The billionaire regret;the heiress revenge

Chapter 1: The Hollow Vow

Sienna’s POV

Today marked exactly three years since I said "I do," and I had poured every ounce of my hope into this evening.

For a long time, I had loved Xavier with a quiet, desperate intensity. Despite the freezing distance he kept between us, I clung to the belief that if I just waited long enough,if I was patient enough, the ice would eventually crack. He would finally love me and treat me like a human.

When the door finally clicked open, my heart hammered against my ribs. I stood up quickly, a nervous smile already forming as I waited for him to step inside.

He walked in with heavy, tired steps that seemed to vibrate through the floor. He didn't even look at me. Instead, his dark eyes swept across the room, landing on the candles I had lit and the table I had spent all afternoon setting. He stopped dead in his tracks, his face twisting into a look of pure annoyance.

“What is all this supposed to be?” he demanded, his voice dropping like a stone.

My smile faltered. I twisted my fingers together, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. “I wanted tonight to be different, Xavier. It’s our anniversary.” don't you remember.

I lowered my head, my voice barely a whisper as I tried to catch his eye. I was painfully aware of the red lingerie I was wearing—a final, desperate attempt to make him see me as something more than a roommate he shared a roof with. I wanted him to see me and crave my body, to make me feel alive again.

Xavier stared at me for a long, silent moment. For one beautiful second, I thought I saw something soft in his expression. But then, he let out a short, mocking laugh.

“You’re pathetic, Sienna,” he snapped. The words felt like a physical blow. He walked past me and tossed his jacket onto a chair, shaking his head as if I were a child playing dress-up.

“ Please clean this mess up. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

I felt a wave of shame wash over me, making my legs feel weak. “Xavier, please. I just wanted us to talk.”

“About what?” He didn't even turn around as he grabbed his suitcase and set it on the nightstand with a loud thud. He started kicking off his shoes, completely ignoring the flickering candles and the scent of the flowers. “I’ve had a long day. I’m exhausted, and I don’t have the energy for your little dramas.”

The rejection stung more than usual. Maybe it was because I had pinned so much on tonight. Or maybe I was just finally reaching my limit. My eyes stung with hot tears, but I forced myself to stand my ground. I was tired of being invisible.

“Exhausted by what?” I asked, my voice cracking as the words spilled out. “Being my husband? Being in this house with me?”

He let out a long, frustrated sigh, but he still wouldn't look at me. “Sienna, stop.”

“No,” I said, my voice rising as the pain finally broke through. “It’s been three years. Three years of living like strangers. You haven't touched me, Xavier. You won't even look at me.”

He turned then, his gaze cold and mocking. “Touched you? Please.. look at yourself, do you deserve to be touched”

I went silent. My mind flashed back to the night that started it all, a drunken mistake that ended in a pregnancy and a forced wedding. I had spent every day since then trying to turn that mistake into a real marriage, but he had spent every day running away from it.

“Do you even care how much that hurts?” I asked, my voice trembling so hard I could barely speak. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to live like this?”

His jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists at his sides. He looked irritated, as if my heart breaking was nothing more than a nuisance to his evening. He didn't say a word; he just turned his back on me again and headed for the bathroom.

“Say something!” I cried out, the tears finally streaming down my face. I reached out for him, my hands shaking. “I’m standing right here. I bought this... I did all of this because I wanted you to want me.”

He didn't pause.

“Is it a crime to love you?” I sobbed, the words feeling heavy and bitter in the air. “Is that why you’re punishing me?”

I sounded so small, so broken, pleading for a scrap of affection from a man who clearly had none to give.

“You’re making a scene,” he muttered under his breath, though I heard him perfectly. “Just drop it.”

He stepped into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. A moment later, I heard the sound of the shower running, drowning out the sound of my own quiet sobs.

I looked around the room. The cake I had learned to bake, the flowers I had carefully picked,it all looked like a cruel joke now. I felt like a fool. The voice in the back of my mind screamed that I never mattered to him, and tonight was the final proof.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, my body feeling numb.

I remembered when we were younger, before the families got involved, before the pressure turned everything sour. He used to smile at me back then. Now, I was just a burden.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand and stood up. I couldn't bear to look at the decorations anymore. I started tearing them down, my movements jerky and frantic. I ripped the red lace from my body and threw it in the trash, feeling a sudden, sharp disgust for my own vulnerability. I just wanted to disappear.

A soft *ding* broke the silence.

I turned and saw his phone sitting on the nightstand, the screen glowing in the dark. I had never been the type to pry, but tonight, something inside me snapped. I walked over to the bed, my heart thudding against my ribs like a trapped bird.

Just one look,I told myself.

I tapped the screen. A message was sitting right there, clear as day. It was from a name I hadn't heard in years, but one I could never forget: Vanessa Reed.

The words blurred before my eyes as the floor seemed to drop out from under me.

“Thank you, sweetheart. I’ll be checking out of the hotel tonight.”I have fun last night