Chapter 1

Aria''s POV

There was my husband Victor again, deep in conversation with his precious "Miss Innovation" – Shane. Their heads were practically touching, her perfectly styled hair spilling onto his shoulder like she belonged there.

Miss Innovation. That''s what Victor called Shane, his star business partner. The way his whole face lit up whenever he talked about her made my stomach twist into knots.

Meanwhile, I stood there like a ghost at my own husband''s company party. I''d tried everything to get Victor''s attention, but Shane just had to breathe and she''d already won.

I wondered if I''d even make the top ten on a list of "Women Who Matter to Victor Thorn."

The truth stung, but I knew if I ever brought up how uncomfortable their closeness made me, Victor would just roll his eyes and call me paranoid.

But tonight was different. I had news that could change everything – the pregnancy test results tucked away in my purse. Positive.

Maybe this would finally make Victor see me, see us, as a real family worth his time.

*I''m pregnant, Victor. You''re going to be a dad.*

I''d been practicing that line all afternoon, ever since leaving the doctor''s office. But how do you drop news like that? And honestly, I wasn''t sure I wanted to know how he''d react.

"This new app concept is going to revolutionize how companies handle client relationships," Victor was telling Shane, his eyes absolutely sparkling.

"And we''ll handle all the marketing strategy, obviously," Shane replied, flashing that confident smile of hers. "God, I love working on cutting-edge projects with you. We''re going to dominate the market!"

Victor laughed – actually laughed. "You''re right. None of my products would succeed without my secret weapon." He looked at Shane with this soft, almost tender expression that made my chest ache. He raised his champagne glass toward her.

I''d never seen him look at anyone like that. Especially not me. Sure, I knew Shane was crucial to Victor''s business. She was brilliant at marketing, and they worked together constantly.

But this felt like more than professional admiration as I watched Shane casually rest her hand on Victor''s arm. I bit my tongue, not wanting to come across as the jealous, clingy wife.

Shane launched into some complex marketing strategy, and Victor hung on every word. The way he respected her opinions, valued her input – I would have killed for even a fraction of that attention.

Victor''s mother Alicia glided over to them. "Victor''s so fortunate to have you, Shane. You''ve been instrumental in building his empire."

My heart sank even further. I felt like I was shrinking, becoming more invisible by the second. The way they all talked about Shane, you''d think she was Victor''s wife, not me.

Part of me wanted to march over there and announce my pregnancy right now. But Victor had never learned to love me in three years of marriage, and his family treated me like an unwelcome intruder. What was the point? They probably wouldn''t even care.

Listening to their animated business discussion made me feel even more like an outsider. Maybe – just maybe – a baby would change things. Maybe they''d finally see me as important, as someone who actually belonged in this family.

But then I remembered my embarrassing entrance earlier. I''d been rushing up the front steps and completely ate it in front of everyone. People stared, whispered, and not one person helped me up.

Victor saw the whole thing, but his gaze just slid right over me before he turned back to Shane and his colleagues.

Alicia had given me this look of pure disgust before pretending nothing happened.

Maybe I was delusional to think anything would change.

I sighed and headed toward the terrace doors. I needed air.

"Would you care for some wine, ma''am?" A waiter appeared beside me with a tray of glasses.

"Oh, no thank you –" I started to say when someone suddenly grabbed my arm. I stumbled backward but managed to catch myself.

"Ouch!" Shane''s voice rang out. I watched in horror as she toppled over, sending wine glasses crashing to the floor in a spectacular mess.

"Seriously, Aria? You need to watch where you''re going," Shane said, picking herself up.

Wait, what? She grabbed me! Why was I getting blamed?

And just like that, I was the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. Again.

My hands were shaking as people started pointing and whispering.

"Is that really Victor''s wife?"

"Oh my God, she''s such a klutz!"

"I bet she did that on purpose!"

I stood frozen, completely speechless. As a server rushed over to clean up the mess, Victor came running. For a split second, I thought he was coming to help me.

Instead, he went straight to Shane and pulled her to her feet.

"Are you hurt?" His voice was full of concern.

Shane nodded weakly. "I think I''m okay."

He actually examined her arms and face for cuts. "Thank God you didn''t get hurt by the glass." Then he turned to me with ice-cold eyes. "You need to apologize, Aria. Now."

My jaw dropped. "What? I didn''t –"

Alicia swooped in with her signature death glare. "Aria, you will apologize this instant. Look at this mess! You''re nothing but trouble, and you can''t even have the decency to own up to it. Where are your manners?"

I stared at her, my heart hammering. She lived for moments like this – chances to humiliate me publicly. But this time, I wasn''t backing down. I knew damn well this wasn''t my fault.

The whispers started up again. Half the people at this party were major business leaders, which made this public shaming even more mortifying.

"It wasn''t my fault," I said quietly, trying to keep my voice steady. I didn''t want to give Alicia more ammunition by losing it completely. I took a deep breath. "You know what? I''m leaving."

"You should have left years ago," Alicia shot back. "I never should have let Victor marry you. Shane would have been so much better!"

God, why did I put up with this toxic nightmare?

I looked at Victor''s cold, indifferent face, then at Shane with her fake innocent expression.

Did I really want to raise a child in this poisonous environment? If Victor couldn''t love me, how could he ever love our baby?

As I turned to walk away, one thought kept circling in my head: What if I just left? Not just the party – the marriage.