Seraphina never thought the man she loved would destroy her with just one sentence.
"I want to end our marriage," Cassian said.
Arielle's world stopped. The tears came before she could even speak. Deep down, she knew something was wrong. It began the night he forgot their third wedding anniversary; no message, no call, not even an excuse.
They had been married for three years. No children. No more laughter. Only silence and distance. Cassian had become a stranger, always buried in the company his father left him. He was thirty-three, a serious man with heavy responsibilities. But she had always believed in him. Believed in them.
Then came Tessa. Her cousin. Her blood.
Tessa was young, beautiful, and freshly back from the U.S. with a law degree and a smile that turned heads. She met Cassian at their high school reunion six months ago. Since that night, Arielle watched her husband slip away.
Late nights became no nights. His lies became easier. And the whispers from family grew louder, sightings of Cassian and Tessa in malls, parks, hotels… even at her house.
Still, Arielle clung to hope. Until last night, when he said it to her face. He was leaving her. For Tessa. Not just a betrayal, but a knife through everything she had ever known. And the worst part? She still loved him.
*****
Flashback
"Please, Cassian... let me love you," she had begged, her voice shaking, eyes soaked in tears. Cassian didn't move. Her words that used to pull his attention were like waste.
"My decision is final, Seraphina. Let us file for annulment. I no longer love you. I love Tessa now, and I choose her over you."
He cried while saying it. But the words still stabbed her, because he meant every one of them.
"What about me, Cassian? What happened to our promises? We stood before God and vowed to stay together…"
"How long will you keep holding on, Seraphina?" His voice was low and tired. "Do you still want to live with me, knowing I no longer love you?"
She held onto the last shred of her pride. "Cassian, please... give me a little time. Just one year. Let me create memories with you. When I have enough, I will be the one to walk away. Just give me time."
He looked at her differently then. Something softened. A small, broken smile curved his lips.
"Then that is fine. But make sure you set me free after one year. I love Tessa. She is my life now."
End of flashback
******
Arielle blinked, bringing herself back to the present. She stood in front of the mirror, staring at the woman Cassian had chosen to leave.
She touched her cheeks. Her skin was still smooth. Her eyes were still bright. No, she wasn't ugly. Just... fuller now. A little chubby, perhaps. But not unattractive.
Back in college, she was slim and turning heads. That was when Cassian chased her. Back then, she wore heels and lipstick and had dreams bigger than their love story. She passed the board exams and became a licensed teacher.
But Cassian didn't want her working after marriage. He said he could provide. He said he wanted her safe at home.
So, she gave it all up. The career. The classroom. The dreams. She didn't let herself go. She just became simple, quiet... invisible.
Tessa, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Tall, stylish, and confident. She wore fitted dresses, expensive perfume, and red lipstick that matched her sharp tongue. A woman who knew how to take what she wanted. And she wanted Cassian.
Arielle sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. One year. That was the deal. One last year with her husband. One last chance to hold on to what was already slipping through her fingers.
She had always dreamed of going to Italy. As a little girl, she imagined walking hand-in-hand through Venice with the man she loved. That man had always been Cassian.
She still wanted to go. Maybe he would say yes. Maybe he would remember how they used to laugh together. Maybe... he would touch her again.
But how could she carry his child when he no longer touched her? It had been six months since he last laid a hand on her. Six long, cold months.
Still, she had a plan. No more fights. No more tears. If she stayed quiet, if she played the perfect wife, maybe he would stay. Maybe he would slip. And if she could get pregnant, just maybe, he would never leave.
She wasn't ready to give up and not yet. Not when she still loved him this much.
Arielle stood by the gate, breathless. Her hands trembled, her chest tight. The cold evening air did nothing to cool the heat rushing through her veins.
She had lost control. For once, she let her pain explode. And yet, she was the one left broken.
Cassian didn't even glance her way. Not a second of worry. Not a shred of concern. His entire focus had been on Tessa, as if Arielle was the villain, and Tessa the victim.
She could still hear his voice in her head.
"We'll talk about this later, Arielle Seraphina!"
No more "Honey." No more warmth. Just her full name, shouted with fury, like she was a disgrace.
Arielle took slow steps back into the house, her legs heavy, her vision blurry with tears. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it for support. Her body slid to the floor as quiet sobs escaped her lips. She had never felt this low. Not when her parents disapproved of Cassian. Not when she gave up her teaching dreams. Not even when he first confessed his love for Tessa.
This…this moment was different. This was when the truth finally sank in. Cassian was never coming back. He had made his choice, and it was not her.
She looked down and saw the annulment papers still lying on the coffee table. Her heart ached just seeing them. They felt heavier now, more final. The paper might as well have been soaked in her tears and blood.
How did it come to this? She gave him everything. Her youth, her loyalty, her heart. She loved him the way every woman dreams of loving a man, fully, blindly, and faithfully. And he repaid her with betrayal.
With Tessa. Her cousin. Her family. She pressed her hands to her face, trying to calm her breathing, but the pain refused to settle.
Was this what love really looked like? Was it really supposed to hurt this much?
Minutes passed, maybe hours. The house remained quiet, cold and empty.
And that was when Arielle realised something even more painful than Cassian's betrayal. She had no one else left.
Her parents had turned their backs when she married him. Her relatives were now whispering behind her back. The man she built her world around had walked away, and the woman who took him had dared to thank her for it.
Suddenly, the one year she had begged for felt like a slow, private funeral. But she would survive it. She would sign the papers… eventually. But not today.
Today, she would cry. She would mourn. She would bleed. And tomorrow? She would start again.
Because if Cassian no longer loved her... then maybe it was time she remembered how to love herself.