CHAPTER 1

I really don't understand why you don't want to leave; just leave, Jane! There is nothing between us anymore; well, there was never a connection, and now I want you to leave, dammit." Cold as ice Don's words were like a sharp knife jagging right through her heart. Don McBurney, the Thirty Two Year-Old CEO of McBurney Database Company, was married to Jane Viola. Don was naturally rude and conceited, while Jane was very kind and lovely. They were very different from each other, and most people said these two were not compatible.

It's been two years since Don married Jane, and now he wanted her out of his life. 

"You are my husband; why should I leave you?" Jane finally managed to say something.

"Because I don't love you, and I never did. I don't want to waste your time anymore. Satisfied?" He answered in his arrogant voice. She felt her eyes burning, and a stream of tears gushed down from her eyelids, falling down her cheeks. She tried holding them back, but she failed. She felt her knees weak, and she leaned against the cold wall, slowly reaching the tiled floor until she was sitting helplessly on the tiled floor.

"I will call my lawyers to start with the divorce preparations." He left her there weeping, and he didn't even care. Jane didn't even know why she was crying because she was forced to marry Don. She was given an ultimatum to choose between letting her father die or marrying the man who was going to pay for her father's medical bills so that he could get better. She made her decision; she chose to save his father's life by marrying that selfish and cruel bastard.

After some time of crying and feeling sorry for herself, Jane finally gathered the courage to move her ass from the floor. She went straight to her bedroom and started packing. Instead of being sad, she was so mad that she threw everything in her big suitcase—shoes, clothes, everything. She made her way downstairs. "Do you need help, Madam?" Susan, the house helper, stopped her before she reached the door.

"I will manage Susan; thank you," she quickly rushed outside the house, avoiding eye contact. She took her car and drove straight to her father's house.

"I'm home; is anyone here?" Jane shouted as she stepped outside her car. Her nephew came running to her. "Aunty, I want to show you my family picture. Come quickly." Five-year-old Zayne came running to hug her. She felt a glimpse of happiness in her heart, and she realised that she has not been happy for a long time now. Jane went inside, and she was happy to find her father fit and healthy.

"I hate it when you don't visit me, Jane." Jane and her father both laughed. They sat in their dining room chatting, and Jane hid her sorrows from her father, but Moses, Jane's father, knew her very well.

"Something is bothering you, my child; are you all right?" He looked really worried.

"Everything is fine." I'm just exhausted, that's all," she lied.

"You don't have to lie to me; I'm your father; I can tell when you are lying." He shifted closer to her, looked her straight in the eyes, and there it was: sadness. His heart felt heavy; he loved his daughter, and his heart ached when his daughter was hurting.

"He hates me, Dad; he really hates me, and I hate myself for allowing him to mistreat me for two full years." She sobbed. 

"Don't cry, my child. I'm sorry you are going through this. I know you did it for me, and I'm grateful, but you should have told me." He comforted his daughter, and she could sense the pain in his voice. Jane told his father about all the horrible things Don did to her; she told him about their conversation earlier today and that he wanted to divorce her.

"Divorce Jane?" His father couldn't believe his ears. "Do you know what that means, right?" He continued.

"Yes, I know, Dad. Don't worry, I will look for a job. We will be fine." She gave her father hope. If Don divorces Jane, she is going to lose everything. The house that her family lives in belongs to Don; he is still paying for her father's medical bills; he does everything for her family; and that was the deal, and if they get a divorce, the deal is off. Jane didn't have any qualifications; getting a good-paying job was going to be difficult for her.

Jane and her father were having a warm conversation when they heard a bang on the door. It was as if someone was trying to shatter the door. Jane stood up and walked towards the door. Slowly, she pulled the door handle down and pulled the door towards her. The door opened, and her husband stood tall in front of her. 

"Are you stupid, Jane?" He walked with confidence towards the centre of the room.

"Can't you at least respect me, son?" Moses was shocked; he intervened.

"I'm not talking to you, old man." Don gave Moses a daring look.

"What are you doing here, Don?" Jane asked.

"I asked you a question: are you dumb or stupid?" Don sat down on the black leather couch next to Moses.

"What do you mean?"

"You leave my house and come to my other house; only stupid people can do that."

"Where am I supposed to go, Don? Tell me. This is the only home I have," Jane begged him after seeing the look in her father's face.

"I don't know, and I don't care. What I know is that you have one hour to pack your stuff and leave my house," he said with a silly laugh.

"What do you want from me, Don? Why can't you just leave me alone? I've been your slave for two years. I did everything that you wanted. Can't you just divorce me in peace and leave me alone?" Tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"No, I can't do that; let's just say I enjoy seeing your miserable face every day."

"You are cruel, and I hate you," she said, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"I can leave you and your family to stay in this house, and I can continue paying all your bills, including your father's hospital bills. See, I'm not cruel after all," he laughed sarcastically.

"At what cost?" She knew Don very well; in his world, there is nothing for free.

"There is a vacant secretary post at work, and I want you to fill it up," he said without hesitation.

"You mean I should come and work for you? You must be joking." She couldn't believe it, but she knew he was dead serious.

"I will see you at work tomorrow, eight o'clock sharp, or you pack your things and leave my house," he said, standing up and leaving. "This man is unbelievable!" She clapped her hands. Jane knew that she didn't have a choice; she had to go to work the following day.

Jane went to her room; it was quite dirty since no one had lived in it for a long time. She started cleaning and packing her clothes in the closet. After a long day, she took a long, hot shower. While thinking about her life, she felt like a loser. Jane had nothing that belonged to her; everything that she owned belonged to her husband, Don. After a long time in the shower, she was done. As she was applying lotion to her body, she remembered that she didn't pack underwear and sleeping gowns. She could manage just fine without the sleeping gowns, but she needed the underwear since she was going to work tomorrow.

She dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers and rushed for the door. She almost bumped into her father. "Where are you headed to this late?" His father moved away from the door.

"I need to fetch something from Don's house; I will be back quickly." 

"Can't you wait till tomorrow? It's quite late now," his overprotective father suggested.

"No, Dad, I can't. I actually need this 'thing' for work tomorrow," she kissed her father's cheeks and left. She was glad Don didn't take her car because it came in handy at that moment. Requesting an Uber was going to take time, and she wanted to be back as soon as possible.

When she reached her husband's house, she found the gate locked, but luckily she had the remote gate in her car. She opened the gate, went inside, and parked next to the main door.

She rang the doorbell, but no one answered. She tried to open it, but the door was locked. She went back to the car, took the keys, and let herself in. 

As she entered the house, memories flashed through her mind. She remembered her first night in the house after she got married. She remembered how normal Don was; he was not as heartless as he is now. She wondered what had changed. Don never showed his affection for her, but he had a little bit of respect for her. She found herself smiling. She then realised that it was not that late; it was just after seven in the evening, but the house was quiet. Where could Don be? And why was Susan not in the kitchen, preparing dinner? She couldn't stop worrying that something was strange. She then remembered that it was not her place anymore to worry about Don.

She quickly climbed the stairs into her bedroom. She and Don have been sleeping in separate bedrooms for about a year now, but they did share nights of passion together once in a while. She had to pass Don's bedroom before she could reach hers, and as she was passing by, she heard sounds coming from his bedroom.

She paused for a moment and went for her door. She then figured out what the noise was—it was music. And what was he doing with music? As far as she knew, Don was not a fan of music; something must be happening in there, she taught.

She couldn't ignore the sounds coming from his bedroom any longer; she rushed for his door and opened it gently. Her mouth widened in shock, her fingers loosened up, her phone fell from her hands, smashing into the floor, and her car keys lay helplessly on the floor. She tried to speak, but the words got stuck in her throat. She blinked once, and a ball of tears rolled down her cheeks.

'How could he do this to me? Why ?' She searched for answers in her mind with no luck.