Anastasia

"Mrs. 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.

"I will be home soon, Naomi," I replied, my voice calm and controlled as I headed for the door. I couldn't tell her where I was going; she would only try to stop me.

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.

I had never been to Quinn's company before and might never have, had circumstances not demanded it. Now, I had no choice.

"I'm here to see Quinn 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?

"Yes, I'm his wife," I insisted, though my voice trembled slightly now. "I need to see him."

The receptionist raised an eyebrow, exchanging a knowing look with her colleague beside her. A small, condescending smile played at her lips as she 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 to wait."

She didn't just say that to me. People like me? How many women had come here, pretending to be a part of Quinn's life? And why did no one know I was 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 open, and my heart nearly stopped.

Quinn stepped out, his tall frame imposing and commanding as always. But he wasn't alone. Veronica Rodriguez was by his side, her hand resting casually on his arm as if she belonged there. They looked like the perfect couple-beautiful, glamorous, untouchable.

My breath caught in my throat as I watched them together, the ease with which they moved, the way they seemed to fit so perfectly. Veronica's laughter rang through the lobby, light and carefree, as if she hadn't a worry in the world. The employees around them bowed in respect, their gazes filled with admiration and envy.

I had always lived in the shadows. Today, I knew that more than ever.

My mind struggled to process what I was seeing, my worst fears manifesting before my very eyes.

She does look like me. A lot more than she did in the pictures.

"Quinn!" I called out, my voice shaky and desperate. I saw him hesitate for a fraction of a second before he turned towards me, his expression unreadable.

Veronica looked at me curiously, her hand still on Quinn's arm, but it was his reaction that shattered me. There was no recognition, no warmth in 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 let 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 was 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 composed.

"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.

"She's the reason?" I cried, taking a step towards Quinn. "The reason you treated me like trash, as if I was nothing to you. I'm your wife, Quinn! I deserve an explanation!"

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."

This wasn't the place? When had he ever made time for me, for us, in private? The hurt in my chest grew unbearable, and I knew I was losing control.

"You are-" I was interrupted by the wave of his hand.

"Security," Quinn called out, his voice harsh and final. "Please escort 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 broken 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 discarded. 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 aside?

Tears blurred my vision as I stumbled out of the building, my heart heavy with the weight of everything I had lost. My marriage, my dignity, my sense of self-it was all gone, leaving me hollow and aching.

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.

ANA"What happened to you Ana? Where on earth did you go to?" Naomi asked with concern the minute I walked towards the entrance.

She'd been waiting for me at the entrance door like a mother whose child was yet to return from an errand.

Unable to speak or react to my surroundings, I walked past her straight to my room and broke into tears the moment I closed the door behind me.

The numbness spread to my legs and I released myself onto the cold floor, doing the only thing that I knew how to do best - cry.

"What's going on Ana, you need to speak to me," Naomi called from the other side of the door as she pounded gently on it.

She knew that I was having issues with Quinn but she was clueless as to where I went to and why I had come back home looking more downcast than I had left the house.

It all seemed like a bad joke.

Quinn had always despised me and I had taken all his attitudes with a smile but what I couldn't understand was why he wanted to get a divorce when I didn't do anything wrong.

Naomi gave up on knocking at my door and walked away when she saw that I wasn't going to open the door or reply to her.

After some minutes of crying, I wiped my tears and lay motionless in the room, thoughts of the few happy moments I had with Quinn replaying in my mind and fresh tears stung my eyes.

All these years I'd been asking what I did wrong, what about me changed so much that made him hate me this much but I just discovered that I wasn't the problem. I was only a side piece he used to bear the loss of his main chick.

A loud knock on the door disrupted my thoughts.

It was nothing like Naomi's gentle knocks and soft persuasion, it was more like an angry knock.

Just when I pushed myself up, the voice sounded from the other side of the door and it was nothing like that of the man I married three years ago.

"Why does she take so much time to open the door? She still thinks this is her house?" Quinn queried.

"Don't be too hard on her dear, maybe she needs some time alone to process the change and gather her belongings to move out." Veronica's voice chipped but there was something about her voice that enraged me.

She spoke and carried herself like she was the big one as she tried to calm Quinn down but I heard the sneer in her voice. I could hear the mockery she relayed to me through her words.

"Well I don't have such free time to give her." Quinn barked and resumed knocking relentlessly on the door.

How could he bring his lover to the house after humiliating me in front of her at the office?

He wanted to see me break.

I quickly wiped off any tears that were on my cheeks and unlocked the door.

The first thing I saw when I swung the door open was Veronica's hand, rubbing Quinn's chest and their gaze locked into each other's.

In my three years of marriage to Quinn, I've never seen him look at me in such a tender manner.

I shifted my gaze immediately and walked into the room but Quinn's voice followed me inside.

"Are you done packing your things? Veronica needs space to put her things."

I turned at his words and that was when my eyes caught the big bag that sat beside Veronica.

She was moving in the same day I was moving out?!

Not only did he humiliate me in front of her, he brought her to the house to watch me leave.

That was the last straw to break the camel's back and for the first time in three years, I didn't feel the need to answer my husband's humiliating questions.

I walked to the bed and picked up the envelope that held the divorce papers, took a pen from the drawer underneath my dressing table and signed the paper.

I picked up my already arranged box-most of my clothes were in my box-only my stay-at-home clothes were in the wardrobe and I could do without them. I could do without my makeup on the dressing table as well.

Walking towards Quinn and his mistress, I handed him the divorce papers and walked out of the room. I caught Veronica's expression and she was struggling to hide a snort.

I didn't care what she or anyone else thought about me anymore. I'd had enough for one day and three years.

As I walked down the stairs, I could hear the murmurs of the staff and I could see part of their faces peeping through the doors and I didn't fight it.

They could talk all they wanted, I didn't care anymore.

I was sure that the murmurs were what drew Naomi's attention as she came running towards me.

"Where are you going ma'am? Are you going on a trip?" Worry masked her face as she asked.

I knew that she knew what was going on but just didn't want to admit it so I cast her a cold glance.

"It's over Naomi, this marriage is over," I announced shamelessly and the staff gasped at my unfiltered words.

"So what? Do you want to walk out on your marriage now? After all, you've endured?" Naomi countered but I wasn't in the mood to drag words with her.

"Was this even a marriage from the beginning? I don't even know what this is." I found myself laughing as I spoke.

"Goodbye Naomi and thank you for your service." I finished and continued out of the house, leaving the woman staring at me helplessly.

Once I got out of the house, the driver made to open the car door for me but I stopped him with a wave of my hand.

"Don't worry, I'll take a cab." He nodded at my words and stepped aside without asking me any questions.

I slipped into the cab and shut the door beside me.

The further we moved away from the mansion, the more the weight of my new reality dawned on me.

I was no longer Mrs. Winfrey, but Anastasia. Just Anastasia.

Three Years LaterAna

"Mommy, can I take this with me to the new house?" Moon asked, raising his wooden doll as his eyes sparked in excitement.

I couldn't possibly refuse him anything, he looked so cute asking for a favor, I'd feel like a heartless person to say no to him.

"Of course baby, you can bring all your toys if you want," I replied with a smile and gently smoothed his plum cheeks and he ran towards his toy house to gather all his toys.

"What time are they coming?" Grandma Mira asked from behind and I turned to meet her gaze.

"They'll be here by two pm. Don't worry about the time, we'll move everything today. The truck is ginormous." I assured Grandma Mira who was taking glances at her wristwatch.

"I know. I just don't want us to get there late so that everything can be arranged today and we can hold the party tomorrow." She replied, stating her concern.

We were going back to New York, a place that held many memories for both Grandma Mira and me.

I'd left New York after my divorce to Los Angeles and it was time to go back to New York. Specifically, because I intend to set up my business in the heart of the city.

Grandma Mira asked to set up a welcome party slash housewarming party since we renovated our old house into a mansion. It was a perfect way to let our old friends and acquaintances know that we were back and also come to celebrate with us.

"We'll get there on time and everything will be done as planned. Terry sent a text to let me know that he has gotten all we need for the party tomorrow so we don't need to run around when we get home." I assured and she finally let out a smile.

After I was sure that she wasn't worried any longer, I proceeded into the house to check if there was anything we'd failed to pack.

By exactly two pm, the truck drove into the compound and we began filling it with our belongings and soon enough, we were on our way to New York.

The busy streets reminded me of my struggling years before Quinn approached me and asked me to marry him.

I swallowed hard, pushing the thoughts away from my mind.

It was a new chapter for me now, Quinn was a past chapter, he's just a bad memory in my past.

I glanced at Moon who rested his head on my stomach and held onto my index finger with caution.

He was unusually calm and I knew that it was because of the long journey, he'd not driven this long before. I let out a slight smile before wrapping my arm around his body.

In no time we got to the mansion and I couldn't help but smile at the good work I'd done with the house that was previously looking wretched.

A deep sigh escaped my mouth as I stepped out of the vehicle.

'It feels good to be successful after all.' I smiled to myself, looking at what I'd achieved in the space of three years.

The men got to work and the place began to come together.

Grandma Mira went ahead to review the things she needed for her party the next day and confirmed that everything was available while I discussed business with Terry.

"I told them that you'd be able to see them tomorrow at the party so they agreed to come for the party," Terry informed me while we strolled to the backyard.

"Thank you so much, Terry, I don't know what I'd have done without you," I remarked with sincerity.

"It's nothing, Ana, your happiness is my happiness. Whatever it'll take to make you happy, I'll do it." He assured me and I couldn't help but smile at his words.

"You've done enough already Terry, let me take it up from here." I appreciated his help but I couldn't let him do everything for me.

I'd learned how to cook exquisite dishes from Terry and I also opened a restaurant and I'd been getting clients rush, most thanks to Terry for his impute and good words to his friends and colleagues.

Terry was a food judge on one of the most popular food channels so he had lots of people who'd try out whatever he recommended.

However, we concluded that New York would be a perfect place to set up my restaurant as he had more grounds and influence there.

"What do you say to Chipotle for dinner?" I asked with a smile and he nodded in acknowledgment.

"I would never say no to Chipotle."

"Great!"

We walked into the house to help out.

After we had a hearty meal, we sat in the living room and decided to watch some news and relax.

This was a new city, we needed to know what was going on.

I turned on the smart television and tuned in to the biggest news channel and the familiar image of Quinn appeared boldly on the large screen.

I could feel both Grandma Mira and Terry's eyes on me, I was grateful that Moon was asleep already.

I quickly changed the channel but the image of the handsome multi-millionaire barely left my mind. The headline was talking about his net worth or something like that.

It was none of my business and would never be.

After three years of not seeing even a picture, the first day I step foot into New York, the first thing I see is Quinn on my big screen.

'Just great!'

Flashbacks of his cold treatment towards me flooded my memory and I felt the hatred I had for him resurface.

Even after three years, his words still echoed clearly in my ears.

I got up from the cushion and made my way to my room but Grandma Mira's voice called behind.

"Ana? Are you okay?"

Had I reacted openly to seeing Quinn's picture?

"I'm good, just tired. Goodnight." I replied still walking away and I could hear Terry leave as well.

I slumped onto my soft bed and lay there motionless while my mind processed the various possibilities of coming across Quinn in New York City.

I had to control myself at the sight of him, I needed to keep my feelings intact for the sake of my son- Moon.