LIORA'S POV
As I gazed out the window, my heart fluttered with anticipation, hoping to catch a glimpse of my husband. Today, I felt like the happiest person on Earth. It was our one-year wedding anniversary, a momentous occasion in my life with Leonard. Despite the joy this day brought, it was bittersweet, knowing my family had never approved of our union. The illustrious Hearthstone family, my family, believed that Leonard, with his different social class, would only bring me misery. They doubted he would ever measure up to their lofty expectations. But I was determined to prove them wrong. I had vowed to support Leonard in his journey, helping him rise to the prestigious standards of the Hearthstone name.
Though I must admit, this past year has not been easy for either of us. Leonard has worked tirelessly to build Glitters & Co., and I have been right there alongside him. Our dedication to our work has left us with little time for ourselves, which is why I’ve planned a surprise date for us tonight. In a few hours, I will present him with this glistening ring, a symbol of my love. I carved it with care, the design inspired by the depth of my feelings for him. Afterward, we will go on a date and end the night sharing a memorable moment together. As I caressed the two-carat diamond, I couldn’t help but smile, proud of this design, one of my best so far. This masterpiece is dedicated to my husband, a testament to our enduring love.
"Driver, I'll stop here," I said to the Uber driver who picked me up from home.
"Here," I said, handing him the payment as I turned to leave.
I stood in front of Glitters & Co, smiling to myself. I knew my workaholic husband was inside, working tirelessly even at this late hour. "I'm sure he has forgotten about our anniversary due to his tight schedule," I thought.
"Welcome, ma'am," greeted the security guard on night duty.
"Good evening. I suppose my husband is inside," I remarked, noting his car parked in the garage.
"Um, he's inside," he replied, though not sounding entirely certain.
"Okay, thanks," I smiled, heading inside.
"But, ma'am, he's busy and..."
"Don't worry. Even though I know he isn't expecting me right now, trust me, seeing my husband is worth distracting him from whatever work he's doing," I reassured the guard.
"Today is our one-year wedding anniversary," I whispered shyly to him, then turned away, leaving him at the entrance.
I silently walked up the stairs, careful not to make a sound, eager to maintain the surprise for him.
I heard a faint sound, almost like a grunt. "Did he hurt himself?" I asked, confused, gripping the banister as I moved forward.
"Fuck, you feel so good, babe," a female voice followed.
"No, Liora, remove your mind from the gutters. Such a thing could never happen to you," I reprimanded myself.
"Turn around. Let me take you from behind," he said.
I hurried my steps, needing to confirm with my own eyes that the voice belonged to Leo, my husband.
I cautiously cracked the door open, torn between the fear of disappointment and the need to see what was happening inside.
I was shocked by the sight before me. There was my husband, passionately entangled with Catherine on his office desk, both so absorbed that they hadn't noticed my presence.
"Leonard" I whispered, my voice barely audible.
"I suppose they both heard me this time," I whispered, my voice trembling. They turned slowly, their faces registering surprise, but lacking any trace of guilt.
"Leonard, is this the new project you've been working on?" I asked, my confusion and perplexity evident in my voice.
He remained silent, focusing only on pushing into the woman one final time, eliciting a loud moan from her.
"Tsk, fine, fine. It's sad that you have to find out this way," he said, devoid of remorse. I was taken aback by his callousness as he left the woman, whispering something in her ear before she chuckled softly.
It felt surreal, as if everything was a dream, and I wished desperately to wake up from it all.
"Well, it's not like I wasn't going to tell you," he said, circling the table and approaching me.
"I'm really sick and tired of this poor excuse for a relationship, this pathetic excuse of a marriage," he snapped, catching me completely off guard.
"I'm tired of being with a woman who brings nothing to the table," he continued bluntly.
"I want connections, wealth, influence, and that's why Catherine is in my life," he explained, as the lady casually walked up to him and rested her head on his chest.
"Everything about her is artificial, from the loud makeup to her fake demeanor," I thought bitterly, watching her with disdain.
"She belongs to the Hearthstone company, and guess what, with her by my side, we're going to become even more famous. She's my good luck charm," he said, planting a light kiss on her artificially plump lips.
His words hit me like a punch to the gut — a false revelation that left me reeling, questioning everything I thought I knew.
"Which of the Hearthstone, if I may ask?" I inquired, wracking my brain to recall any Catherine associated with the Hearthstone.
"Tsk, you are so poor and pathetic that you don't even know the popular family name that runs businesses in this country," the fake woman retorted, her irritating voice grating on my nerves.
I seethed with anger at myself for placing trust in a man driven solely by greed, realizing I had been used all along.
Because of him, I had forsaken my family and our wealth against all odds, only to find myself stranded in emptiness and regret.
"Aww, babe, it looks like your beloved innocent wife is about to cry. Gosh, I feel so bad for her right now," she said, nodding her head mockingly in my direction.
"No," I chuckled, which caught them off guard.
Despite the deep hurt gnawing at me inside, I masked it behind a veil of laughter, determined not to reveal my true emotions to them.
"I feel so sorry for both of you rather," I began, my voice tinged with bitterness.
"You're nothing but a lying, pathetic, plastic excuse for a human being," I declared, fixing my gaze on her with simmering anger.
"I can see through you; everything about you is fake, including the people you claim to have relationships with," I said with quiet confidence.
"Don't say things you don't know shit about," Leonard, my soon-to-be ex-husband, retorted sharply.
"I suppose it's time to reveal the truth," I muttered quietly to myself.
"My name is Liora Faith Hearthstone, the only daughter of the Hearthstone Group," I began, watching as they exchanged glances with each other, then turned their attention back to me.
"Your celebrity family, huh?" I smirked, my tone laced with sarcasm.
"And you, lying bimbo, are by no means worthy to bear the name of the Hearthstones," I stated firmly. Shock was clearly written across her face, just as I had expected.
"Anyway, I have no business with you," I said, turning towards my gold-digging husband.
"You know, my family was against our union, but against all odds, I still pushed on, abandoning my family's name because I thought, ultimately, it was just you I wanted in my life, right?"
"And you know what? The best decision I'm grateful for is keeping my true identity hidden from you and everyone else. Perhaps then I wouldn't have uncovered your repulsive character," I declared, my voice tinged with disappointment and determination.
"Maybe I pitied an aspiring businessman who had no clue about the business world, and I tried to help him build a name for himself," I said, a flash of hurt crossing his face, which was exactly what I had hoped to see.
"Well, I'm glad I found out for myself without you having to tell me, because that would have been even more painful," I remarked, feeling a sense of relief mingled with lingering hurt.
At that moment, I hadn't noticed when the two lovers separated, and the gold digger began to approach me.
"Liora, it was..." he began to say, but I interrupted him before he could finish.
"Shush, you devil incarnate," I cut him off sharply.
"I'll have the divorce papers sent to you tomorrow because it's clear this marriage is over," I declared firmly, my voice unwavering.
"Continue what you two were doing," I said dismissively before shutting the door, not caring to hear what he was going to say.
I walked out of the office, tears streaming down my face. Who could I turn to now? I could almost hear Dad laughing and saying, "I told you so."
As I walked out of the entrance, I caught sight of the security guy from earlier.
"I guess this was what you wanted to warn me about earlier, right?" I said, looking at him with tears in my eyes as I wiped them aggressively.
The sorry look on his face confirmed it all.
"It's good that I found out anyway. Otherwise, I would have continued making a fool of myself," I said with a sigh, as I headed out of Glitters & Co.
"Hello, I want to cancel the dinner date tonight," I said firmly before ending the call.
