Chapter 4
Anastasia
“Mr. Winfrey my God, you’re all dressed up. May I know where you’re going?” Naomi’s voice held a mix of surprise and confusion as she spotted me descending the stairs. I could see the shock in her eyes as if she had been preparing to console me, perhaps even coax me into coming down for breakfast. The sight of me, dressed and walking briskly, was clearly the last thing she expected.
But I was done being the obedient wife who waits eagerly for her husband to come home with an explanation. For three long years. I had played that role—waiting, hoping, believing. But not anymore. I had reached my breaking point. I needed to know if there was anything left to salvage or if my marriage was truly over.
will be home soon. Naomi Treplied, my voice try to stop me.
my voice calm and controlled
an I headed 1 for the door. I couldn’t tell her where I was going.
she would only
The drive to Quinn’s company felt surreal. My mind raced with thoughts of what I would say, how I would demand the answers I deserved. I feel so uneasy, each mile brings me closer to the confrontation I both dreaded and craved.
When I arrived at the building. I pushed through the glass doors with more force than necessary, my determination barely masking the anxiety that churned within me. The lobby was alive with movement, employees bustling about none of them spared me a second glance as I made my way to the reception desk my heels clicking sharply against the polished marble floor.
er been to Quinn’s company before and might never have, had circumstances not demanded it. Now, I had no choice.
Tm here to see Quinn Winfi
Winfrey,” I announced, my voice more confident than I felt as I stood before the brunette woman behind the desk.
The receptionist, a young woman with impeccably styled hair and a cold, detached expression, barely looked up from her computer. “Do you have an appointment?” she asked in a monotone, her fingers tapping away at the keyboard.
“I’m his wife.” I replied, though the words felt hollow even to me.
The receptionist finally lifted her gaze, her eyes filled with a mix of disbelief and disdain. “His wife?” she repeated, as if the very notion was absurd “I wasn’t aware Mr. Winfrey was married”
That must be a joke. For three years, I had been Quinn’s wife, yet here I was, standing before someone who had no idea I even existed. The realisation sent a cold shiver down my spine—had Quinn hidden me from everyone in his life?
For Pete’s sake, our marriage was public knowledge–it had been all over the internet. How could she not know?
T’es his wife,” Finsisted, though my voice trembled slightly now. “I need to see him”
The receptionist raised an eyebrow, rachanging a knowing look with her colleague beside her. A small, condescending smile played at her lips as the looked back at me. “We get people like you every day, claiming to be someone important to Mr. Winfrey. But without an appointment. I’m afraid you’ll have no wa
– didn’t just say that to me. People like met How many women had come here, pretending to be a part of Quinn’s life? And why did no one know
actually his wife?
I opened my mouth to protest, to tell her I wasn’t just another one of his many admirers, that I was the woman he had promised to love and cherish I could have told her to look on the internet for confirmation. But before I could say anything, the elevator doors slid
stopped.
and my heart
vitan stepped out Îus tall frame imposing and commanding as always. But he wasn’t alone. Veronica Rodriguez was by his side, her hansi resting
et dus arm as if the belonged their. They looked like the perfect couple–beautiful. amorous, uptouchable.
tched them together, the case with which they moved the way they seemed to his perfectly. Veronica’s irough the lobby, light and carrier, as if she hadn’t a worry in the world. The employees around them bowed in respect, their gares
ays ined in the shadows Today. I knew that more than eve
- process what I was sering, my worst is ars manifesting before my
very eyes
The des kerk like me. A lot more than she did in the
alled coat, my voice alusky and desperate 1 saw him hesitate for a tras tion of a second before he tuned towand me.
his expression
Veronica looked at me curious her land still on Quinn ann, bast it was his teaction that stunned me. There was in recognition, no warmth in
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11:48 AM
Chapter 4
his eyes just cold, detached indifference. It was as if I were a stranger, an inconvenience he had to deal with.
“Why haven’t you been answering my calls?” I demanded, my voice breaking. “I’ve been trying to reach you all night! Your staff–they wouldn’t le me in. They laughed at me when I said I was your wife! How could you allow that?“.
I could feel the stares of everyone in the lobby, but I didn’t care. I was beyond caring. The humiliation, the pain, it all came pouring out, and I wa powerless to stop it. I just wanted the world to know my spot was right there, where she stood, beside him.
Quinn’s jaw tightened, a flicker of something–anger, embarrassment?-crossing his features. But before he could respond. Veronica’s voice cut through the tension, calm and composeil
“Quinn, maybe we should take this somewhere private, she suggested, her tone gentle, as if she were trying to soothe a wild animal. “There’s no
need to cause a scene.”
We? I laughed bitterly.
Her words only made me feel worse. She was playing the role of the considerate, composed woman, while I stood there, unravelling in front of everyone. I hated her at that moment, not just for being with Quinn, but for being everything I wasn’t calm, confident, and in control.
But I couldn’t stop myself. I couldn’t just stand there and watch them walk away as if I were nothing.
as if I w
“She’s the reason?” I cried, taking a step towards Quinn. “The reason you treated me like trash, as deserve an explanation!”
was nothing to you. I’m your wife, Quinn! I
Quinn’s eyes darkened, his patience clearly wearing thin. “Anastasia, you need to leave,” he said coldly. “This isn’t the place for this kind of
conversation”
my chest!
grew unbearable, and I knew I was losing
This wasn’t the place? When had he ever made time for me, for us, in private? The hurt in my control.
“You are” I was interrupted by the wave of his hand.
“Security” Quinn called out, his voice harsh and final. “Please escom Mrs. Winfrey out of the building.”
Mrs. Winfrey. How perfect.
He had never called me that, and just when he needed the world to know I was nothing to him, he referred to me with his last name, telling the world that I was that wife in the shadows, the one no one was aware of. I wished he had just called me by my name.
I didn’t fight as the security guards approached, their hands gentle yet firm as they guided me towards the exit. I was too numb to resist, too broker to care anymore. My legs felt like they could barely hold me up as I was led out of the building, my heart shattering with each step.
As the doors closed behind me, I caught one last glimpse of Quinn and Veronica. She leaned in close to him, her lips moving as she whispered something in his ear. I couldn’t hear what she said, but I saw the way he looked at her–soft, almost tender.
And then she turned, her gaze meeting mine for just a moment. There was something in her eyes, a flicker of surprise. “She looks familiar.” I heard her say faintly before the doors swung shut
I stood there, alone and ducarded. How has my life come to this? How had I become nothing more than a shadow in Quinn’s life, someone to be forgotten and cast asider
Trans blurred my vision I stumbled out of the building, my heart heavy with the weight of everything I had lost. My marriage, my dignity, my sense of sell —it was all gone, leaving me hollow and acting
As I walked away from the company, with no place in mind to go, I realised that it was truly best for both of us to go our separate ways.
