Chapter 2
I met Daniel at a charity gala.
Back then, I had just taken over my father’s company as the new CEO of Tennys Group.
Daniel was the featured performer that night.
I remember him in a white suit, sitting at the piano. His long, graceful fingers danced across the keys as he played Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.”
I fell for him right then and there.
To see him again, I started sponsoring his concerts.
Eventually, we got to know each other.
1/8
Chapter 2
+ 5 Points
They say men are the hunters, but women are the choosers.
After a determined pursuit on my part, we ended
up in a whirlwind marriage.
A sharp ringtone yanked me back to the present.
It was Daniel.
“I’m eating dinner at home tonight.”
Before I could reply, he hung up.
Thinking maybe I’d been too harsh the night before, I decided to go home early and cook a few of his favorite dishes to smooth things
over.
At five, Daniel came home.
2/8
+5 Points
What I didn’t expect was that he’d brought Jessica with him.
He pulled out a chair for her, treating me–his wife–as if I were invisible.
#
الحياة
“Here, Jessi, eat up. This is the only thing she’s good at–cooking.”
Daniel smiled at her in a way he hadn’t smiled at me in years.
“Thank you, Mr. Stevens,” Jessica said sweetly, then turned and gave me a smug little look.
“And thank you too, Mrs. Stevens, for preparing such a lovely dinner for me and Mr. Stevens. I feel so honored.”
Her words were laced with mockery, but Daniel pretended not to notice.
3/8
I sat across from them, watching as they served each other food like I wasn’t even there.
I don’t know why, but my vision blurred.
Daniel and I hadn’t shared a moment like that in years.
Anyone watching might’ve thought Jessica was his wife, not me.
A bitter ache rose in my chest.
When Jessica handed me a dish, I noticed the Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet on her wrist.
Daniel had bought it with my secondary credit card.
And I’d stupidly thought it was my
4/8
anniversary gift.
I couldn’t swallow another bite.
After dinner, I was about to ask Jessica to leave.
But before I could say a word, she burst into tears.
“Mrs. Stevens, please! Don’t make me go. I love Mr. Stevens with all my heart. You can offer me any amount of money, I won’t take it! I just want to stay by his side. I swear I’ll never come between your marriage!”
I was stunned. When had I ever tried to buy her off? Her delusion was laughable.
Before I could respond, Daniel stormed over, his face dark.
5/8
He stared at me with utter disappointment.
“Titana, after all these years, you’re still using the same dirty tricks?”
“You already got Alice killed. Now you want to do the same to Jessica?”
“I didn’t! Daniel, please–you have to believe
me…”
The pain in my chest nearly suffocated me.
The disgust in his eyes crushed me more than anything he’d said.
My mind drifted to when we first met, the way he looked at me like I was the only woman in the world.
He used to say I was the most perfect woman alive, a gift from heaven.
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Now he called me disgusting.
I guess, in the end, I never really held a place in his heart.
I didn’t know who mattered more to him now -Jessica, or Alice.
Maybe both. Maybe they always meant more than I ever did.
“Come on, Jessi. If she wants you gone, I’ll leave with you.”
He said it like a declaration, his eyes filled with contempt.
As they walked past me hand in hand, I couldn’t help it–I stepped in front of him, trembling.
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“Please, don’t go. Daniel… please.”
“Get out of my way. You disgust me.”
“And Titana? Actions have consequences. You should know that better than anyone.”
His words were like poison, and he left with Jessica without looking back.
The house fell into a haunting silence.
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