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Esmeralda
The penthouse was silent, save for the distant hum of the city below. The muted glow of skyscrapers bled through the towering windows, painting faint gold streaks across the room. Esmeralda Moreau sat on the edge of the bed, her hands trembling as her phone screen illuminated her pale face. The message on the screen cut deeper than any blade.
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Text/message from Juliette:
Guess who's back in town? Alex's first love. And I heard he's been shopping for rings… Strange, I thought you already had one.
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The weight of those words pressed against her chest, suffocating her. For two years, she had lived in this gilded cage—a secret wife, hidden from the world. Alexander Vale had swept into her life like a storm, offering salvation when she had none. But every ounce of love he gave her came tethered to shadows. No declarations in the light, no acknowledgment of their bond beyond the walls of this penthouse.
She glanced down at her hands, her gaze snagging on the simple gold band adorning her finger. It had once felt like a promise, something that tethered them together in a world too vast and unkind. Now, it felt like a cruel joke, a reminder of the life she'd accepted—a life spent loving a man who would never truly be hers.
Her phone buzzed again, another message from Juliette.
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Text/message from Juliette:
Running away again? Predictable. Maybe this time he'll finally choose someone who belongs in his world.
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Esmeralda gritted her teeth, her hand tightening around the phone. She shouldn't have opened Juliette's messages, shouldn't have given her stepsister the satisfaction. But it wasn't just Juliette's taunts—it was the truth buried within them that unraveled her. Juliette knew how to find her vulnerabilities, twisting the knife with precision.
Juliette had always been cruel, but Esmeralda had been naïve enough to believe she could endure it. After all, she had endured far worse. When her stepmother's reckless spending drove their family into ruin, Esmeralda had stepped forward, sacrificing herself to save them. She had agreed to Alex's deal—his proposition of marriage that was as much about convenience as it was about emotion. She hadn't been naïve about what she was walking into.
But she hadn't expected to fall in love with him.
And now, the whispers she'd ignored for weeks—the mentions of Alex's first love returning to the city—had crystallised into something undeniable. The thought of him buying a ring for another woman was more than she could bear. Even if their marriage had started as a transaction, she had hoped it had become something more. She had hoped she had become something more.
Esmeralda rose from the bed, the silk of her robe whispering against her skin as she moved to the window. The city stretched out before her, glittering and infinite. Once, she had seen it as a beacon of opportunity, a symbol of freedom. Now, it felt like a labyrinth, every road leading back to the same place—this cage, this life, this unspoken truth.
Her reflection stared back at her, dark hair cascading over her shoulders, green eyes rimmed with unshed tears. "Fool," she whispered to herself. "You thought he'd choose you."
The thought lingered, bitter and cold. She had never belonged in Alex's world. His wealth, his power, the unshakable poise with which he navigated life—she had always been an outsider, clinging to a place that wasn't hers.
The decision to leave came suddenly, but the weight of it had been building for months. She moved with purpose now, her steps quick and determined as she began packing. Each dress, each pair of heels, each glittering piece of jewellery Alex had gifted her—everything went into a pile. She didn't want any of it. These weren't treasures; they were chains, reminders of a life that was never truly hers.
In the corner of the closet, she found a small, soft bundle she'd tucked away days ago. A baby's onesie. Her hands trembled as she held it up, her vision blurring with unshed tears. She hadn't even told him. She hadn't even confirmed it herself. But she didn't need a test to tell her what her body already knew.
A child. Alex's child.
Her free hand drifted to her stomach, her breath hitching as she imagined the life growing within her. The thought filled her with equal parts hope and despair. Would Alex have been happy? Would he have welcomed the news? Or would he have seen it as a complication, another weight pulling him down?
The questions swirled in her mind, but the answers didn't matter. She couldn't stay. Not like this. Not when every sign pointed to his heart belonging to someone else.
By the time the sun rose, Esmeralda had packed her life into a single suitcase. The penthouse was eerily silent, the absence of Alex's presence more pronounced than ever. She stood at the door, her gaze lingering on the space she had once thought of as home.
Her eyes fell to the gold band on her finger. Slowly, she slid it off, holding it in her palm for a long moment before placing it on the counter. It gleamed under the soft morning light, a quiet testament to everything she was leaving behind.
The elevator doors slid shut with a soft chime, and as she descended, she didn't look back.
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