The rain drummed against the windows of the Thorne mansion like a million tiny hammers.
Inside, the house was cold and silent. I sat at the long mahogany dining table, staring at the dinner I had spent three hours preparing.
It was our second wedding anniversary. I had cooked Julian's favourite steak, opened a bottle of expensive red wine, and lit candles that had now burned down to puddles of wax.
I looked at the clock on the wall. It was 11:30 PM.
For seven hundred and thirty days, this had been my life. I was Elara Belrose—or at least, I used to be.
Now, I was just Mrs Thorne, the "Ghost Wife."
My parents, Silas and Odette Belrose, had sold me to Julian Thorne two years ago to save their failing company. They didn't ask if I loved him. They didn't care that Julian was a man who saw me as a piece of furniture.
"You are a Belrose," my father had told me on my wedding day.
"Your only job is to be silent, be pretty, and make sure the Thorne family stays happy. Don't embarrass us."
So, I played the part. I never complained when Julian stayed out late. I never asked why he had lipstick on his collar. I lived in a separate bedroom, and we barely spoke. I was the perfect, obedient daughter and the perfect, invisible wife.
Finally, the heavy front door slammed open. Julian walked in, but he wasn't alone. A woman was clinging to his arm, laughing loudly. It was Serina, a famous model everyone knew was his mistress. She smelled of heavy perfume and expensive champagne.
I stood up, my legs feeling weak. "Julian? You're late. And... who is this?"
Julian didn't even look guilty. He tossed a thick blue folder onto the table. It landed right in the middle of the steak I had cooked, splashing grease onto the white tablecloth.
"This is Serina," Julian said, his voice cold and bored.
"She's moving into the East Wing tomorrow. My parents are tired of waiting for a grandchild, and they're tired of you. You're like a statue, Elara. You're boring. Serina knows how to handle the social world. You'll stay here in the West Wing. You can keep the Thorne name so the public doesn't gossip, but from now on, she is the lady of this house. Sign the papers."
I looked at the folder. It was an agreement. He wanted me to stay as his "public" wife while he lived with another woman under the same roof. He wanted to humiliate me in my own home.
Suddenly, something inside me broke. The "Silent Doll" was gone. The fire I had been hiding for twenty-four years finally exploded.
"No," I said. My voice was quiet, but it echoed in the large room.
Julian blinked. "What did you say?"
"I said no." I reached into my own bag and pulled out the Divorce Papers I had secretly prepared months ago. I had been too afraid to use them, but not anymore. I signed my name in bold, dark ink and threw the pen at his feet.
"I'm not staying here to watch you play house with her. I'm divorcing you, Julian."
Julian's face turned red. He laughed, a mean, sharp sound. "Divorce? With what money? Your parents will throw you into the street the moment they find out! You have nothing without me!"
"I'd rather have nothing than stay another minute with you," I replied. I grabbed my coat and my purse. I didn't take a single piece of jewellery he had bought me. I walked out into the pouring rain, leaving the Thorne mansion behind forever.
.
.
.
The cold rain soaked my hair and my dress in seconds, but I felt free. I walked down the dark streets until I saw the neon lights of a bar called The Abyss. I needed to forget Julian's face. I needed to forget my parents' expectations.
I walked inside and sat at the bar. "Give me something strong," I told the bartender.
I drank the first glass in one gulp. Then another. The world began to feel soft and blurry. I wasn't the "good girl" anymore. I was just Elara.
"That's a lot of drinking for a girl who looks like she belongs in a palace," a deep voice said beside me.
I turned my head. A man was sitting in the shadows. He was wearing a suit that probably cost more than Julian's car. He had broad shoulders and eyes that looked like burning gold. He looked familiar, but I couldn't remember why.
"I don't belong in a palace," I giggled, leaning toward him. My head was spinning.
"I just escaped from a cage."
The man watched me with an intense look. "Elara Belrose," he whispered.
"You don't remember me, do you?"
"Should I?" I asked, looking at his sharp jawline.
"You're very handsome. I think I would remember a face like yours."
He smiled, but it was a sad smile. "We went to high school together. I was the scholarship kid in the back row. The one you used to share your lunch with when the other kids were mean."
I blinked. "The quiet boy? But you... you look so powerful now."
"Times change," he said. He reached out and brushed a wet strand of hair from my face.
His touch felt like electricity. It was warm and protective.
I was drunk, and I was hurt, and for the first time in years, someone was looking at me like I was the only person in the world. I didn't want to be alone. "Take me away from here," I whispered.
"Just for tonight. I don't want to think about anything."
The man didn't say a word. He paid the bill, took my hand, and led me out to a sleek black car. We went to a penthouse suite high above the city.
That night, I threw away all the rules. I gave myself to him with a passion I didn't know I had. His touch was fire, and for a few hours, the pain of my marriage was gone.
The next morning, I woke up to the sun shining through floor-to-ceiling windows. The bed was huge and soft, but the man was gone. On the pillow next to me was my old high school library card and a note: 'You were always the strongest person I knew. Don't let them break you again.'
My phone suddenly buzzed. It was a video call from my father. I answered, and his face was distorted with rage.
"ELARA! Where are you?!" he screamed.
"Julian told me everything! And now, there are photos of you entering a hotel with a man! You have ruined our family name! The Thorne family is going to sue us for breach of contract!"
"Father, Julian brought a mistress into our home! He insulted me!" I cried.
"I don't care about your feelings!" Silas roared.
"You are an investment! My bodyguards are already tracking your phone. You will return to the Thorne mansion and beg Julian to take you back, or you are no longer my daughter. I am cutting off your bank accounts. You have nothing!"
He hung up. A second later, my phone pinged. My bank balance was $0.00.
I looked out the window and saw three black SUVs pulling up to the hotel. My father's bodyguards. They were coming to take me back to my prison.
I scrambled into my clothes and ran out the back service exit. I ran into the rain, my heart pounding. I was a "discarded" daughter. I had no home, no money, and no one to turn to.
I reached the main road, trying to find a place to hide. I didn't see the black car turning the corner too fast. I didn't hear the engine roar.
SCREECH!
The impact was like a mountain hitting me. I felt my body fly through the air. I hit the wet pavement hard, and the world began to turn black. I couldn't move. I could only see the rain falling against the grey sky.
A car door opened. A man rushed to my side. He knelt in the puddle, ruined his expensive suit, and pulled me into his arms.
"Elara! Stay with me!" his voice cracked.
I looked up. It was him. The man from the bar.
The quiet boy from high school.
"Caspian..." I whispered, my voice fading.
"I've got you," he said, his voice shaking with emotion.
"I've been looking for you for ten years. I'm not letting you go again. I'll destroy anyone who did this to you. I promise."
As I closed my eyes, I felt his warm tears on my cheek. I was broken, but for the first time, I felt like someone finally wanted to keep the pieces.