Chapter 1：The End of Marriage

Elena's POV

I bit back a moan in the darkness as Reginald thrust into me with raw rage. Hurt like hell but my body responded anyway.

My body was shaking with every single movement he made. I was gripping the sheets so tight, my knuckles were white. Our heavy breathing filled the whole room, and every sound I made just seemed to make him go harder.

He wouldn't slow down for a second. Each thrust was so forceful, like he was trying to punish me. His hands were gripping my waist so hard, and when he finally finished, his whole body tensed up. He let out this deep, guttural groan, and I felt him come inside me. His grip on my waist was almost painful.

Reginald pulled out of me and slapped my ass hard, sneering, "Holy shit, Elena, you're even more desperate than I thought. You had to drug my drink to get me into bed? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I didn't—" I was so out of breath.

"Just shut up." He cut me off like I was some annoying fly. "You think I'd sleep with you willingly? Did your family teach you this shitty trick? Or did you learn it from those fake social climbers at the galas?"

"Reginald, I'm your wife!" I snapped back. I was so angry, I didn't care if he got mad.

"A title you bought when your family went broke," he scoffed. He walked to the bathroom, and that gave me a moment to button my shirt. My hands were shaking like crazy. The fabric of the shirt brushed against the inch - long scar on my arm. Just seeing that scar made me remember a night I wished I could just forget.

Three years ago, I was in the study of the Stewart mansion. I drank champagne that had been spiked, and I could hear my parents' voices getting farther away. "It's the only way to save the company..."

Before I knew it, I was being ushered into a room by my parents' people. My head was spinning, and my legs were unsteady.

There, in the soft light, stood Reginald. His jet - black hair was tousled, and his thick, dark eyebrows arched in surprise. His eyes, a deep blue, were almond - shaped with long lashes. High cheekbones, a straight nose, and full lips set in a frown completed his striking face. He was tall, his broad shoulders filling out his charcoal suit, open at the collar to show a hint of his tanned chest. Even in my drugged state, I was struck by his good looks.

Man, I was such a naive idiot back then. I actually thought I could make this marriage work. I thought I could fit in with the rich people in Manhattan.

But no - for three long years, I had to listen to all those whispers about "that new money Stewart girl." I had to watch Reginald pine over his ex, Vivian Drake. That's when I finally realized this marriage was a total joke.

When he came back from the bathroom, I saw something shiny in his hand. And then, a Plan B pack landed right between us on the bed.

"Take it," he barked at me. "Don't tell me you thought you could baby-trap me? Get real, Elena. This ain't some Hallmark movie fantasy."

My stomach dropped like a rock. I reached for my purse, trying my best to ignore that stupid scar on my arm, and pulled out the divorce papers.

His eyebrow went up a little bit. "Finally got your big move, huh? What does Stewart Group want this time? More money? More power?"

"Nothing," I stared right back at him. I wasn't going to back down. "I paid back every single penny Stewart owed you. Every last cent."

He blew out some cigar smoke and smirked at me. "And you think I'm just gonna roll over and sign these papers? You've got another thing coming."

"Do whatever the hell you want," I straightened my spine, even though my body was still in searing pain. "I'm done playing this stupid game of being your pretend wife in this joke of a marriage."

He blew smoke right in my face, and I started coughing like crazy. My eyes were watering, but there was no way I was going to back down.

"Still playing your little games?" His fingers were tapping on the divorce papers. "Or is this just another one of your desperate stunts to get my attention?"

"Guess what? You wanna hear something really funny?" I kept my voice steady, even though I was so angry, I wanted to scream. "You're so obsessed with thinking I'm trying to manipulate you that you wouldn't know real feelings if they punched you in the face."

"Real?" He laughed like I had just told the funniest joke in the world. "Like when you threw yourself at me that night? How long did you practice that little act?"

"I've been real with you since day one, you asshole," I fired back. "Oh right - I forgot you can't handle anything that's actually genuine. It's like you break out in hives or something."

For a split second, something flashed across his face - maybe it was doubt? Or regret? But it was gone so fast, I wasn't sure. He grabbed his pen and signed those divorce papers really quickly. "Keep up the act, sweetie."

He tossed the papers on the floor like they were trash. "Though I gotta say," he pulled out a black card, "you played your part pretty damn well." He flicked the card at me. "Think of it as..." his smirk made me want to punch him right in his perfect teeth, "payment for services rendered. You know, for being my fake wife."

The second he strutted out of the room, it was like all the life had been sucked out. It was so quiet, it was eerie.

I just stood there. I don't even know how long. My hands were still shaking, but finally, I managed to pick up that stupid black card.

My eyes were burning, and I bit my lip so hard, I thought it was going to bleed. I was trying so hard not to cry, but the tears came anyway. But you know what? For the first time in a long, long time, those weren't just sad tears. They felt... freeing. Like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I wiped my face, and all those years of taking his bullshit just turned into something else - something cold and hard inside me. I was done being pushed around.

Everyone thought I was going to run off to France after the divorce. They were so wrong.

That pushover who would do anything for the Stewart family? She was dead and buried. The girl who had big dreams of shaking up the tech world? That was the real me. And I was going to show them all an empire in England - focusing on AI and clean energy.

I took one last look around my gilded cage. I left all the designer clothes and jewelry behind. I dropped my wedding ring on the nightstand and walked out. I didn't look back.

In the elevator, I felt free for the first time in ages. The Stewarts and Vanderbilts were going to learn that I wasn't going to follow their stupid rules anymore. I was my own person.

As I walked to my waiting car, I caught a glimpse of my reflection. I looked confident, like a whole new person. I wasn't just someone's wife or daughter anymore. "To the airport," I told the driver, and then I opened my laptop. Time to work.