Episode 2

**Aspen**

After the divorce, I had no choice but to buy a new house.

Luckily, Aziel didn't refuse to give me my half of what I was owed after so many years of marriage.

At least with that money I was able to buy a small but nice place.

When we arrived, my boy ran inside. I followed him.

And while he played, I started organizing some boxes that were still unpacked.

As I did, I couldn't stop replaying Aziel's words in my head.

*The place you occupied always belonged to your sister.*

I began to cry in silence -- I didn't want my son to hear me.

When I calmed down, I grabbed my phone and called my mom.

It rang once, twice, three times.

But Mom never answered.

I called Dad. Same result.

I called Luke. Nothing.

I called the twins, and they didn't pick up either.

I shouldn't have been surprised.

Their daughter just got divorced, and they can't even be bothered to answer a single damn call.

I dried my tears, pulled myself together, and went back to my son.

But I kept remembering. I couldn't help it.

*As soon as Dakota comes back\, I'm making her my wife.*

Did these ten years together really mean nothing to him?

Clearly not.

To him, I was nothing but a mistake.

A mistake that ended in an unwanted pregnancy.

I remember that day perfectly -- the first and only time Aziel ever touched me.

It was exactly ten years ago, when I was barely seventeen.

My sister and Aziel had a relationship back then. Nothing official.

Dakota was twenty, while Aziel had just turned twenty-five.

That day, I was watching TV in the living room when I heard my sister come downstairs with her bags packed, followed by Aziel, who was trying with everything he had to stop her from leaving.

That conversation between those former lovers is still etched in my mind.

The way Aziel begged her not to leave him.

The heartless way Dakota told him she didn't love him -- all of it is intact in my memory.

It turned out my sister had only been using Aziel, while he was blindly in love with her.

And when Dakota found her dream man, she decided to leave with him.

That man was Italian -- the only one who ever brought the untouchable Dakota to her knees.

That's how my sister left, shattering everyone's hearts, especially Aziel's.

That same night, Aziel emptied every bottle in the bar in my father's office.

He drank until he couldn't anymore.

I can still hear his cries.

*Come back\, baby\, please.*

*I'll be better. Don't leave me\, Dakota.*

*I love you. I still love you.*

All those words, and more.

Words he never said to me.

That night, I went to him.

He looked like an abandoned dog, his gorgeous face drenched in tears.

His eyes red from all the drinking.

His voice hoarse from all the screaming and pleading.

It hurt so much to see him like that.

I helped him steady himself and tried to take him to the guest room so he could rest, but even then, he kept crying.

*Dakota\, Dakota\, Dakota...*

Over and over again.

He was so drunk that the moment I laid him on the bed, he finally looked at me.

And all he could see were my eyes.

Dark blue eyes, like sapphires.

The same eye color as Dakota's.

He reached his hand toward my face and, with the utmost gentleness, caressed my cheek.

*Dakota... You came back...*

He'd whispered.

I felt my eyes fill with tears. He wasn't seeing me -- he was seeing my sister. And that broke my heart.

*Don't cry\, baby.*

He murmured, and then he pulled me into his arms.

The smell of alcohol overwhelmed me, making me recoil.

But before I could push him away, Aziel pressed his lips to mine in a passionate kiss.

That was my first kiss.

I tried to pull back, but he wouldn't let me.

I knew I should have kept trying to push him away. I knew he wasn't looking at me. But I couldn't do it.

The man I loved was finally paying attention to me, and I didn't want the moment to end.

That's how I gave myself to him.

I gave myself completely.

First kiss. First time. First everything.

When I woke up the next morning, I was happy.

But my happiness didn't last long.

Because when Aziel woke up, he looked at me with confusion and disgust.

*What the hell are you doing here\, Aspen?*

I still remember how ice-cold his voice was when he spoke to me.

The complete opposite of how he talked to Dakota.

When he realized what we'd done, he hated me even more.

*You did this on purpose. You knew I love your sister and you still crawled into my bed!*

His accusation still stings, even after all these years.

Because it was true. I knew he thought I was Dakota. And I took advantage of that.

Because of what I did, Dad threw me out of the house.

*Get out. I don't have a daughter like you. You are no longer a Voinescu.*

Those were my father's words as he kicked me to the curb.

My siblings, my mother, my grandparents -- they all watched as my father disowned me. Not one of them did a thing to stop it.

They all looked at me with disgust, like I was the worst piece of trash walking the earth.

After that, I stayed at my best friend Carolina's place.

She's the only one who knows how awful Dakota really is.

The only one who knows how cruel and indifferent everyone has been to me.

She was the only one who never turned her back on me.

A week passed, and that's when I found out I was pregnant.

I went looking for Aziel. His parents and siblings slammed the door in my face\, calling me a *gold digger*.

How dare they?

I tried going home, but not even the servants would let me through.

So I had no choice but to go to Aziel's university.

When I told him about the baby, he didn't believe me.

*Even if it were mine\, what makes you think I'd want that thing? Get rid of it.*

That's what he said.

Heartbroken, I went back to Carolina's.

I started working, since the following year I'd need to start college.

Eight months later, Aziel showed up at Carolina's house looking for me.

It turned out his grandfather had found out about the pregnancy and forced him to marry me for the baby's sake.

That's why we got married.

There was never any love on his part.

There never was, and there never will be.

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