章 1: Chapter One
Cora POV
A smile settles on my face the moment my eyelid raises, and I remember that I am getting a divorce today. There is nothing like having the luxury of freedom again.
My husband, well he's going to be my ex after this morning's court session, he and I have been married for four years now.
We met on a set, and after the movie production ended, we hit it off pretty quickly, and it wasn't long before he got down on one knee, asking me to be his wife. To be exact, he proposed in three months of us dating.
In all truth, Max was a good co-star to me, and I wish that at that time, I could have seen the difference between his actions and who he is. It would have saved me a whole lot of tears and headaches.
A couple of months into our marriage, rumors of him fooling around with other stars and actresses began to surface, and at first, Max denied all accusations.
But then I started to dig into things and gathered evidence against him, and it turns out that the rumors were true.
Yet I stayed with him for three more years, hoping and praying that the man I fell in love with will surface. But that man was Robert Griffin, and he was only a character played by my husband.
So after wasting four years of my life in torment and silence, knowing that every time he went out, he was with another woman, I finally filed for a divorce, and today is our hearing.
My phone has been turned off since I left our home and booked myself a room at this hotel because the last face I want to see was Max, knowing that I might change my mind if I did.
Pushing the sheet off me, I step out of the bed and do a little stretch before heading into the shower.
It is scary to think about starting over, even though I am just twenty-four years old. But I have some of my plans figured out after divorce.
There's this age-old mansion up the hill, in this isolated neighborhood, and that's going to be my escape plan from the paparazzi for now and get some quiet time.
The paperwork is already done, and once Max and I are over legally, I am driving up there to flee this busy city at least for a night because I have a shooting tomorrow morning.
After getting dressed, I complete my look with a dark shade and then leave my room.
"Good morning, Madam!" Theo, my personal bodyguard, utters as he follows me down the hallway.
"What's the status?" I mumble, dreading those words.
"The lobby and parking lot are swamped with paparazzi!"
"No,"
As an A-list actress, this kind of news isn't strange to me. But I wish that today of all days, I would just be left alone. But that is something impossible, especially if you are getting a divorce from an A-list actor.
If only Max would just sign the damn papers, none of this would be happening. But like always, he needs to play the victim.
When we arrive in the hotel lobby, my bodyguards immediately surround me, shielding me from the reporters that keep tossing their questions at my face as I walk out of the hotel.
After safely getting into my car, I rest back against the seat, shutting my eyes as I inhale the cold air, smiling faintly.
Four years have been a long time of tears, so today, I decide to be calm and see this as growth, instead of pain.
When we arrive at the courthouse and enter the room, my gaze rested on Max and his lawyer, and I feel my heartbeat rise and then fall.
Years of loving him and giving him my all, this is where it all ends, in a courtroom, with a divorce.
A couple of minutes after taking a seat at the table, beside my lawyer, the judge arrive inside the courtroom, and the case starts.
Hours when by, and at last, when the Judge finally knocks the gavel and announces that we are no longer a married couple, it became real to me that Max and I are over for good.
That is the moment all the emotions I have been ignoring come rushing back to me, and I look at Max with a blurry vision as he approaches me.
"Why would you do something like this, Cora?" Max whispered, staring into my eyes with apathy in his.
"Because you were emotionally unavailable. Over time, I realized that feeling alone with a ring on my finger wasn't healthy for me, so I decided to set myself free." I mumble, clutching my fist as I stare away from him.
The was a brief silence. Then he sigh and utter, "We could have talked about it, instead of you throwing a divorce paper in my face, Cora!"
"When was that going to happen, Max? After you found your way from between other women's legs and become bored with them?" I whisper, minding my tone because I didn't want to hurt his career.
It's one of the reasons that I endure those four years and it's the purpose I lied to a judge today, blaming my plea for divorce on Max and my busy schedule.
The frown on his face shifts into a scowl as he studies my eyes. Then he shoves his hands into his trousers pocket and says, "Thanks for not draining me of every cent I have."
Money, that's what he was worried about, and that's why he took this case to court because he was scared that I was going to ask for a share in his properties.
But honestly, I want to be done with Max completely, so not a single penny I need from him to remind me of him.
As Max was about to walk away from me, I grab his wrist, and he stop, glaring at me.
After letting go of his hand, I slowly took out the five million diamond ring he put on my finger on our wedding day and lay it on the desk.
"My answer to you four years ago should have been, 'No," I mumble, wiping my tears off my cheeks. "Let's pretend that we never happen, and I hope that you find what you are looking for in these other women."
Without saying a word, Max picks up the ring, put it in his pocket, and walks off, not looking back even though my eyes are on him.
I am an actress, pretending was what I get paid millions of dollars for. But at this moment, as Max's back fades out the door, I don't know how to delude with my emotions, and I rest my head on the desk, sobbing silently.
"Madam," Theo's voice echoes in my ear, and I raise my head, meeting his calm eyes. "We should leave. The paparazzi are becoming restless outside, and it is safer if we get out of here. "
Hastily, I dry my face as I stand from the chair. Then Theo guards me out of the courtroom and leads me to my car.
Once we were in the vehicle, he looks back at me and asks, "Where to madam?"
"The new mansion that I bought last week," I whisper, shutting my eyes as I relax against the seat.
This was it. I am divorced and free from the toxicity of my marriage. But the pain only seems to become more real now that it was over.
All I want to do was rest and take a long nap. But the moment I finally enter the master bedroom of the mansion, the silence that I have craved for so long becomes a nightmare that I fear.
Yet, I push aside my feelings and open my suitcase, searching for something comfy to wear and get rid of the tight pen skirt and white blouse I had on.
My heart sank immediately when I reach the picture frame of Max and my wedding day, and I slowly take it out, wondering why in the world was I thinking to pack it in the first place.
In my defense, at that time, when I was packing to leave our house, I thought maybe I need a souvenir to remember the good days.
But now, staring at it, I feel so much rage overcoming me, and I stand to my feet, allowing the frame to slowly slip from my grips.
Then I watch it drop to the floor, shattering into pieces of creak glass.
For a moment, I stare at our wedding photo buried under a piece of broken glass, glaring at Max's smile and the excitement in his eyes.
Feeling even more angry, I reach down for the photo to tear it and end up ripping the skin of my palm open with one of the pieces of glass.
My blood flows out of my cut like water onto the floor as I allow myself to break down, crying my eyes out, and my teardrop hit the bloody tile, mixing with my blood.
"It's been long since I have smelled the scent of fresh blood and hear the desperate cry of a miserable woman." I hear a deep voice echo from behind me, and I immediately jump to my feet.
Turning around, I lock gaze with a pair of red eyes, staring back at me that belongs to a dashing looking man with an alluring smirk on his lips.
"Ho...how..." I whispered, taking a step back. "How did you get into my house!"
"You mean my house?" He said in a deadly serious tone, and all I could think of is what was going on.
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