Tears burned my eyes as the truth finally settled in. To him, I had never been a partner—only an ornament. A possession. A symbol of status, not a woman he loved.
I blocked his number, cut off every channel, and severed the last remaining thread binding me to him.
Days later, whispers reached me through mutual associates. Zaldy was searching relentlessly—sending messages I never saw, demanding updates, growing increasingly volatile.
[Sami, I made a mistake. Come back.]
Tomorrow was supposed to be my graduation—four years of relentless study at the Rhode Island School of Art finally coming to an end. When I mentioned it over dinner the night before, his reaction was colder than any threat he’d ever made.
“I have commitments tomorrow,” he said curtly. “I’ll have something sent to you.”
He stood, already absorbed in his phone, barking orders to his men, leaving me staring at the empty chair across from me—feeling erased from his life.
In recent months, just when I dared to believe he might be returning to me, he withdrew once more. The reason was obvious.
Maria Lee had come back—ready to claim her territory in Providence.