Chapter 1

WILLOW

I watched as the clock on the wall ticked closer to midnight, my heart pounding in my chest. Lucas was late again. He had been coming home later and later these past few weeks, leaving me alone in our opulent mansion. Tonight, I couldn't bear it any longer. The worry and frustration boiled within me, threatening to spill over.

As the clock ticked away, each passing second intensified my fury. As the door swung open, Lucas entered the room with a demeanor that exuded arrogance, igniting fiery anger within me. Our eyes locked, and in that fleeting instant, a hint of remorse flashed across his face. However, it swiftly vanished, replaced by a disdainful stare that ignited a surge of boiling rage within me.

I jumped to my feet, anger fueling my words. "Lucas, where have you been? I've been waiting for hours! I want us to talk!” 

Lucas casually shrugged his shoulders, assuming a relaxed posture as he settled into the chair opposite me. "What is there really to discuss, Willow? I lead a hectic life, and I have pressing matters that demand my attention, far more crucial than the baseless accusations you're making."

Baseless accusations? How dare he belittle the pain I had endured! I gripped the armrest of the chair, my knuckles turning white. "Baseless? Do you think I'm a fool, Lucas? You are avoiding me acting like I have contagious disease!”

Lucas reclined in his seat, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Even if such allegations were valid, what significance would they hold? You should consider yourself fortunate to be wedded to a man of my caliber and standing. I'm a catch, Willow, and you should consider yourself lucky." 

The audacity of his words sent a surge of anger coursing through my veins. I stood up, my voice quivering with fury. "Lucky? You think being married to you is a privilege? All I've ever wanted was your love and faithfulness, Lucas. I'm not asking for too much!"

Lucas rose to his feet, towering over me. "Love and faithfulness? Those are things for ordinary people, Willow. I have responsibilities, a legacy to uphold. You knew all of this would happen the day you marry me,"

My heart shattered at his callous words. Tears are starting to form in my eyes, but I'm restraining them from falling. I need to be strong. "I thought our marriage was built on love, not power and wealth? I thought we were partners, supporting and cherishing each other? But all I've seen is betrayal and indifference."

My husband scoffed, he looked so cold and distant to me. "You've always been naïve, Willow. The concept of love is a lavish indulgence beyond our means. You are merely a pawn in this intricate game, and I will exploit any advantage available to solidify my position," he stated, his words slicing through me like a sharp blade, leaving behind a path of destruction.

I recoiled, taking a hesitant step backward, my voice barely audible as a faint whisper escaped my lips.

"Is this the man you've become, Lucas? A heartless puppeteer, manipulating those around you? Would your family be happy about this?"  

His expression twisted with fury, and he advanced towards me, his voice dripping with venom. "You hold no authority to speak about my family. They hate you, Willow. They perceive you for what you truly are—an opportunistic individual who cunningly infiltrated my life."

His words crashed into me like a tempest, the impact of his betrayal and cruelty unbearable. The floodgates I had desperately tried to keep shut broke open, and tears cascaded down my cheeks, an uncontrollable stream of anguish.

"I loved you, Lucas. I loved you with every fiber of my being, and this is how you repay me?” With each word he uttered, my heart shattered into a million pieces.

The anguish in my chest grew, consuming me whole. My voice cracked as I tried to speak through my tears, my voice now a desperate plea. "How can you say that? How can you believe such lies? I may not come from a wealthy family, but my love for you was genuine. I would have given you the world, Lucas…”

His face contorted with annoyance as he shrugged off his jacket, tossing it carelessly onto the nearby chair. "Don't start with me, Willow. I have lots of things to do. I can't be tied down to this house like some useless trophy wife."  

His words pierced me deeply, inflicting emotional wounds that felt as sharp as a blade, and tears welled up in my eyes. I had sacrificed everything, surrendering my whole being to him, placing my trust in our love and envisioning a future of marital bliss.

But lately, it seemed like our relationship was crumbling before my eyes. Desperation took hold of me as I reached out, grasping onto Lucas's arm. "Please, Lucas, I just want your love and attention. I want to feel like your wife, not just a burden."

He shook off my grip, his voice laced with venom. "You think I don't know that? You think I enjoy this? But what good are you to me if you can't even give me the one thing I need? A child. You're barren, Willow. Useless! And I feel so ashamed!”

His words landed with the impact of a physical blow, the force knocking the wind out of me. I had cherished visions of building a family with Lucas, of weaving a tapestry of affection and joy in our shared existence. However, in that moment, those dreams shattered into a million fragments, replaced by a pervasive bitterness and a growing resentment.

Tears streamed relentlessly down my cheeks, my voice quivering with desperation as I implored him, "Lucas, I'm willing to do anything. I'll seek out other medical opinions, explore every possible treatment option. Just grant me a sliver of hope, please."

Lucas scoffed dismissively, his gaze frigid and detached. It's too late for that, Willow. You’ve tried that million times already. I have reached a firm decision. I believe I deserve a partner who can fulfill my desires, someone capable of securing my inheritance. It pains me to say this, but you simply do not measure up."

His words struck my heart like a dagger, kindling a fiery anger within me. How could he treat me with such disregard? After all the trials we had faced together, how could he dismiss me so thoughtlessly? I refused to succumb to the role of a helpless victim.

As I went to our master’s bedroom, tears cascaded down my cheeks unabated. To my surprise, Lucas trailed behind me, shedding his attire and adorning himself in garments designed to captivate. The room became saturated with the alluring aroma of an enchanting cologne, and the realization struck me with the force of a blow to the core.  I’m sure he was preparing to go to a bar, seeking pleasure in the arms of another woman. The disrespect and pain washed over me, intensifying the torrent of emotions already swirling within me.

I found myself overwhelmed by a rush of intense emotions, a potent blend of anger and anguish coursing through my veins. I pivoted, directing my gaze squarely at him, my voice quivering with a blend of feelings encompassing betrayal and a deep sense of yearning.  "Is this what our marriage has come to, Lucas? You're not satisfied with tearing me apart emotionally; now you seek to humiliate me by flaunting your infidelity?"

A cruel smirk played on his lips as he took pleasure in my anguish. "Oh, Willow, you thought I would be home alone, pining for a barren wife? I'm going out tonight, and I'll be having a hell of a sexy fun time. You should've known your place from the beginning." 

The heartless utterance seared into my soul, igniting a previously untapped wellspring of wrath within me. The weight of frustration bore down on me, evident in the tears pooling in my eyes as I summoned the courage to address him directly.

My voice quivered with a potent blend of indignation and sorrow as I posed the question that gnawed at my core. "Lucas, how can you do this to me? Is this the man I married? The man who promised to love and cherish me? You have become nothing more than a heartless shell, devoid of any decency or compassion."

Lucas chuckled darkly, his eyes gleaming with a twisted pleasure. "Decency and compassion? Those are for weaklings, Willow. I've grown tired of your weakness. You couldn't give me what I wanted, and now you're nothing more than an obstacle I must discard."

His words cut through me like a knife, but I refused to let him see me crumble. I took a step closer, my voice trembling with a mixture of hurt and determination. "You may see me as weak, Lucas, but I will not allow your cruelty to define me. I deserve respect, love, and loyalty. If you cannot provide those, then I will find them elsewhere."

A surge of anger flared in Lucas's eyes as he closed the distance between us, his voice dripping with contempt. "You think anyone else would want you? A barren woman with nothing to offer? You're delusional, Willow. No one will ever love you, you’re an incomplete woman,"

I fought back the tears threatening to spill over, refusing to let him see my vulnerability. "Perhaps you're right, Lucas. Perhaps it's true that no one else may extend their love to me, but I refuse to remain confined within the suffocating walls of a loveless union, weighed down by your poisonous aura. I deserve to have happiness, even if it entails embracing solitude."

Lucas's face twisted with rage as he raised his hand, a cruel gesture poised to strike me down emotionally once again. But this time, I wouldn't cower. I stood tall, unflinching in the face of his aggression. "Go ahead, Lucas. Hurt me again if it makes you feel powerful. But know that you're only proving to me why I deserve so much better than you."

For a fleeting moment, Lucas hesitated, his hand hanging in the air.   A flicker of awareness regarding his waning hold on me seemed to register in his eyes. However, that momentary realization swiftly gave way to a ferocious display of fury. His countenance twisted with rage, his hand lowering, while his words spewed forth, laced with a toxic venom.  

"Fine, Willow. Leave if you think you can find someone better. But don't come crawling back when you realize how futile your efforts are."

Upon uttering those cutting words, he forcefully stormed past me, leaving me abandoned in the aftermath of his heartless demeanor. The resonance of his cruel remarks reverberated in my ears, yet I staunchly refused to allow them to shatter me completely. This was the moment I had long yearned for—in which I would gather the fragmented fragments of my self-esteem and liberate myself from the engulfing shadows that had swallowed our marriage.