Chapter 1
“I want to file for divorce.” The words came out steady as if they had been waiting in my throat all along, finally tasting air for the first time. There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Are you sure about this, ma’am? You’ve been married for twenty years.” I looked around my bedroom—the walls I painted, the curtains I sewed, the furniture I polished every weekend like some loyal housemaid. The scent of lavender fabric softener clung to the bedsheets. Everything was clean. Perfect. Lifeless. “Yes,” I said, firm this time. “I’m sure. File it as soon as possible. I want to leave this house immediately.” I hung up before I could hear her response. The silence afterward was strange—peaceful, but laced with a kind of ache only a woman like me would understand. The ache of finality. Of choosing myself after being forgotten for far too long. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My lips trembled, but I didn’t cry. Not yet. Instead, my mind drifted back to that moment. The exact one where I knew this marriage—this life—was over. It was a quiet evening. The house smelled like fresh pasta. I had spent the whole afternoon preparing his favorite meal. I wore a soft blue dress I hadn’t worn in years, thinking maybe—just maybe—he would notice. I sat beside him on the couch, watching him review some documents from his firm, and then finally asked him about my dream destination, Paris, which he’d promised me. “Paris?” he repeated with a laugh, not even looking up from his laptop. “What for? You’re not that young anymore. Can’t we skip the formalities? It’s not important.” I stood there, holding my breath like a delicate glass. “You promised,” I said softly. “Twenty years ago. You said one day, when things are better, we’ll go. We’d celebrate properly.” Kier leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes. “With what money? Are you using your savings? Oh, wait—you don’t have your own money.” I blinked. “Can’t it be a gift? I just… want to enjoy something. After taking care of you. Of the kids. Of this house—” “Oh, so we tired you out?” he snapped. “Don’t make it sound like I forced you into this. You’re just staying home. What’s even hard about your job? I make the money. You get to sit in the comfort of this house and complain about wanting a vacation.” Your job. That word always scraped at me like a dull knife. As if motherhood, marriage, womanhood were simple lines on a to-do list. As if the years I spent making everyone else’s life easier meant nothing. Like my work began and ended in the kitchen. He went on. “Why don’t you be more like your sister Camille? She’s not even your sister by blood, and yet she’s miles ahead. Unmarried, independent, smart—she earned her own money and place in the world. She can travel wherever she wants and doesn’t burden anyone for it.” Camille. The orphan they adopted when I was fifteen. The golden girl who walked into our lives and stole every single piece of love I thought I owned. Before I could respond, my father walked in—David, stern as ever, with that gaze that had never once looked at me with pride. “She’s right,” he said, sipping tea as if he hadn’t just walked into a storm. “Camille is the better woman. Smart. Practical. Knows what she wants.” Then he looked at me. “You, Erika… you were born into this house, but sometimes I wonder if that was the real mistake.” I stared at him, silent. “There’s a reason why Camille’s thriving and you’re still stuck ironing clothes and burning food. If I had a choice, she’d be my daughter. She doesn’t rely on men for anything.” The room spun, my breath tightening. I didn’t reply. I never did. I had learned over the years that pain was quieter when swallowed. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. I thought I could endure that and continue living this life, but not until that same night. He left his laptop open on the dining table. The email app still running. I wasn’t snooping. I swear, I wasn’t. But the subject line caught my eye: “Paris – Wedding Confirmation” My heart stopped. I clicked it. Inside was a beautifully crafted itinerary. Elegant fonts. Gold accents. Venue details. Champagne menus. A wedding. In Paris. Kier and Camille. And the guest list? My father. My son. His wife. My family. Everyone… but me. They hadn’t just excluded me. They had replaced me. I finally snapped when I heard Kier’s voice from the bedroom. “Erika!” I turned slightly. He threw a wrinkled shirt at me. “You really don’t know how to do your job? What the hell did you do to my clothes?”