Chapter 12 12
|| AUTHOR POV ||
Alice sat quietly on the garden bench. Her hands rested limply on her lap. The gentle rustle of leaves and the faint chirping of birds filled the air but her mind was far away from the calm surroundings.
Her heart ached. Every beat reminded her of the truth she’d seen with her own eyes. Nick’s arms around another woman and his lips touching someone else’s.
The man she once dreamed of building a life with had shattered everything without a word.
Alice couldn’t understand how things turned out this way. Marriage was supposed to be sacred—built on love, trust and promises. She had done everything she could to be a good wife. She had waited for him, cooked for him, respected him, tried to understand him. But all she received in return was silence, anger and rejection.
She wondered if it was her fault somehow. Maybe she wasn’t good enough. Maybe he’d never wanted her in the first place. The thought cut deep. Alice pressed her palms together tightly as if holding herself from breaking apart.
Her mind wandered to her family. They are wealthy too. She can go back anytime. They thinks she is happy, living a perfect life in a perfect mansion. They doesn’t know the truth.
Alice can’t let them know. She can’t let their smiles fade because of her broken heart.
The garden around her was blooming beautifully, sunlight spilling through the branches, glinting off the water of the small pond ahead. Yet, everything felt hollow. No beauty could reach her heart now.
Alice closed her eyes, feeling the sting of tears that refused to stop. Her entire chest felt heavy, filled with unanswered questions.
Should she leave him? Could she?
Even now, after everything, a small, foolish part of her still wished things could go back to how she imagined they’d be.
Alice didn’t know what to do. Every path felt wrong. She drew in a trembling breath and fingers clutched at the hem of her dress. She had never felt so small. So lost. So utterly alone.
And in that silence, surrounded by flowers and sunlight, Alice realized how fragile her heart truly was.
\------
Nick was standing by the door, searching through the small wooden drawer beside it. His fingers rummaged roughly, papers scattering in a careless mess. His face was tight with irritation, brows furrowed as if the world existed only to displease him.
The door creaked open softly.
Alice stepped inside.
Her breath skipped the moment her eyes fell on him. For a second, her heart stopped. A small ache blossomed in her chest. He looked the same: tall, sharp, cold. Yet everything between them felt foreign, miles apart.
Nick’s head turned. His frown deepened. “What?” he snapped, his tone already rough. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Alice didn’t answer. Her lips parted but no words came. She just stood there, holding the corner of her dress with trembling fingers. Her thoughts were too loud.
I just want to make things right.
She had convinced herself that if she could show him her love, if she could remind him that she was still his wife, maybe he’d remember what marriage meant.
Despite everything, her heart whispered the same thing.
Fix it.
Please… fix it.
Nick slammed the drawer shut with a sharp thud. “Did you take my watch? The one I kept here?” His voice was clipped and accusing. He didn’t even glance at her.
Alice took a hesitant step forward. “I–I didn’t.” she whispered.
Nick sighed impatiently, rubbing his temple. “Then where the hell did it go?”
Before she could stop herself, Alice moved closer. Her heart pounded painfully. She didn’t care about the watch or the missing object. She just wanted to bridge the distance–the coldness that had frozen their marriage from the start.
And suddenly, she reached out. Her arms wrapped around him tightly.
Nick froze.
His body went rigid in her hold.
The scent of her hair, soft, faintly floral, brushed against his senses, pulling a ghost of emotion. An innocent comfort. But just as quickly, another face crossed his mind. Another woman’s smile. His girlfriend.
Nick’s jaw tightened.
Alice felt the shift even before he moved. “Nick…” she whispered shakily, her voice fragile as a leaf.
But the warmth she sought never came.
“What the hell are you doing?” Nick growled, shoving her back with a rough hand. “Don’t touch me!” he barked, his voice sharp and thunderous.
Alice stumbled back. Her eyes widened. Her breath hitched in shock. “W-why–” she started but his glare silenced her.
“Don’t you understand?” Nick snapped, his voice rising. “I told you once, and I’ll tell you again, I don’t want this marriage! Stop pretending like everything’s fine!”
Her lips trembled. “I–I just…”
“Just what?” His words lashed like a whip. “You think hugging me will fix everything? You think I’ll suddenly love you?”
Alice’s tears welled up instantly, blurring her vision. Her heart cracked at his words. “I’m just trying–” she began in a trembling voice, “trying to m-make things right–”
“Right?” Nick scoffed bitterly. “Nothing about this is right. You’re suffocating me, Alice! I can’t even breathe when you’re around.”
The words stabbed deeper than any blade could.
Alice's lips quivered as she tried to hold her tears, but they spilled anyway, falling silently down her cheeks.
Even after everything, she had tried. Even after knowing he was with another woman, she had tried to be his wife, to forgive him, to start again.
But his words struck like knives, tearing away the last pieces of her hope.
Nick frowned when Alice bolted out of the room. Her sobs echoed down the hall. He rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, “Overdramatic, as always.”
He didn’t even bother to go after her. Instead, he turned back to his phone as if nothing had happened.
\-----
Alice ran blindly through the corridor. Tears blurred her sight. The walls of the Volcov mansion seemed to close in around her and suffocating her with memories she didn’t want to hold anymore.
She couldn’t do this anymore. She can’t stay with him anymore.
Not with him.
Not with a man who doesn’t respect her.
With a man who broke every promise the day he said ‘I do.’
Her hands trembled as she wiped her tears but more kept falling. Her chest hurt so much that breathing felt like a punishment.
I can’t stay here… I can’t!
Her thoughts spun wildly, drowning her. She would go back to her parents. She didn’t care about the gossip, the whispers, the shame. Anything would be better than this cold, empty house.
Her bare feet tapped across the marble floor as she rushed toward the main door until suddenly—
A rough hand caught her wrist.
Alice gasped, spinning but before she could even look up, the hand pulled her sharply back.
She was dragged through a half-open door. The world spun around her until—
THUD!
Her back hit the door. The sound echoed in the dimly lit room. Her breath stuck.
Alice looked up through the tears clouding her eyes and froze.