Chapter 5: Shattered Promises

After Derek left, Marcus barged in—voice echoing down the hallway, the security guard trailing after him, apologetic.

His cologne barely covered the smell of whiskey, and his eyes were bloodshot, desperate.

As a senator, he shouldn’t have been in my private quarters, but grief makes people reckless. The staff didn’t even try to stop him.

Marcus had already come undone.

His tie was loose, hair a mess, eyes rimmed red. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

He’d rather be thrown out than not come in.

He stood before me, fists clenched, voice shaking.

"Chloe must have left me a message. Rachel, tell me."

He was desperate, his voice breaking. The need in him filled the room.

I sat wrapped in a shawl, looking at him—wild, desperate, nothing like the senator the city once adored.

He used to be so put together. Now, he was a ghost.

Marcus’s eyes were red as he pleaded: "Wasn’t Chloe just acting? She always did things to get my attention, to pick on Anna. How could she really jump? How could she..."

He paced, voice rising. “She always wanted the last word—why wouldn’t she just yell at me like always?”

Since Anna’s return, the sweetness between Chloe and Marcus vanished.

It was like someone flipped a switch. Laughter died, suspicion and bitterness took over.

Unlike me, who locked my heart away, Chloe truly loved Marcus.

She was fearless, never hiding her feelings.

They’d been the golden couple—every Christmas card, every campaign poster.

After she lost her first child, Chloe cried every night.

I heard her sobbing into a pillow. There was nothing I could say to fix it.

At first, Marcus was full of guilt—always by her side, promising he’d never hurt her again.

He brought her tea, read her favorite books, swore things would get better. For a while, I believed him.

But after Anna returned, she used Chloe’s grief to provoke her. Chloe lost it and slapped Anna. Afterward, Anna tried to overdose but was saved by the staff.

The scandal blew up. Anna played the victim, Chloe was left alone.

From then on, Marcus drifted away from Chloe, toward Anna.

He stopped fighting for Chloe, let her fade from his life.

He apologized endlessly, each one another wedge. They stopped sharing meals. Chloe’s laughter was gone, replaced by silence.

The senator who once doted on her, who’d defend her without hesitation, was gone.

Anna’s schemes got bolder, but Marcus refused to see the truth.

Now he was on his knees, broken. "I just didn’t want more regret. I couldn’t save Lily, so I had to protect Anna. Why wouldn’t Chloe believe me? Aren’t we husband and wife? Why wouldn’t she understand me?"

His voice cracked, tears streaking down his face. He wanted forgiveness—but from the wrong person.

I let out a bitter laugh.

"How are you worthy of calling yourselves husband and wife? Chloe asked for a divorce a year ago."

He flinched, as if I’d hit him.

Marcus stared at me, voice wary: "Rachel, what did you do?"

There was fear in his eyes, a flash of accusation.

Just then, the decree arrived.

A uniformed clerk stepped in, envelope in hand. The room fell quiet as he delivered it.

It was an official order from Derek, finally granting Chloe’s divorce request before her death. From this day, Marcus and Chloe were no longer married. She would be buried under her maiden name, never sharing a grave with Marcus.

I sat above him, cold. "What husband and wife? The moment you stopped trusting her, you weren’t worthy."

He couldn’t answer.

I looked him in the eye and said, "Chloe’s last words—she didn’t mention you. You thought she was acting for you, but you meant nothing to her in the end."

Silence swallowed the room.

Marcus went wild, dragged away by security.

His tie hung loose, and his sobs echoed down the marble hallway long after the doors slammed shut.

I slumped back, exhausted. Derek was standing in the shadows, hands clenched, face pale. He’d heard everything.

"Is this your compensation? You know this isn’t what I want," I said, voice icy. "Chloe lost her life. The one who caused it should pay."

He flinched, eyes darting away.

"Rachel." Derek lingered, voice hoarse. "Anna... didn’t mean it."

He said it softly, like he was trying to convince himself.

Even he probably didn’t believe it, but he chose to defend Anna, lying to himself.

Maybe he didn’t see the tenderness he showed Anna—obvious to everyone but him.

He tried to honor his vows, but ended up betraying everyone.

At that moment, I was spent.

I closed my eyes, let my head drop. The fight was gone.

"I understand. Get out."

He hesitated, torn by guilt and pride. I didn’t care anymore.

Derek froze, my words cutting him.

His face twisted, but I wouldn’t look at him.

He looked at me, lost. In the past, I’d play the perfect First Lady. Now I was done.

Now that I knew the way home, I didn’t need to hide anymore.

I said, "Derek, you can’t punish her. You owe her, so you pay with your benefactor’s life—how pathetic."

The words boiled up, years of resentment finally free.

Derek’s face darkened. "Rachel, you’ve gone mad."

He sounded wounded, not angry. I didn’t care.

"Yeah, I’ve gone mad." I laughed, walked up to him, and stroked his cheek.

His skin was cool, almost unfamiliar. I saw the boy he might have been, before the world made him cruel.

"Derek, I’m going to die soon. I don’t want you anymore."

He recoiled, jaw tight, eyes shining. It was almost a relief to watch him break.

That day, he nearly ran from the mansion.

He fled, shoes pounding the marble. The staff scattered.

He didn’t hear my last words.

When the house was finally quiet, I whispered into the empty house, daring the universe to listen. This time, the story ends on my terms.