CHAPTER 2 — The Fall of Damian Cross
Within forty-eight hours...
The world changed.
The same newspapers that once praised Damian Cross now questioned him.
"Billionaire Husband Exposed: The Empire Was Built on His Wife’s Fortune."
The headlines spread everywhere.
The Cross family name became a symbol of arrogance and betrayal.
But the worst moment came when Damian returned home.
The mansion that once felt like a kingdom suddenly felt like a prison.
The crystal chandeliers.
The marble floors.
The expensive artwork.
Everything looked different.
Because now he knew.
None of it was truly his.
Evelyn sat in the living room, staring at the television.
Her face was empty.
“They're saying the family name is ruined,” she whispered.
Damian ignored her.
“Where is Vanessa?”
Evelyn looked at him.
“She left.”
His eyes widened.
“She left?”
A bitter smile appeared on Evelyn's face.
“Funny, isn't it?”
“The woman who promised to stand beside you disappeared the moment you had nothing.”
Damian said nothing.
Because for the first time...
He understood.
Vanessa never loved him.
She loved the power.
That evening, Damian went to Montrose Global.
Security stopped him immediately.
“I need to see Isabella.”
The guard shook his head.
“Do you have an appointment?”
Damian laughed.
“Appointment?”
“I am her husband.”
The guard looked at him calmly.
“Not anymore.”
Those words hurt more than anything.
Because they were true.
Inside the office...
Isabella looked through the window as Damian stood outside.
Her assistant asked:
“Do you want me to remove him?”
She was silent.
Then she said:
“No.”
“Let him come in.”
Damian entered slowly.
For the first time, he looked smaller.
Older.
Broken.
“I made a mistake,” he whispered.
Isabella remained silent.
“I was angry.”
“I was manipulated.”
“Vanessa…”
Isabella raised her hand.
“Stop.”
Damian froze.
“Don't blame Vanessa.”
“You made your choices.”
“You chose to humiliate me.”
“You chose to hurt me.”
“You chose to believe I was beneath you.”
Her voice remained calm.
“That wasn't a mistake.”
“That was who you were.”
Damian lowered his eyes.
“Can you forgive me?”
Isabella looked at him.
The old Isabella would have said yes.
The woman who loved him would have forgiven everything.
But that woman no longer existed.
“I forgive you.”
Damian looked up hopefully.
“But forgiveness doesn't mean you get me back.”
Silence.
May you like
“The woman you lost walked out of that mansion last night.”
“The woman standing here now is someone you never deserved.”
