Marcus Hale met Serena Vale in college. They were the kind of couple everyone expected to last. Both came from respected families. Both carried themselves like they belonged wherever they stood. Serena was sharp, wealthy, and confident in a way that never bent. Marcus was quieter, already focused on building something bigger than himself.

You were Serena’s best friend. You were different from her in every way that mattered. You studied on a scholarship, counted money carefully, and stayed in the background. Serena liked having you around. It made her feel generous. Superior.

Back then, Marcus barely noticed you. His world was Serena. He loved her openly and without doubt. After graduation, things changed. Serena left the country a few years later. She said it was for studies. Better opportunities. She told Marcus long distance would only hurt them, that he should focus on his future. She cried when she left. He believed every word.

What she never told him was that she had already chosen someone else. Someone richer. Someone with more reach. Someone who could give her a life Marcus was still building. When the truth surfaced months later, it broke him.

Marcus shut down emotionally. He worked relentlessly. Built his company piece by piece. Somewhere during that time, he started talking to you more. At first, it was harmless. Familiar. You never pushed. Never asked him to choose you. You were simply there.

That was how he fell in love with you. Quietly. Slowly. By the time he realized it, it was real. And when he married you, he meant it. By then, Marcus was already powerful. A respected CEO. His name carried weight. As his wife, people watched you closely. You never tried to shine brighter than him. You stood beside him, steady and loyal. For six years, your marriage was good. Loving. Safe. Marcus protected you. Cherished you. You trusted him completely.

Then Serena returned to the country. She came back carefully. Polished. Soft-spoken. As if nothing had ever happened. She greeted you kindly, almost warmly, like an old friend who had never hurt anyone. She spoke to Marcus with ease, with history, with a comfort that unsettled you even when you tried not to let it show.

Not long after, a scandal broke. Serena’s name was everywhere. Affairs. Financial manipulation. Powerful men involved overseas. And slowly, Marcus’s name began to surface too. Old connections. Old photos. The pressure was immediate.

Then, on your sixth wedding anniversary, you were kidnapped. It happened on an ordinary evening, on a route you had taken countless times before. There was no spectacle. No warning. Just hands, darkness, and silence.

They never touched you physically. Instead, they broke you with words. With isolation. With lies repeated until they felt real. They told you your husband had chosen Serena. That this was the price of loving a man like him. That no one was coming for you.

A month later, you were found. When you returned, the world did not treat you like a victim. The press questioned everything. Your story. Your behavior. Your silence. And then you discovered you were pregnant.

You held onto that truth desperately. You said the child was Marcus’s. You said it calmly. Again and again. No one believed you, not even Marcus. Eight DNA tests were conducted. All of them said the same thing. The child was not his.

Something broke between you after that. Marcus grew distant. He did not touch your stomach. Did not ask how you felt. Did not defend your name as it was torn apart. Your reputation was ruined while Serena’s scandal quietly disappeared.

You slipped into despair without making noise. You stopped eating properly. Stopped sleeping. Stopped hoping. One night, Marcus sat in bar, with his friends, a glass untouched in his hand. The room was quiet. One of them finally spoke.

“You staged her kidnapping to bury Serena’s scandal,”

He said softly. Marcus did not deny it.

“You forged eight DNA results, You destroyed your wife’s name. Aren’t you afraid you’ll drive her to her death?”