Rising From Betrayal

~ Mirabella ~

Loud moans filled the room. Worse, my curiosity got the better of me. I should have knocked. Why shouldn't I stay at my husband's house? Was it a crime to come back early? I stretched my legs into the building, the loud moans growing more intense as I pushed the door ajar. What I saw made my tear glands explode.

My heart had fluttered at the thought of coming home to meet my husband. I'd expected many things when I came home early-but my husband entangled in bed with my sister wasn't one of them. I should have knocked. I wished I had. But it was too late. I was already inside, my eyes wide, trying to understand what was happening, my brain scrambling.

My lips parted in a silent 'o' as I stared at my husband and my sister in bed, their bodies tangled beneath the sheets. You'd think they would scramble to cover their shame, but they just stared at me lazily from where I stood at the door.

I had come home earlier than expected. Why wouldn't I? I had news to share... but now, I stood rooted to the spot, my vision blurring with tears.

"Ethan?" My voice cracked as I stepped farther into the room, my legs buckling with each step.

My 'husband' groaned and sat up, the look in his eyes telling me everything I needed to know-I wasn't welcome here.

"Yes, Mirabella?" he said, his voice low and bored. It was almost as if we were talking about the weather.

My own sister simply tipped her head back against the pillow, watching me with a small smirk on her face, her fingers clutching the sheets around her body.

"Sienna?" I looked at her, feeling a tear roll down my cheek. No. Please. This had to be a mistake. They wouldn't do this to me.

"Yeah?" The sound of her voice brought me back to reality. "You should have knocked. Can't you see you interrupted something important?" She rolled her eyes at me and sat up on the bed, grabbing a shirt from the floor before struggling to drape it over her half-naked form.

My eyes widened as her words registered. Was she being serious right now?

"Excuse me?" My voice rose as I stepped forward. "This is my husband's house!"

Ethan stood up from the bed in a calculated rhythm, his fingers working on his belt buckle. It took all my willpower to keep my gaze fixed on his face. I couldn't afford to look any lower; I feared I would burst into tears.

"Yes, you're right, Mirabella. Your husband's house. Not yours."

Mirabella? Not even Mia, not Lena-just Mirabella? The realization hit me like a pail of freezing water.

"I'm your wife." I took a step toward him, my eyes low and narrow, nothing short of pleading, begging him to remember that we were married, that he loved me-but the icy look in his eyes didn't falter.

He looked over at Sienna, who was casually pulling her hair into a bun, then looked back at me, his voice lowering as an amused smile curved his lips. "Surely..." he leaned closer, his lips brushing my ear, his breath tickling my skin.

I shut my eyes, choking back a sob. "...You didn't think I would keep you, did you, Mirabella? You think I want a barren woman?" His words were laced with spite, and each syllable felt like a dagger through my heart.

A sharp pain surged through my chest, and I nearly choked on my own saliva.

His words hurt. Of all the people who had scorned me for being unable to conceive after three years of marriage to Ethan Robert-the most successful man in New York-I never expected it from him. The man who used to hold me at night while I cried. I never thought he would say something like that. It wasn't something I chose. I wanted to have a child too. If he-

"Ugh, can you just leave? Also, pack your bags. You're not needed here," Sienna groaned, getting up from the bed and shamelessly walking over to me.

I looked between the both of them, my heart deflating at the malicious look in my older sister's eyes and the contempt in my husband's.

"I'm still your wife," I said through gritted teeth, my fingers clutching my purse tightly.

Ethan sighed and reached for the bedside table, grabbing a piece of paper before tossing it at me. "Sign it," he ordered coldly.

My gaze flickered over the paper, and I blinked back hot tears. Divorce papers? I looked back at him, my heart feeling like it had been ripped out and stomped on.

"Are you serious?" I whispered, disbelief thick in my voice.

This wasn't happening. This had to be some kind of twisted nightmare.

I lifted my gaze to Ethan, searching his face for something-anything-that would tell me this was a mistake, that he didn't mean it. But all I found was boredom. Indifference.

"Sign it, Mirabella," he repeated, his voice void of emotion.

My throat tightened. "Ethan, please..." My voice cracked, the plea slipping out before I could stop it. "I don't have anywhere to go."

Sienna scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes. "Not my problem."

I clenched my fists. Not her problem? She was my sister. I had spent years protecting her, standing up for her, loving her... and now?

Now she stood beside my husband, smirking down at me like I was nothing.

I shook my head. "Ethan, we can work through this. Please, I-"

The sharp sting burned across my cheek before I even registered what had happened. My head snapped to the side, my skin instantly throbbing where Sienna had slapped me.

My lips parted in shock as I lifted a trembling hand to my cheek. "You... you hit me?"

Sienna rolled her eyes. "You talk too much."

I barely had time to process her words before she shoved me backward. I stumbled, catching myself just before I hit the floor.