tone devoid of emotion.

I stared at the papers, my hands trembling.

"If you’re hoping for compensation," his mother sneered, "forget it. You’ve leeched off my son long enough."

"Why should I do that?" I asked as he approached me. My emotions were all over the place now and I wasn't sure of what to focus on.

"We both know this isn't working," he replied succinctly and I stared at him in disbelief.

"Does that sound like a meaningful reason?" I shouted but he only lifted his shoulders in a half shrug.

"Just sign it," he said coldly instead. I glared at him as I picked up the file and pulled out the divorce paper.

This was really hard to believe.

"There's no need staring at it. All you have to do is sign it. It shouldn't be that hard to do, right?" I heard Atlas say behind me and I lifted my head to look at him. Of course, there was no sign of remorse or regret in his eyes. 

He was looking as stoic as ever and I knew at that moment that there was nothing that could make him change his mind.

"This is a pen," Summer said with a mocking look and I grabbed it from her.

Without giving it much thought, I scrawled my name across the line. The papers hit Atlas’s chest with a satisfying thud as I threw them back at him.

"Goodbye," Summer sang, her

smile triumphant.

I didn’t look back as I walked out. Out of their house. Out of their lives.

Out of my loveless marriage.

Three years of heartbreak. This was what I wanted—wasn’t it?