Chapter 2

The noisy VIP lounge went dead silent.

Tyler frowned, brushing the papers away. The white sheets scattered all over the sticky club floor.

"Alyssa, what kind of childish stunt is this?"

"Look at yourself. Is this how a decent wife behaves?"

The sheer disgust in his eyes was blinding.

It was as if my very existence was a chore to him.

I took a shaky breath, a sharp pain radiating from my chest. I couldn't help but ask:

"And how is a 'decent wife' supposed to behave? Like Polly?"

"Since you’re so obsessed with her, why don't we just get a divorce so you can put a ring on her finger? That way, I won't be standing in your way anymore."

Tyler didn't expect me—the girl who had always been submissive—to humiliate him in public.

He stared at me, his gaze resembling that of an owner looking at a pet throwing a sudden tantrum.

He let out a heavy, patronizing sigh and reached out to grab my hand.

I took a step back, dodging his touch.

His hand froze in mid-air. Slowly, his expression darkened.

"Alyssa, do you still think you're the pampered heiress of the Franklin family?"

"Look at you. Aside from me, what man would ever want to marry a ruined woman like you?"

The moment those words left his mouth, my eyes went wide. I stared at him as if he were a complete stranger.

Before I turned eighteen, my life was perfect.

But maybe my happiness was too loud, and fate decided to silence it.

On my eighteenth birthday, I was kidnapped. I was tortured, broken, and left wishing for death.

It took a whole year before the police finally rescued me from that basement.

I foolishly thought I could just go back to my old life.

But the ugly scars all over my body and my heavily pregnant belly were constant slaps to my face.

My old friends, who used to kiss the ground I walked on, gave me pitying looks.

But behind my back, they whispered. They treated my trauma as juicy gossip over brunch.

Even my parents, who used to worship me, started treating me like the family’s dirty little secret.

Eventually, they adopted Polly—the nanny’s daughter.

They didn't want a broken daughter anymore. They wanted a clean, shiny new one.

I was so exhausted back then. I wanted to end it all, but Tyler saved me. He dragged me back from the edge.

He spent months telling me it wasn't my fault. He told me not to be afraid, that he would protect me forever.

But in just five years, the man who once rebuilt my entire world had turned into a monster.

I stared at him, tears blurring my vision.

Seeing my tears, Tyler seemed to realize he had gone too far.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone softening a bit.

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up..."

"But today is Polly’s high school graduation. You’re her older sister. Can't you just let her have her moment for once?"

For once? Hadn't I let her have every single moment over the past few years?

Ever since she entered the Franklin estate, she had made it her mission to throw her perfect life in my face.

She constantly reminded me of how much our parents loved her. How they were a "real" family.

She made sure I knew that my presence was a stain on the family name.

But I was too tired to fight her.

So I stood by and watched her steal my parents' love, my inheritance, and my place in the family.

Yet, she only grew greedier. Even after I married Tyler, she refused to let me go.

Whenever she ran into sketchy guys, twisted her ankle, forgot her umbrella... or just felt sad, she would call.

She always had a million emergencies to drag Tyler away from me.

In the past, I lied to myself. I told myself Tyler only cared about Polly because she was my sister.

But now, the illusion was shattered.

You can't hide love.

His endless excuses, his protective instincts, his constant favoritism—it was all glaringly obvious.

The woman Tyler loved was never me.