Chapter 2 DEFIANCE

I stood frozen at the door, staring at Jasmine Cole, my former school and college bully. I was perplexed, unable to understand what she was doing with Rhys.   She smiled at me as though she had just won the lottery. I couldn't help staring at her with hatred and disbelief.   "I want to speak with you. I have something important to tell you." Rhys glanced at me coldly.   For a brief moment, I felt relieved. Perhaps I was finally going to get an explanation for his recent cold behavior. I stepped aside, allowing them both to enter, then folded my arms across my chest.   "This sham of a marriage is over. I want nothing to do with you anymore."   His words struck me with such force that I almost forgot how to breathe.   I stared at him in shock, hoping I had heard him wrong. But his face was filled with anger, his expression as cold as though he were looking at his greatest enemy.   "I can't... I don't understand. What do you mean our marriage is over?"   "What do you mean you don't understand?"   I flinched at his tone, my shoulders tensing.   "Baby."   Jasmine stretched her hand toward Rhys. He immediately drew her closer, wrapping an arm around her waist.   My stomach twisted.   "Meet my fiancée," he said.   My hand instinctively moved to my stomach as dread settled over me. I thought about everything we had been through together. I thought about the surprise I had prepared for him, the dinner waiting inside, and the future I had imagined.   Now, all of it felt meaningless.   "We've known each other for eleven years, Rhys." My voice trembled. "How did it come to this? What did I do wrong? Why didn't you tell me our marriage was in trouble?"   Rhys looked at me without a trace of remorse.   "Knowing each other for years doesn't matter anymore. I want nothing to do with you. This marriage is over."   "There's no need to sulk. It's not as though he loved you anyway," Jasmine added, lifting her chin smugly.   I winced and turned toward Rhys, silently hoping he would deny her words.   He didn't.   His silence hurt more than anything she could have said.   "That isn't true," I whispered, staring at the man I had known for most of my life. "Tell me she's lying."   "It's true," he replied. "And the sooner you accept that reality, the better. You've always come below me in everything, even when we were in college. I was always better than you. It's no surprise that Rhys chose the better option."   Jasmine sneered at me, her words dragging old memories to the surface.   I remembered how she had made my life miserable in college, sending false reports to the management, spreading lies about me, and even arranging for me to be robbed on campus.   My jaw tightened, and my hands curled into fists.   "Leave my house!"   I finally snapped. I couldn't stand there and listen to her insult me in my own home.   But it wasn't her words that hurt the most.   It was the way Rhys stood beside her, allowing her to tear me apart without saying a word.   "You should be the one packing your bags," Jasmine retorted. "I'm not leaving my fiancé."   Her boldness only fueled my anger. I glared at Rhys, resentment burning in my chest. It was his indulgence that gave her the confidence to behave as though she owned the place.   "There's no need to glare at me. I only mean well for you," Jasmine said, wrinkling her nose.   "You mean well for me?"   I let out a bitter laugh.   Only a fool would believe her words were spoken with good intentions.   The two of them stood together like a united front, while I felt like an intruder in my own home. The distance between us seemed impossible to cross, and even standing near them made me feel like I no longer belonged.   Rhys reached into the file he was holding and pulled out a document. He handed it to me.   My eyes dropped to the heading.   For a moment, I couldn't move.   Then I looked up at him, my heart pounding violently.   "D... Divorce papers?"   My entire body shook as I fought to hold back my tears. But I couldn't stop one from falling onto the paper, staining the clean page.   "Yes. Divorce papers," he answered calmly.   "Sign them now so we can part ways peacefully."   There was almost a hint of satisfaction in his voice, as though the thought of ending our marriage made him happy.   I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat and lifted my chin.   I had already lost the man I loved.   I wasn't going to surrender everything else without a fight.   "No."   Jasmine's expression hardened.   "What do you mean, no?"   "I'm not signing the papers."   I looked at Rhys, forcing myself to remain steady.   "Whatever she told you is a lie. I won't give up on our marriage without a fight. If there's something wrong, we can fix it."   The smile disappeared from Jasmine's face.   Rhys, however, only grew angrier.   "Sign the papers. Your stubbornness will get you nowhere."   "I said no."   I held his gaze, even though my heart was breaking beneath my ribs.   Jasmine stepped toward me with a smirk. I stood my ground as she leaned closer and whispered in my ear.   "Some women don't know when they've already lost."