Chapter 1
Anastasia: A silly crush, that's all it took to ruin my entire life because here I was four years later with no family but the man I gave everything up for, the man who now wanted nothing to do with me, the man who was madly in love with someone else, and the sad part of it was I brought a human in it, a human who had to suffer because of my mistake. Well, enough was enough. It was time to reclaim my position and give my daughter a better life, with or without him, but definitely without him, and he wouldn't just walk free; he would pay for every tear my daughter and I shed.
William: The marriage was never supposed to happen; she tricked me into it; she ruined my chance at love because now I had to marry her whether I liked it or not. I never loved her, and I did everything to make sure she experienced hell on earth, but when she proposed divorce, I panicked; my heart skipped a beat for the first time in four years. I was afraid to lose her; I couldn't let her go. I had to fight for her; I had to win her back. I couldn't let another man take her and my daughter from me. I had to save my family.
Chapter 0001
WASHINGTON, SEATTLE 2022
~ANASTASIA~
Most stories open up in a decent environment, but mine opened up in a rather rathole—a prison cell. I tried to pinpoint the moment everything went wrong, but I couldn't. I don't even know when my perfect world flipped upside down, let alone how I got here.
Never in my life did I imagine I’d be in a prison cell, let alone because of the man I love.
God, life can be so unpredictable!
I was staring at the dirty ceiling, watching the spiders scurry around. I don't even know how I didn't throw up with this place smelling like it does, full of rats.
“Mrs. Rogers?” A guard's voice snapped me back to reality. “You're going home,” she said as she unlocked the cell. A smile crossed my face at the thought of my husband.
Finally, I was going home; my husband was here for me; I thought he had forgotten about me.
I followed the guard as she led me out of the cell to the reception, but as we reached there, I saw a man I wasn't expecting. I looked at the door, hoping to see my husband. He might be on a call or something.
“Here are your things, Mrs. Rogers; you're free to go.” I heard an officer who was at the reception say, “You just need to sign here.” He sounded kind. I quickly turned and grabbed the document from his hands. I wanted to see who had bailed me out, but I was disappointed to find it was not my husband.
“Of course, it's not him,” I muttered under my breath, feeling disappointed; my heart even ached at the thought of it not being my husband.
“Is there a problem?” The officer asked as I stared at the document. Five hundred—that's how much my bail cost, but apparently my husband didn't have it for me, or maybe he just didn't care.
"No, there's no problem,” I cleared my throat. “Please, where do I sign?” I asked; I couldn't show how hurt I was, not in front of anyone. The officer pointed to the striped lines, and I took the pen, signing my name.
“But you should be careful from now on; if you're caught speeding again, there will be serious consequences,” he warned, and I nodded. “You're free to go,” he stated, and I thanked him before I walked toward the door.
“Ms. Anastasia, so good to see you.”
“I'm not dealing with you today.” I looked away from the man who paid for my bail.
“I understand, but at least allow me to drive you.”
“No, my husband will come and get me; don't you have other... Don't you have work to do?” I questioned, as he had been following me for as long as I could remember.
“This is my job, Ms. Anastasia,” he said, sounding innocent. I rolled my eyes at how persistent he was. "Please, Ms. Anastasia, just a ride home, then I'll be out of your sight.” He insisted. I looked out the road and hoped to see at least a sign of a taxi, but nothing.
"Fine, but just a ride home.” I sighed.
“I promise,” he quickly ran to his car and opened the backseat door for me, rolling my eyes. I walked to it and got in.
“And I'm married, so call me Mrs. Rogers.”
“My apologies.” He apologized, then closed the door before he got in the driver's seat and started the car.
Gosh, I couldn't wait to get home, have a warm bath, eat good food, and hopefully cuddle with my husband. The past few days I haven't seen him felt like forever.
I rested my head against the seat and closed my eyes. I couldn't fight the urge to rest, even just for a few seconds. Prison is not a place I would wish for anyone, not even my worst enemies.
I don't know for how long I've closed my eyes, but when I felt the car coming to a halt, I jolted up and looked out the window just to make sure he brought me home—my husband's house, not the other way around.
“Thank you,” I said as I opened the door. I didn't hear what he said, but something. Well, it didn't matter; what was important was that he brought me home.
Reaching the gate, I found it locked, so I knocked. I kept knocking, but no one came to answer. ‘The gatekeeper must be off today,’ I thought as I reached into my handbag and got my keys. Luckily, I had a spare key for the gate, so taking it, I opened the gate, and after closing, I walked toward the house door.
I couldn't help but notice my husband's favorite car. “He must be off today,” I said to myself, “but if he's..." I stopped and thought for a second, “No, he's probably not feeling well,” saying that I quickly rushed to the door. What if he was sick and no one came to check on him?
But as I unlocked the door, I heard sounds that made my bag slip from my hands. The sounds seemed to be coming from the living room.
My heart started racing and, my nerves pricking, but I calmed myself; I didn't want to jump to any conclusions and regret it later.
“Aah, baby!”
My knees felt weak. I knew who the voice belonged to.
Even though it felt like my legs wouldn’t support me any longer, I dragged myself to the living room. I had to see for myself. And there, the small hope I relied on was shattered.
My husband was in between a naked woman's legs; I didn't need to guess who the woman was, as I knew those legs well—Jimena.
“What the fuck? What are you doing here?” My so-called husband quickly got up and zipped his trousers; he was still shirtless. No, I won't say I was shocked. I knew he was cheating on me. I just didn't know he would do it in my own house, especially when I was locked up because of him.
I knew about his infidelity; Jimena made it well known. Still, I held onto a small hope that he would one day get bored of her and change. I never thought it would lead to this—I was never prepared for a day like this.
"Babe, please go upstairs.” He didn't sound regretful or shameful at all, and no, he wasn't talking to me; he was talking to Jimena.
I watched with blurry eyes as she obeyed him; she even had the guts to peck his lips before she walked toward the stairs in my own house. “And you, were you not supposed to be in jail?” he turned to me, his voice cold.
“W…w-what?” My voice trembled. I didn’t even know what I was feeling as I couldn’t feel my heart—it was like it stopped working, but I could feel my body shaking and the tears that I hadn’t even noticed rolled freely down my cheek.
“Listen, grandfather is dead, so there's no use pretending anymore; we're getting a divorce.” He declared, sounding calm, like I didn't just catch him fucking his mistress on my sofa.
Chapter 0002
WASHINGTON, SEATTLE 2022
~ANASTASIA~
“We're getting a divorce.” I was speechless. Sure, the marriage never worked out, and I expected this after his grandfather's death, but today? How could he do that when I sat in that cell for his crime?
I shook my head fighting back tears. I’d grown used to his infidelity, but divorce? How could he even suggest that?
“I will have my lawyer start with the process,” he brushed his fingers across his lips, removing lipstick, the sight of it made my heart ache.
“W-what… What are you saying, William, I-”
“Aren't you tired of crying?” He spoke over me. I looked up, seeing the frustration in his face as he raked a hand through his hair. “Listen, you tricked me, and your time is over, or what made you think Grandpa would never die?”
“But...why are you saying this? I…” Words failed me.
“I’m not doing this. Not today, okay?”
“We can talk about this, William; we can’t just…”
“Just what? Get a divorce? God, you’re such a headache.” He started rubbing his temples; he always did that and always complained about how unhappy he was, but I knew marriage wasn’t easy; I knew he wasn’t himself, so I stepped closer and tried to touch his hands, but he flinched away.
“What the fuck? Why would you touch me?!” He raised his voice; yes, he never allowed me to touch him; the only time I would ever feel his skin is when he’s horny; that happens maybe once a month, the times he and Jimena are having misunderstandings.
That’s the only time I felt desired, as he would come to me and start kissing my body, and once he got what he wanted, he treated me like trash. Well, he was hard to resist, so he always got his way.
“I’m sorry, but we can work on this—our marriage, William.”
“There’s nothing to work on, Anastasia; I never loved you.”
“But I do. You know I love you.”
"Well, Jimena doesn’t want to share me anymore; now stop making this a big issue and get out of my sight!” He spoke louder. The frowns on his forehead told me he was very upset, and I knew him well. I’ve been married to him for four years, so I knew if I continued, it would not end well, so I closed my mouth and silently watched him walk to the sofa, and then he started fixing the sofa, returning the cushions to where they belonged.
“And do me a favor; Jimena doesn’t like noise, so if you would just close your mouth.” He added, not sparing me a glance. I was silently staring at him with tears still rolling down my cheeks. No, this wasn’t happening. How could he bring his mistress into my house and ask me to keep quiet because she didn’t like noise?
“Baby?” I heard Jimena’s voice, which made me quickly wipe my tears away; I couldn't let her catch me in such a vulnerable state—I refused to let her think she had won, especially since I knew she always wanted William for herself.
“Are you done?” She asked; she was so unbelievable. She walked to William, slightly pushing me off her way.
So disrespectful.
"Yes, everything is okay.” I watched as William wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. He had never once done that for me—he only kissed my lips when getting what he wanted.
It was stupid of me to think of it now because he never loved me. Jimena was the woman he loved, but I was his wife. I’ve been his wife for years. The least I deserved was their respect.
My heart shattered into a million pieces as they settled on the sofa. She was in his arms while he pressed the remote—searching for a movie to watch, not caring that I was there. The tears I wiped earlier were in vain, as more began to sting the corners of my eyes.
What hurt was that William seemed genuinely happy; he laughed from the heart; not even his mother, whom he loved so much, made him laugh like that. It hurt that I couldn't make him feel this way.
“Some films are scary,” I heard Jimena say.
“I'm here; I won’t let anything happen to you," William said they behaved as if I weren't there, or maybe I was invincible to them.
Well, it was too hard to watch so I wiped my tears and headed up to my room, leaving the two there—my husband and his mistress, how did I end up here?
‘This must be a nightmare,’ I repeated in my head, even though it didn’t seem like a nightmare; my brain just wanted to believe that it was.
Reaching my room, I closed the door and walked to the window. I needed to think; I didn’t want to overreact. Like I said, I never prepared for this day to be face-to-face with Jimena. I mean, what is a wife supposed to do when she meets her husband's mistress? I didn’t want to be one of the wives who overreact, but this?
This was beyond what I could handle.
“Calm down, Anna, please calm down.” I calmed myself and dug my fingernails in my palms; I needed the pain to distract me from the feeling in my chest.
I then walked over to the bed, picked up my phone, and dialed my best friend's number.
“Anna? I’ve been trying to reach you; are you alright?”
“Yes…” I sniffed, “I’m okay, are you free?”
“Yes, but you don’t sound okay, do you?-”
“I'm fine, I... I just miss you. Can we meet?”
"Yes, sure, I will-”
“Usual place,” I cut her and then ended the call. I couldn’t speak to her any further or my voice would just break, and she would immediately know something was off, and the last thing I wanted was to worry her.
I don’t think I would be alive without her. I’ve gone through this marriage with her; we have cried, screamed, and healed together. I felt bad for always adding to her plate as she was also having some issues with her family. That’s why I couldn’t tell her that William asked for a divorce.
I walked to the cupboard to prepare my clothes for after the shower, but when I opened the right wardrobe door, I found it wasn’t my clothes.
“What?” I asked myself in disbelief as I reached the left door, and again, there weren’t my clothes.
“Your clothes are packed.” I heard Jimena's voice, which made me slowly turn at the door, and there she was standing with her legs crossed; she was also holding a glass of juice in her hands.
“Excuse me?”
“I'm moving in with Liam; I mean, you two are getting a divorce, and it won't be long before we get married, so he thought we should share the bedroom.” She said, in her angelic voice. Jimena was pretty, with long legs, a round face, a model-shaped body since she was a model, curly blonde hair, and full lips. I understood why William loved her.
“And besides, we are having a baby, and I get nightmares in a small room.”
Her words echoed in the back of my head as I felt it hurt. Jimena was pregnant? I mean, him cheating on me was already hard enough, but this? God, how was I going to even solve this?
She was carrying his fucking baby!
Chapter 0003
WASHINGTON, SEATTLE 2022
~ANASTASIA~
I felt my head spin, so I moved back to the bed and sat down as my heart was in pain too.
“I did you a favor by packing your bag; I could have just scattered your things,” Jimena said, and I ignored her as I calmed myself down but failed as my chest was uncontrollably moving up and down.
“Y-you… You can't be pregnant; William will—he won't accept it.”
“Wait, are you calling me a liar?” I don't know what was wrong with her, but I knew I couldn't show her how much she was hurting me. I was William's wife; she was just his mistress. It didn't matter if he loved her or not; the law and the public knew I was Mrs. Rogers, not her.
“Yes.” I said as I stood up from the bed, “You have always loved my husband, so I'm sure you made this up.”
“No Anastasia,” she said and came closer to me. I looked at her confused. “Liam has always loved me; you are the one who came between us; you are the one who tricked him; I will never–”
“It doesn't matter.” I cut her, and she eyed me confusedly. She was probably shocked at my reaction; maybe she was expecting me to cowardly cry, “I'm his wife, and that's all that matters.”
“He's going to divorce you.” She said in a trembling voice. “He loves me.”
“Until he does, I'm still his wife. The lady of the house, now remove your filthy clothes from my spot before I do something you will regret.” I warned, but she didn't move. I've never seen Jimena so quiet; she always had something to say.
"Oh, out of words? I'm not surprised; you're just a mistress; all you know is to steal other women's–” I didn't finish my sentence as she caught my attention with what she was doing.
She raised her hands with a wicked smile on her face, then poured the juice on herself. Before I could speak, she started screaming like a crazy bitch, then shoved the glass in my hands.
It happened so fast that the door opened and William rushed in.
“What the fuck?!” William quickly took Jimena in his arms as she pretended to shiver.
"She's crazy; I didn't do anything, Willy. I..." She sobbed, which made William rub her back as he nodded and repeatedly apologized. I was amused; I couldn't even find the words to say.
“She's going to pay for this.” William gritted his teeth, dangerously looking at me.
"No, please don't; she's just upset, I understand and–”
“Please go to the guest room.” William cut her.
“What?”
“Go clean up; I will join you shortly.” He said, and she nodded before looking at me and faking a sympathetic smile.
“I understand what you're going through; I promise I do, but you know how much William and I love each other.”
“You don't owe her any explanation, Jimena," William said, and she nodded her head before she walked to the door. I watched her every step; I still couldn't believe she just did what she did.
When she reached the door she shot me a scornful look before walking out, as if she’d won some unspoken game.
“Why the fuck did you do that for?!”
“I didn't do it; she's lying.”
“Don't you dare accuse Jimena; she is not like you.”
“Wait, so you're calling me a liar?”
“Yes, now get your things and prepare to apologize to Jimena; you know how sensitive Jimena is.”
“Are you fucking serious right now?!” I raised my voice; I've never raised my voice at him.
“W-what?” He probably didn't expect me to raise my voice.
“Can you hear yourself now? I should pack my things and go where exactly?”
“To one of the guest rooms or Ivy's room, we are getting a divorce, and this is my house.”
“But I'm still your wife, and as long as we are married, this is my room; I will not give it up for...”
“Fuck!” He rubbed his forehead. “You're just a fucking headache; haven't you tortured me enough?”
“Seriously?”
“All fucking four years of misery, what have I done to deserve this?” Yes, he was doing it again, acting like the victim.
“William?” I shook my head. How did I even fall for someone like this, so selfish?
“I’m going down to check on Jimena; I don’t even know what the poor girl is going through with this mentality; I want you out when I come back.” He said and then walked to the door. I watched him, but as he reached the door, he stopped at the question I asked him.
“Have you ever imagined loving me, even just a little?” I asked through tears; my heart was beating faster; it was like it was going to stop at any moment. I tightened my grip around the glass.
“What?”
“Answer me, William, have you ever imagined loving me, maybe in five years, even just a little?” I repeated, I needed to know.
He turned, his face serious, “Never. I will never love you, not even in the next life. The last four years were hell on earth. I hate you, Anastasia; I fucking hate you.” His words rang in my head.
He hated me.
He slammed the door, and I sniffed before I wiped my tears, as that was all I needed to hear.
I tried. I swear I tried.
I turned and saw my packed bag. I didn’t care if everything I needed was there; I just needed to leave. This was it. I couldn’t do it anymore.
I walked to the bedside drawer and took the document his mother brought to me a few days ago.
“Fucking sign the papers you leech!” I remembered her words; she never wanted me for her son; just like him, she hated me.
Without wasting time, I took the pen from the table and placed my full name on the dotted line.
A tear fell on the document blurring the ink as a sharp, stinging pain gripped my chest.
I stared at my blurred name for a moment before I carefully placed the divorce agreement document on the bed, and taking my bag, I walked out of the room–ignoring the pain in my chest, I would cry but not here.
I didn’t even want to look back; I didn’t want to regret anything while I was still here.
I quickened my steps down the stairs but reaching the lower steps, I stopped as I watched William tickling Jimena; he was laughing. William had never smiled, not even in the photos.
I don’t know how I could be able to fix my heart from here, as it was more than a million pieces now.
Tears naturally found their way to my cheeks as William bent down to kiss her flat belly; he never even did that even when I was carrying his child.
Wiping them away, I walked down and reached them, I stared for a moment before I cleared my throat, which they noticed.
“What’s this?” William annoyedly asked, “Don’t tell me you don’t know which room to choose.” His whole mood changed; yes, I irritated him.
“I’m leaving.”
“What?” He sprang to his feet, turning to face me. Jimena, on the other hand, picked the magazine from the table and started paging through, clearly enjoying the drama.
“I’m leaving; I already signed the divorce agreement.“
“What agreement?!” William raised his voice as he came closer to me.
“Submit them after you put your signature on. I want it finalized as soon as possible.” I said, but upon finishing my sentence, William grabbed me by my arm and forced me to face him.
“I didn’t ask you to leave.”
“I don't need your permission.”
“You leave when I say so!” He raised his voice, and his grip on my wrist tightened; it was starting to hurt.
“You can’t stop me.”
“I’m your husband, and what I say goes.” For the first time our eyes met, his dark green eyes were staring into mine; I couldn’t tell what he was trying or why he was against me leaving.
“Oh my God, William, let her go.”
“Shut up, Jimena!” He raised his voice, which was the first time as he had never raised his voice at her, not even when they fought.
“And you listen to me,” he pulled me closer to him, “you don’t leave this house until I ask you to; is that clear?!”
Chapter 0004
WASHINGTON, SEATTLE 2022
~ANASTASIA~
I was shocked. Why didn’t William allow me to leave, and most importantly, what made him think I would listen to him?
I knew I was still in love with him, but I knew when to stop. I broke eye contact and freed my arm from his grip.
“You’re not leaving here, Anastasia.”
“Why?” I sounded confident. “Why should I not leave?”
“Because I say so.”
“God…” I couldn’t believe him. I shook my head as I couldn’t find the words to respond. He was full of himself.
“Now go back to the guest room before I lose my patients.” He commanded. I looked at him and then at Jimena, who was as shocked as me as she left the magazine she was pretending to read and fixed her eyes on us now.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with you; I mean, sure, I was a fool to fall for you but to think you own me.” I hysterically chuckled.
“I own you. I don’t know if your father told you, but the situation his company is in is not good, and without me, it wouldn’t be a company.”
“Wait, you’re threatening me with my father's company?”
“Yes. If you leave, I will pull out my investments and tell him you made me do it.” He wasn’t even ashamed to say that. How the fuck did I end up marrying him?
"William, what’s wrong with you?” Jimena asked, but he ignored her as he was focused on me.
“Now be a good wife and go back to our room; we will sort this out peacefully." William sounded like he was trying to manipulate me, as his voice was softer than ever.
I shook my head and smiled at how stupid I had been; he really had me for a fool because, on a normal day, I would simply obey and do whatever he says but today isn't that day.
"Good,” he smiled. I don't know what made him think I was doing what he asked, but as I turned and dragged my bag to the door, he immediately stopped me once again and held me back by my arm.
“Let me go.”
“You're making a big mistake.”
“The only mistake I made was to marry you, William.”
“You better listen while I'm being nice, Anna; you know what will happen if I let my devil take control,” he threatened.
“I don't care what happens; let go of my arm now, or I will call the police.”
“You're joking.”’
“You don't know me, William, now...” I forcefully freed my arm and walked to the door without saying another word.
“Don't say I didn't warn you, Anastasia; I'm going to ruin you!” He shouted, but I didn't care; what's the worst that could happen?
Reaching the door, I quickly opened it, afraid that he would stop me, but luckily he didn't. I walked out, and warm tears rolled down my cheeks. I sniffed and held in my cries as I couldn't cry outside.
I didn't have a car and didn't want to go back in there to ask for his car keys because it would just give him and his mistress another reason to look down on me, so I walked out of the gate as I planned to get a cab.
I placed my heavy bag down and reached for my phone, and just when I got it, the same guy from earlier—the one who bailed me out of prison—came.
“Ms. Anastasia?” He called out, and I quickly wiped my tears. “Are you okay?” He asked, and I cleared my throat to speak but could not find the words. I was tired of lying.
“Please go,” I tried to sound okay.
“You know I will be punished if I leave you here.”
“I'm fine, Scott, please.”
“I insist, at least let me give you a ride to where you're going.”
“No, I'm–”
“Please don't make my job difficult, Ms. Anastasia. I promise it's just a ride, then I'll be out of your sight.” He insisted, and somehow it brought a smile to my face as he kept saying this, but it never happened.
I looked down the road. I knew cabs rarely came to this side as most people had their cars, and I didn't want neighbors to find me stranded on the road; they would suspect something and start a rumor on social media, so I nodded and walked to his car while he picked up my bag.
I got in the backseat, my eyes on my phone, as I tried to text Vivienne, my best friend, the one I called earlier, to meet up.
“Oh my god, I've been waiting for thirty minutes now; are you still coming?” Vivienne asked, hearing her voice triggered the tears I was holding in, so I covered my mouth to stop myself from whimpering, “Are you deaf? I said I'm waiting for my friend!” I heard her raise her voice–probably to the waitress; that was Vivi; she was very difficult to handle.
"Yes, I'm fine,” I cleared my voice.
“Are you sure?” She sounded worried.
"Yes, I'm sure I just have the flu. I'm sorry I'm not coming.”
“What? Do you want me to come?”
“No. I… I will speak to you tomorrow.” I was quick to respond.
“Alright, I have to take lunch for Harriot anyway; I will talk to you later,” she said, and I nodded, holding in the tears.
She was taking lunch to Harriot, her husband. Vivi’s life was so easy; she had a good family and a husband who loved her.
I just wondered what she did in her past life that I haven't done because, unlike her, my family disowned me and my husband; well, I couldn't even call him that.
“Do you want to stop by somewhere?” Scott's voice shook me out of my thoughts; I shook my head. “Alright; so–” The ringing of my phone stopped him; it was William.
I canceled as I had nothing to say to him, then it started ringing again and I canceled, then a notification of a message popped up.
‘You have nowhere to go, I called all the hotels. No one will allow you to spend the night at their hotel.’ I read the first message and ignored it.
‘Get back home and let us talk.’
‘I'm only doing this for my daughter. You are the mother of my child, and it will be bad if you spend the night outside and get sick.’ I read the third but shook my head, still not responding.
‘This is your last chance, Anastasia. Not even for Ivy’s sake will stop me from ruining you. You know leaving will attract public interest; now, for the last time, come back home!’ I could imagine his frowny face from the text, then a notification popped up, and it was a tag on social media.
I was curious to see who had tagged me so I quickly went to the post and was shocked to see the headline of the post.
“William Rogers, the CEO of the Rogers enterprise, proposes a divorce to his wife, Anastasia Rogers, the young disowned heiress of the Lancaster family.” I read out loud.
“The public is left with questions on why Mr. Rogers divorced his wife right after his father's death; now if you all remember how their marriage was fishy from the start...”
I quickly went down the comments, and most of them were tags. People were tagging both me and William; it was crazy, but I kept scrolling until a specific tag caught my attention.
My once calmed heart started beating faster again as I saw not only one but two more tagged with the name.
‘Mr. Lancaster,’ my father.
They had just tagged my father, and it must mean he saw it, and if he saw it then I was in trouble—serious trouble—and the last thing I needed was to upset him.
“Fuck!”
Chapter 0005
~ANASTASIA~
I slapped my forehead, which caught Scott’s attention as he turned to me with a curious look.
“Is-”
“Drive.” I cut him; I couldn't deal with him.
“Ms. Anastasia-”
“I'm not Ms. Anastasia!” I yelled, “I mean, I guess now—agh, just drive, please.” I rubbed my forehead and caught my breath. I had forgotten that I was not married to William anymore.
Scott nodded his head and then started the car. I took a deep breath as I tried to calm myself.
I rested my head on the seat and closed my eyes, as I knew it would calm me because I needed to be as calm as possible. I scratched my arms as they were a little itchy—I hadn't had a proper bath in days.
Even with my eyes closed, I didn't miss it when the car came to a stop, I quickly opened my eyes, and without waiting for Scott, I assisted myself out of the car.
“My apologies Ms Ana-Rogers…” I bumped into him as he was about to open the door for me.
“Just give me my bag.” I sniffed, and Scott without wasting time rushed to the trunk, and before I knew it, he was back with my bag in his hands.
He opened his mouth to probably ask but I didn't let him say the words as I grabbed my bag from his hands and without a moment to lose, I hurried to my apartment door.
When I reached the door, I stopped and stared at it for a split second. I used to live here before marrying William; it was my grandma’s apartment, but she left it in my name. Dad and I never got along, so on the bad days I spent most of my days here.
Taking a deep breath, I reached for my keys and then unlocked the door, ignoring its dust. I struggled for a few seconds because the lock was old; it had been like that even when Grandma was alive. I promised to fix it but never got a chance because, after marrying William, I became a housewife, talk of taking care of a baby who needed my attention twenty-four-seven.
When I got in, I threw the bag down and walked straight to my bedroom. I needed to wash my body as my skin was itchy.
My room was dusty, but I didn't have the time to clean, so ignoring it, I took off my clothes and went to the shower. I turned on the warm water and quickly washed my body. Whatever I was doing, I tried so hard not to think of anything at the moment; I had to be strong.
Of course, I will cry, just not now.
The shower didn't take time as I was quick; after that, I wore my comfortable pajamas and then walked to the kitchen. I luckily stocked my fridge with each chance I got, so there was food.
I took the bucket of yogurt and ice cream and placed it on the counter. I walked to the cupboard and tried to get a spoon. I struggled to get a hold of the glass jar that had the spoons, and before I knew it, the jar came flying and landed on the floor, crashing it into a million pieces.
“Fuck!” I cursed out loud, annoyed at why everything had to be so bad today. After sighing, I walked to the broken pieces, paused for a second before I bent, picked up one spoon, and then walked to the counter and took my two bowls in my arms, then walked to the living room.
My couch was dusty, but I didn't bother to clean it as I sat down and started mixing the ice cream and yogurt before I started eating.
I stayed silent, eating before I remembered my phone. I had to check it in case Dad called. I was not ready to deal with him, but I knew there was no escaping that old man.
“Maybe he'll not be too harsh on me when he hears that William and I are getting a divorce,” I said to myself before I stood up and almost walked to the bedroom but stopped at the knock on the door.
My heart started beating fast as I thought of the possibility of William following me here. I didn't have the heart to face him now, and I was not ready to even process the whole divorce thing now.
I took small steps to the door, and as I reached there, I peeped through the doorhole. I could see a person and with the clothes, I could tell it was a man.
I knew it couldn't be William, as when I left him he was in his home clothes. I thought it was Scott, so I slightly opened the door, but when I saw the person, I tried to close it, but they forced their way until they were in.
“Ana?”
Chapter 0006
~ANASTASIA~
“If you're here to make fun of me, then I advise you to leave now,” I said and walked back to the couch while he remained frozen.
“I know, yes, I was wrong, and yes, I'm in big trouble, but trust me, I know how to solve my problems, okay?” I said as I picked up my bowl and started eating, the person still didn't respond, and I, not wanting to force anything, ignored him and focused on my food.
"Ana?” he finally said after a long moment.
“Just get over with it Trey, what are you going to say now? That you warned me? Well, I'm sorry for being-”
“I'm so sorry,” he said, surprising me. I turned to look at him, and he nodded his head and then came to me.
"Listen, I'm not interested in your pity.”
“I'm your brother; if I don't pity you, who will?” He asked as he sat next to me, and then he placed his arm on my back and started running it in a comforting manner, “This bastard hurt you so much. I'm sorry, sis. I really am,” he continuously said, but I didn't respond as I was still shocked. I thought he was going to make fun of me, but I didn't respond as I kept stuffing ice cream into my mouth without swallowing it. “And I promise you, William will pay for hurting you.”
“It's not his fault; I'm the one who accepted his marriage even when he told me he didn't love me.” I placed the bowl down and cleaned the tears that rolled down my cheeks.
“You shouldn't blame yourself for that bastard's crime, sis; it's not your fault he couldn't keep his dick in his pants.”
“It's not that, Trey..." I sniffed and shook my head. "I came between two people who love each other; you all warned me, but I didn't listen.” Thinking of it ached my heart as the emotions I bottled in earlier came crashing all at once. “It’s all my fault; I'm to blame," I sobbed as tears freely rolled down my cheeks. I felt so bad, "if I listened, all this would-”
"That's enough, sis!” Trey raised his voice, “Look at me.” He demanded, but I shook my head. I was embarrassed. How could I look him in the eyes after all I had done? He tried to warn me; they all tried to warn me, but I never listened. Now look at where my stubbornness got me. “I said, look at me, Anna!” I was forced to face him: “You didn't do anything wrong; you fell in love and gave yourself a chance.”
“Which didn't end well..." I sobbed.
“It doesn't matter how it ended; what's important is you realized it before it was too late,” he said, now caressing my cheek. Trey had a way of convincing people it was his gift, and here I was falling for it as I nodded my head. He was right; I didn't do anything wrong. Loving someone and hoping to be loved back isn't a crime. “Daddy will be so proud of you; now we can finally go home.”
"No," I quickly said and stood up. “Dad cannot know this; he will never forgive me.”
“What are you saying?” Trey also stood up as he faced me and said, "Dad has already forgiven you.”
"That's not true; I mean, if he did, why did he not try to find me? He hasn't spoken to me in four years, so how the hell did he forgive me?!” I yelled as I was also upset with my father; I was his daughter—his only daughter for that matter—why on earth would he disown me and take the resources from me just because I made one mistake?
“You say he forgave me, right? Then tell me one thing: with the news trending, I'm sure he saw it. Why didn't he come to look for me? Don't tell me he hasn't seen it because I'm sure you are here because you saw it too. If you, who is rarely online, saw it then...”
“This is what Mom said,” he said, running a hand into his hair. “She knew both Dad and you are stubborn, but how could she think I was the right candidate for this?” He spoke words that didn't make sense to me.
"What's going on with Dad's company? Why is William the biggest investor?” I asked, wiping my tears.
“You don't have to worry about that, sis; Santiago will be back soon; he will sort everything out.”
“Santiago? Is...is he coming with Ivy?” My voice trembled. Trey took my hands and led me back to the couch. "Answer me, Trey, is Santiago coming with Ivy? When are they coming?” I asked all at once without breathing: Santiago was my elder brother, while Trey was my twin. He behaves like this because he's a minute older than me.
Santiago lived in Sedona with his wife and son. Ivy, my daughter, also lived with them. William didn't care about her, and I also didn't want her to watch him mistreat me or experience him ignoring her, so I sent her away. She only came for holidays and sometimes weekends.
“Speaking of Ivy,” Trey pulled out his ringing phone, ignoring my question, “There is my angel; how are you?” He said as he picked up the call, the way he held the phone on his face made me realize it was a video call.
I quickly wiped my tears, as I didn't want her to suspect anything. Ivy was a little adult, so any mistake she would just notice.
"Oh, I'm with your mommy, sweetheart; do you want to speak to her?” Trey asked, and I quickly fixed my face and cleared my voice. Trey looked at me, and I nodded my head as he asked with eyes if I could speak with Ivy.
I took the phone from Trey with trembling hands. I didn't want to worry her; growing up without a mother or father was already tough for her. She always begged to return, but I kept making excuses.
“Mamma, is everything okay? I tried to call you…” She spoke so fast, but I didn't hear her last words as I was lost in my thoughts.
Ivy was William's copy; maybe it was because it was a one-time thing as her eyes, hair, and even nose were exactly William's, but in a female version, “Mamma?!” she screamed, which shook me out of my thoughts. “Is it Pappa? Did he say something to you? Are you two getting a divorce?” She asked, and my heart started racing at her question.
She might have seen the news, as Ivy was very smart; she might have searched for it online, but how was I supposed to tell her her daddy was going to have a baby with another woman?
I caught a tear that escaped my eye. I couldn't even imagine her pain. She loved her dad so much. Part of the reason I endured all those four years was because of her. Because I wanted to give her a family like others.
Is wanting the best for your daughter a crime?
Chapter 0007
~WILLIAM~
I took a swig of my drink as I impatiently stomped my feet. What the fuck was taking her long to get back at me? “Just a small task, and it's taking hours," I complained as I stood up and walked to the window, my fingers tracing my jaw.
I couldn't believe Anastasia's audacity; what made her think she could divorce me? She's the one who begged to marry me; I should be the one to sign the divorce papers first, not her.
I punched the wall, but as pain shot up my arm, I grunted in pain.
"Fuck!" I cursed as I tried to soothe the pain. I couldn't wait for her any longer, so I walked back to the table and took my phone. I dialed her number, and she picked up the first ring.
“Mr Rogers?-”
“I always ask myself how I employed such an incompetent human; I say do this, and you take hours to get it done.”
“But sir, it's over ten hotels.”
“And so? People get that done in less than ten minutes.”
“I'm sorry, sir.”
“Whatever, how many have you contacted so far?”
“Seven sir.”
“Just seven?”
"Yes, sir, but they both agreed; they won't let Mrs. Rogers spend a night in their hotel.”
“Good, make sure you call the rest; she needs to know who's in charge.”
"Understood, sir,” she said, and I ended the call. I almost sat down when I noticed a figure by the door.
“I hate when people spy on me," I said, looking at Jimena, who had her arms crossed on her chest, she was dressed provocatively—red lingerie that barely covered her figure.
“People? William, do I look like people to you?” She asked, coming toward me. I didn't respond as I focused on my computer. I was searching for the Lancaster properties; I wanted to see if she had gone to one of them, as I doubted she went back to her father as they were not on good terms.
“What is it? I'm busy," I said, not sparing her a glance.
“I don't understand. What are you busy with? I'm right here,” she let out a nervous laugh.
"Work Jimena, work.”
“Well,” her voice changed to that that always drove me crazy. "I am sure work can wait,” she whispered in my ear. I didn't notice when she got to me, as she was now seductively running her hands on my arms.
I was feeling her for a moment as my dick got hard and I closed my eyes, taking in deep breaths. Jimena licked my earlobes and ran her hands on my back. It was all good at the moment until she mentioned a name I didn't want to hear.
“Why the fuck did you have to bring her name into this?” I removed her from my body as I started fixing my clothes.
"Wait, why does her name get you so worked up now? I mean, I always mentioned her name, but it was never a problem,” Jimena sounded shocked. Yes, she always made fun of Anastasia; I mean, we always made fun of her, how she couldn't do the things she did, how she couldn't get my dick up; it was never an issue, so I was as shocked as her. “And what's shocking is that I only said she would never be able to make you feel what I make you feel, nothing insulting.”
“I don't care what you said; I'm not in the mood anymore," I said and turned my attention to my phone.
“You are joking, right? Listen, William, I hate jokes like this. Okay, Anastasia left without us lifting a finger. We should be happy, we should celebrate,” she walked to me and took my hand, then placed it on her flat belly. “And besides, we are having a baby, even more reason to celebrate.”
"Jimena, go to bed; I have a lot of work," I tiredly said as I sat down and searched for James' contact on my phone. James was my personal assistant; I needed him to go and search for Anastasia so I know where she was and how I would make her beg to return.
“Listen,” Jimena sat on my lap. She forced me to face her. "I think it's time we speed up things,” she said, and I looked at her confused. “Marry me?” She asked, and I first thought it was a joke until she brought out a ring—the same ring that belonged to my grandmother—the ring I gave Anastasia.
Looking at it reminded me of everything and made my heart race.
I grabbed the ring from her hands and quickly stood up, which caused Jimena to almost fall as I got up without warning her.
My heart twisted in pain as the past replayed in my head.