Chapter 2

Estella hugged herself helplessly; the penthouse was suffocatingly silent. At the end of the corridor, faint sounds of laughter and playful banter drifted out. They were interacting intimately. As if nothing had happened. As if she didn't exist at all.

She looked down at her wrist. A shocking red mark was beginning to blister—the trace of the betrayal that night. Strangely, she felt nothing.

She needed to hear a voice. A real voice. Someone had told her that it was all just a nightmare.

She pulled her phone from her handbag, her fingers trembling slightly. She dialed the number she had known since childhood. The phone rang and rang.

Finally, a soft voice came. "Estella? Do you know what time it is?"

Brenda Low's voice was heavy with sleepiness, yet tinged with a sharp edge. A surge of anger welled up inside Estella, and her stomach clenched.

“Mom,” Estella gasped. Tears she had been holding back finally welled up and she choked out, “Mom, I need you. Conrad…he…he’s with Jana.”

A long silence followed on the other end of the phone. There was no gasp of shock, as Estella had anticipated, nor any denial in terror. Only a heavy, suffocating silence hung over the line.

"Mom? Can you hear me? He's kissing her. In our bedroom. On our wedding anniversary."

“I heard you,” Brenda said. Her voice changed, becoming clear and calm, but devoid of any sympathy.

"Estella, you should be more mature and accept it calmly."

Estella froze, tears suddenly choking in her throat. "What?"

“It’s very unseemly for you to throw a tantrum,” Brenda sighed, her voice hoarse from the other end of the phone. “I’ve known about Conrad and Jana for a long time.”

Estella felt as if the floor beneath her feet had collapsed. She sat heavily on the edge of the bed, the mattress creaking in the silent room. "You...you always knew?"

“Of course I know,” Brenda interrupted impatiently. “Jana and Conrad are destined to be together. You’ve always been just a stepping stone, a substitute until Jana finishes her studies and achieves success.”

“A substitute,” Estella repeated, the word tasting like ashes in her mouth. “You forced me to marry him. You made me waste ten years—”

“You didn’t waste a single moment,” Brenda interrupted, her tone sharp. “You fulfilled your responsibilities to this family. The Lois family needed a marriage alliance with the Nevis family, and you facilitated it. You should be proud of that.”

“Pride?” Estella’s voice rose eight octaves, shock transforming into a burning, nauseating rage within her. “He slept with my sister, and you expect me to be proud?”

“I advise you to be realistic, Estella,” Brenda said coldly. “What else do you expect, Estella? You have no sense of humor. You have neither Yana’s drive nor her beauty. All you do is clean the house and cook. That’s not a wife, that’s a servant.”

Estella jolted, as if she had been slapped. She could almost feel the sting on her cheek. "How could you do this to me?"

“Someone has to say it,” Brenda retorted. “Doug’s business needs Conrad’s financial support. Jana needs this marriage to solidify her social standing. Estella, it’s all for the family. Don’t be so selfish.”

"Selfish?" Estella murmured. She thought of all the holidays she had missed, all the meals she had cooked, and all the money she had given Doug without hesitation. She had poured her heart and soul into this family, and yet they called her selfish.

“Sign the documents quietly,” Brenda ordered. “Don’t think about anything else. Take whatever he gives you, and then leave gracefully.”

“Dignity?” Estella let out a hollow, fragile laugh. “Do you want me to leave with nothing ten years from now?”

“You’re worthless, Estella,” Brenda said dismissively. “You’ve never worked a single day in your life. You should be grateful for anything he can give you. Alright, I have to hang up. Stop calling and crying, it’s undignified.”

The call has ended.

Estella stared at the black screen of her phone. The reflection in her eyes was of a stranger. Pale-faced. Sunken eyes. A fool.

She called her mother for help, but her mother's words felt like a slap in the face.

She stood up and walked to the mirror in front of the dressing table. The woman in the mirror looked haggard, but Estella felt quite different. She felt much clearer-headed.

She will no longer cry, no longer beg, and will not return empty-handed.

“Accept it all, and then leave,” she whispered to the empty room.