- ELIZABETH POV -
Elizabeth's POV
I felt sick—sick to my stomach, knowing that my wife, the person I loved so much, was across the world in someone else's arms. It was a feeling I couldn't shake off, no matter how much I tried to distract myself. I couldn't eat, couldn't drink, couldn't sleep properly. Each minute felt like an hour, and every hour stretched into an eternity.
Everything and everyone around me annoyed me. I couldn't even be near my kids. Nate's laughter echoed Y/N's voice, and Amelia's bright smile mirrored her mother's so perfectly that it twisted my heart. I felt like I was stuck in a dark room with no way out, and I had no one to help me find the light.
In my office, the soft glow of my laptop screen illuminated a pile of documents for the upcoming gala, but the words blurred together. My mind was elsewhere, trapped in a loop of anguish and anger. I stared blankly at the screen when my father, Daniel Olsen, walked in. He looked serious, an expression I had come to dread.
" Luca called me," he said, his voice tight. "He told me Y/N is in Italy with the girl. Are you getting divorced?"
I didn't look up at first. I couldn't. The mere mention of Y/N with someone else felt like a knife twisting in my gut. When I finally lifted my head, I caught the intensity of my father's gaze. He slammed his hand on the table, startling me.
"ELIZABETH! Are you getting divorced?!"
"No... I am not," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper, the weight of my father's anger pressing down on me.
He frowned, frustration etched into his features. "Why not?"
"She hasn't asked for one... she doesn't want to divorce me," I said, hoping to convey the glimmer of hope I held onto, even if it felt fragile.
Daniel took a deep breath, his jaw tightening. "Why not? Are you not doing what I explicitly told you to?"
"I am, and I'm miserable!" I snapped back, the pressure of his expectations breaking through my already frayed nerves. "I haven't kissed my wife! I haven't slept with my wife! Fuck, I haven't been there for my kids in TWO YEARS! She's not going to divorce me!"
My father slammed his hand on the table again, rattling the papers before me. "I need that money, Elizabeth! The prenup is about to expire as soon as Nathaniel turns seven. All of this goes to hell! We get nothing, and I'm BANKRUPT, Elizabeth! I have been patient for NOTHING! Why isn't she divorcing you?!"
"I don't know, Dad, okay? I don't know!" My voice trembled, a mix of anger and despair flooding my veins.
He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair, trying to control his frustration. "That girl Christopher has been paying to seduce Y/N and make her leave you. Where is she? What is she doing? Is she doing her part?"
I looked away, the reality of the situation sinking in like a stone in my stomach. "Well, taking into account that they are in Italy together, she is doing her part. Y/N seems to like her."
"Not enough to leave you for her," he shot back, his voice laced with impatience. "Can't you do more?!"
I flinched at his tone, the harshness cutting deeper than he intended. "More? I am miserable! I am pushing the woman I love away from me, and you want me to do more?"
"YES! I want her to leave you so we can cash in that pretty paycheck that comes with a Falcone prenup!" He paused, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table as if calculating his next move. "Luca..."
"What about Luca?" I asked.
Daniel leaned closer, a smirk forming on his lips. "You will sleep with Luca Falcone and Y/N will leave you. There's no way she will stay with you after that."
My breath caught in my throat, disbelief washing over me. "W...what if I don't want her to leave me?" I whispered, my heart racing.
Daniel grabbed my face roughly, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Do I look like I care about what you want?! I didn't even want a daughter! The LEAST you can do is make yourself useful and help us get out of bankruptcy!"
His words struck me like a physical blow. I felt my heart crumble under the weight of his expectations and disdain. How could a father speak to his child like this? How could he care so little for my feelings when I was already so broken?
"I can't just betray Y/N like that," I said, my voice quivering. "I love her."
Daniel rolled his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. "Love? Elizabeth. Love won't save us from this mess. You need to think practically, I made you marry her, and now I want you to make her leave you. And I want that sweet-sweet 4billion dollar prenup deal.
I wanted to scream, to tell him that I was tired of being practical, tired of living a life dictated by his demands and expectations. I wanted to cry, to let all of my pain out, but I held back. Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. " Please dad... I don't want to... I can't."
He grabbed my neck tightly. " MAKE, HER, LEAVE YOU!"
