Chapter 2

2.

I froze for a moment, the truth resting on the tip of my tongue. Before I could speak, she pulled back with a mocking scoff.

"Ugh, what am I thinking? I'm the one who found you starving and dragged you into the boxing gym. You're just a penniless nobody with no family to speak of."

The bitterness in my chest surged into my throat. I swallowed it down, hard.

"I brought you your favorite cake. I knew you'd be hungry, so I saved some. Here, let me feed you."

As I tried to walk past her, she shoved a box in front of me. Inside was a mangled mess of cake scraps.

It was obvious these were the leftovers from Xavier's victory party. She had only brought them back because they were going to be thrown away.

I didn't move. I just looked at the mess coldly.

"I'm allergic to dairy."

Her hand froze mid-air. Then, she shoved a forkful toward my lips, her voice turning into a forced, cutesy whine.

"Oh, stop being dramatic. A little bit won't kill you. Xavier specifically told me to bring this back as an apology. Don't be ungrateful."

I laughed at the absurdity of it. Once, I had accidentally eaten cream and ended up in the ER. She had cried so hard that I ended up comforting her.

Back then, I was naive enough to think we had a future together.

Seeing that I still wouldn't budge, her patience snapped. She lunged forward, jamming the spoon into my mouth.

"Just eat it! If there weren't so many leftovers, I wouldn't have wasted the energy carrying this home!"

The cloying, sweet taste hit my tongue, but all I could taste was poison.

"I've officially removed your name from the boxing club. Don't bother showing up to the celebration tonight. Your reputation is trash, and I won't let you ruin everyone else's mood."

I just nodded. I didn't care anymore.

Nothing in this house belonged to me. Not even the woman I called my wife.

Seraphina walked toward the door, then stopped. She turned back and planted a quick, cold kiss on my cheek.

"Zeke, as long as you stay quiet and stay by my side in this city, I'll make sure nobody messes with you."

I knew it was a threat. The last time I had dared to mention a divorce, she had locked me in the gym and let the heavyweights use me as a human punching bag.

She kept me there until I promised never to bring it up again.

Too bad for her, Zeke Miller was dead. Silas Sterling was a man she couldn't even dream of touching.

By midnight, my throat was swelling from the allergic reaction. At that exact moment, Xavier started a live stream. He made sure the camera caught every intimate, tangled moment between him and my wife.

I felt a wave of nausea. I managed to call my security detail. They burst through the door and rushed me to the hospital.