The Billionaire’s Bride Falling from the Rooftop

The floor beneath me was cold, and I sat on it cross-legged, our bedroom cloaked in darkness save for the dim flicker of a candle flame cupped in my hands. Shadows danced across the walls, mirroring the storm inside my chest. The physical pain from the recent trauma still pulsed in my abdomensharp and relentlessbut it was nothing next to the hollow ache lodged deep in my soul.

Tonight, I lit the candle for my baby. For the son who never had the chance to take a breath.

A whisper left my lips, shaky and barely audible, Im so sorry so, so sorry

Suddenly, the silence shattered. The door burst open with a violent slam, jarring me upright. The flame flickered and tipped, and hot wax splashed against my wrist. I bit back a cry as the burn flared across my skin.

Cassian stood at the doorway, his expression twisted in fury.

What the hell are you doing? he barked, his voice like a whip in the dark.

I barely managed to look up when he charged toward me, rage radiating off him.

Youve lost your mind! Are you burning yourself now to make me feel guilty? Is this another pathetic attempt to hurt Roxane again? Youre always so desperate to be the victim!

My lips trembled. I wasnt trying to do anything to her I was just lighting a candle. Thats all.

He sneered. Youre always playing innocent. Dont think Ive forgotten what you did. She almost died because of you!

I shook my head weakly. No I only looked after her. Every day. Just like you told me to. Ive been her servant since the moment she moved in.

He narrowed his eyes, voice colder now. Dont twist what happened.

Im not, I whispered. You made me her caretaker. I never asked to be.

But my words, like all before them, were useless. Cassian had already made up his mind. He had sided with Roxane the moment she cried wolfaccused me of lacing her soup with poison. The same soup I had barely tasted before everything blurred.

He believed her. And as punishment, he forced me to consume what I now knew was laced with an abortion drug. My baby was eight months along.

I didnt want to eat it. I had felt something was wrong. But I was faint. Starving. And Cassian had ordered me to finish the bowl. That was his wordan order. I obeyed, and the life inside me paid the price for something I didnt even do.

I couldnt fight anymore. Not tonight. Not with the candlelight already melting away and my strength alongside it.

Im praying, I said quietly. For our son. Just leave me alone. Come back another day.

There was a shift in his expressionbrief, barely visible. Maybe a flicker of regret. Maybe not. Whatever it was, it disappeared as quickly as it came.

In the next moment, his hand shot out and clamped around my wrist. I gasped, wincing from the burn, but he ignored it.

Cassian, stopIm not feeling well I pleaded as he dragged me to the bed.

He growled, Then tell me what use you are if you cant even be a wife.

He shoved me onto the mattress. The weight of him above me stole the last of my breath. I stared up at the ceiling blankly, the scent of wax and scorched skin clinging to the air.

I no longer resisted. I no longer moved.

To him, my body was all that mattered.

That was always the case, wasnt it? He had never married me for love. He had done it to punish meno, to punish my parents.

He said they caused his parents deaths. Said he had evidence. Promised if I married him, he would spare their lives. But there was never any proof. Just vengeance. Just blood.

He wed meand then slaughtered them anyway.

After that, the walls of our home became my cage. The basement. The chains. The silence between screams.

And yet I held onto hope. I thought maybe, just maybe, carrying his child would soften him. That seeing our baby might awaken something human in him. That we might one day become a family. Foolish. So foolish.

He took that away too.

My son. My sweet, innocent child. Gone before he could see the world.

I turned my face away, letting the tears fall freely now. The thought was backthe one that visited every night now. I wanted to vanish. To stop existing. Death would be mercy.

But then, like a whisper from a faraway dream, I heard her voicemy mothersgentle, distant, from a time before the horror began.

Five years, Claudia she had said, voice breaking as she held me for the last time. If five years pass and theres no light left no love, no reason to stay call the number. Someone will come. Someone will help you.

That night marked everything. The night Cassian took everything from me.

Five years. That was the promise. The condition.

And now there were only three days left.

Each morning, I counted down. Each sunrise, a cruel reminder.

Three more days. If nothing changed, Id make that call.

And this time, there would be no hesitation.

Because now I knew. This place, this lifeit held no love. Only cruelty. Only death.

I wasnt going to wait for salvation anymore.

Pain was the first thing I felt as I regained consciousness. Every inch of me achedmy limbs were sore, bruises covered my thighs, and a sharp, raw sting burned between my legs. No matter how many times I told Cassian to stop, he never listened.

But it didnt matter. He never truly cared.

As my eyelids fluttered open, daylight streamed through the windows, warm and goldena cruel contrast to the torment within me. It was as if the world itself was mocking me with peace I couldnt feel. I tried to move, but my body felt like it had been shattered. Slowly, I wrapped the sheets around me, trying to cover what was left of my dignity, though the fabric clung to my skin, still sticky from the horrors of the night.

That was when I heard him speak.

Youre going to the hospital.

My head turned with effort. Cassian stood at the foot of the bed, perfectly composed in a crisp black suit. He looked like he was going to a business meeting. The absence of emotion in his eyes chilled me more than the bruises ever could.

For what? I croaked, my throat dry and sore. What now?

He replied without pause. You're having your uterus removed.

I bolted upright, my heart racing with panic. What?! Have you lost your mind?!

His expression didnt shift. This isnt up for discussion. That pregnancy was a mistake. I never wanted a child with you. You should be thankful its already gone.

My breath hitched. The fury and grief that surged through me blurred my vision.

How could you say that? My voice cracked. That was your child too

He smirked, cold and cruel. I want a child with Roxane. Not you.

I snapped. I couldnt take the pain any longer.

Then let me go! I shouted. Give her your ring, your name, your home. Im done being your wife. Just divorce me!

But instead of answering, he moved closerhis steps steady, his gaze darkening with every inch. There was a cold satisfaction in his voice when he finally spoke.

Why would I let you go? he murmured. This all of this is your punishment.

My stomach twisted.

Ive told you before, havent I? I havent forgotten what happened a decade ago. Your family destroyed my life. That car crash changed everything.

He leaned down, his voice dropping to a whisper, the kind that made my skin crawl.

You saw it last night. You saw me take the damn pill to make sure I could even get hard.

Then he laugheda bitter, empty sound that made my blood run cold.

I shouldve done this long ago. Your body doesnt serve me anymore. And if its not useful to me, why should anyone else want it? Once Im done, youll be worthless to anyone else.

His words sliced through me like knives.

Youll never leave me, Alicia. Youll stay here. Broken. Childless. Unwanted. Forever mine.

Tears spilled from my eyes as I fell to my knees. I didnt care about pride anymore. I was too weak to stand, too desperate to hide it.

I clung to his legs, sobbing, every word a plea. Im sorry Im sorry for everything Please dont do this. Please dont take this from me.

He remained motionless. Unshaken. Not even a flicker of sympathy crossed his face.

I stayed on the floor, helpless, begging for mercy that I knew he would never give.

Then, the door opened.

Roxane walked indraped in a silk robe, her long hair styled to perfection. A soft, satisfied smile curved on her lips.

Cassian, she said gently, like she was soothing a child. Dont be too hard on her. Shes already lost so much.

Cassian turned his gaze toward me, almost amused now.

You see? he said with a laugh that didnt reach his eyes. Even Roxane feels sorry for you. Shes always been so generous to you. And yet he knelt and gripped my jaw tightly, forcing my face up you couldnt bring yourself to treat her with kindness.

He stood and looked toward the hallway.

Take her to the hospital. I want the surgery done today.

One of his men nodded silently.

No! I screamed, scrambling backward. Please! Please dontplease!

But it was already too late. Two nursespaid by Cassian, no doubtstepped into the room. One of them approached with a syringe. I tried to resist, but my body was too weak. The needle pricked my arm, and the world began to spin. My limbs turned to lead. I was still crying as they dragged me out of the room.

No one stopped them. Because no one could.

After the procedure, I lay still in a cold hospital room that smelled like bleach and something worsesomething dead. My lower stomach throbbed, empty and sore. My throat ached from sobbing, and my eyes were so swollen I could barely see.

Two guards stood by the doorsilent, alert, unwavering.

I was nothing now but a prisoner in a gown.

Shattered. Hollow. Used up.

He had stripped me of everything.

But as I turned my head, I caught a glimmer on the table nearby.

A phone.

I froze.

A spark of hopequiet and tremblinglit inside my chest.

With effort, I reached for the phone. My fingers hovered over a number I hadnt forgotten, not even once in the last five years. My mothers voice came rushing back, soft and determined:

If, after five years, youre still in pain if love never comes call this number. Someone will come for you. Someone will help.

There were two days left until that five-year promise expired.

But I couldnt wait anymore.

With shaking fingers, I dialed.

The phone rang once.

Twice.

Thenclick.

A voice answered. Hello?

Tears slid down my cheeks.

Its me I whispered. Alicia. Please, whoever you are please

I clutched the receiver like it was the only thing keeping me alive.

Please save me. Save me from Cassian.

Before the person could reply, the door opened againand I had to drop the phone.

Following the surgery, I made one quiet, desperate request.

I want to see my sons resting place, I murmured to the guards stationed just outside my hospital door.

They exchanged glances, hesitating, before one picked up the phone and made a call. About ten minutes later, I was dressed and placed in a wheelchair. A car waited outside, and I was transported like a criminal being granted temporary parole.

Even in mourning, I wasnt given freedom. Cassian made sure of that.

From the moment our child died, I hadnt been allowed to grieve properly. I wasnt even permitted to hold a real funeral. Roxane took that from me, too. She chose the urn. She read the speech. She stood next to Cassian, dressed in pristine white lace, crocodile tears sliding down her powdered cheeks like she had any right to them. At least she had the privilege of burying her child.

But me?

I was locked in a dark room, kept sedated, my cries stifled. My body was still weak from the trauma while they buried what was mine. Now, this momentthis one visit I had to beg forwas the only farewell I would ever get.

When we pulled into the cemetery, I expected a simple grave. A name carved into stone. A date. Somethinganythingthat confirmed my baby had once existed. Instead, what greeted me was a scene of disruption: men in reflective vests, bulldozers, and half-poured cement.

My chest tightened. What is happening here? I asked, struggling to step out of the vehicle.

The driver didnt meet my eyes. Renovations.

Renovations? In a cemetery?

A construction worker looked up from nearby and said casually, Theyre putting up a private mausoleum. For Mr. Brown and Ms. Roxanes future family. Its a legacy site. Their lineage starts here, with their babys remains.

I stared at him, stunned, confusion turning into dread.

But but my son this is where he was buried

The man flipped through the clipboard in his hand. Oh, that lot? It was cleared out earlier today. No identification on the ashes. So they were removed.

Removed? I repeated, voice cracking. What does that even mean?

He didnt glance up. Discarded. Cremated remains without names are classified as unclaimed. Theyre taken to the dump section behind the property.

My heart lurched.

I didnt think. I just ran.

The guards shouted after me, but I couldnt stop. I sprinted across the lawn, pushing through hedges, my feet slipping on the damp grass, until I reached the back of the grounds.

There it was. A towering metal bin that reeked of burnt remains and decaying flowers.

I tore through the trash with my bare hands, choking on smoke and rot. Plastic bags tore open under my fingers. Ash and soot clung to my skin, but I didnt care. I kept going, frantically, blindly.

And then I saw it.

A tiny urn, white and chipped, half-buried among the rubble. Its lid was cracked. The label had peeled off. It had been discarded like some meaningless object.

My child. My baby boy. Thrown away like garbage.

My legs gave out beneath me. I dropped to the ground, cradling the urn to my chest. I rocked back and forth, sobbing, howlingan animal sound, raw and wild, ripped straight from the pit of my soul.

Im sorry Im so sorry

Everything went black after that.

When I opened my eyes again, the sky was still gray, and the world just as cruel.

The sorrow hadnt left. Neither had the rage.

They brought me back to the houseCassians mansionwhile I clutched the broken urn like a lifeline. The guards flanked me on both sides, as if I were some kind of threat now. Maybe I was. Maybe they were right to fear me.

I didnt head to my room.

I went to his.

The door to Cassians bedroom was ajar. And I stepped inside just in time to see the back of his naked body, moving over Roxaneher limbs wrapped around him, her moans floating through the air like a twisted lullaby.

Neither of them flinched when I entered. Neither looked ashamed. Roxanes eyes met mineand she smiled. Slowly, she ran her fingers down his torso, like she was showing off a trophy.

Something in me snapped.

I took off one of my heels and flung it with all the strength I had left.

The sharp edge struck Cassian squarely in the back, jolting him forward and breaking their rhythm.

Roxane let out a shocked breath. Cassian turned, face flushed, fury darkening his features.

I didnt stop. I marched right up to him and slapped himhardacross the face.

You destroyed our son, I said, voice trembling. You threw him out like trash.

His expression turned stone cold. That child didnt matter.

Before I could respond, Roxane sat up, pulling the satin sheet around her, feigning innocence.

That crypt, she said with syrup in her tone, will hold the son well raise together. Not some accident from a woman like you.

I turned on her without hesitationand slapped her, too.

The crack echoed across the walls.

Her eyes widened in shock. She didnt even have time to speak.

Cassian didnt hesitate. He shoved me backward with both hands. I crashed into the edge of the dresser, the air knocked from my lungs.

Do you want to end up like your baby? Burned to ash and forgotten? he screamed. I warned you not to lay a hand on her!

Everything tilted. My head spun. My lip was bleeding.

Lying there on the floor, I thought of my mother.

The promise she made to me five years ago.

I had tried to be strong. Tried to wait. But now? Now, I didnt know if I could hold out any longer.

Not when my child was gone.

Not when every part of me had been shattered.

Not when there was nothing left to protect.

I stood up slowly and walked away.

And I knew, deep in my bones, that thisthiswas the moment I could never come back from.

Cassian was searching for me again. He always didwhenever he wanted something.

That night, it was dinner.

He assumed, as always, that Id be in the kitchensilent, submissive, going through the motions of being the obedient wife who cooked his meals without question. A hollow version of myself. Broken, pliable, predictable.

But I wasnt there.

The household staff moved in panic. No one dared to meet his gaze. When he asked where I had gone, no one had an answer.

His voice turned icy, sharp enough to cut glass. Find her. Now.

When their silence held, he marched to the surveillance room, fury boiling beneath his polished exterior, and demanded to see the security feed.

There I was, flickering on the grainy footagea lone figure cloaked in an oversized hoodie, sneaking into the rear compartment of the supply truck that routinely left the estate every Thursday evening.

That truckI had studied it for months. Watched its schedule. Memorized every route, every driver, every moment it left and returned. It was the only vehicle that left the property without strict headcounts. My only window.

So I took it. I didnt know where I would go.

I only knew one thing: This ends tonight.

The vehicle passed through the heart of the city, then veered toward the woods. Once the road curved into the dense trees, I slipped out, hitting the ground running. My body was weak, unsteady, but I didnt stop. Not until it came into view.

Glasscrest Tower.

A spire of metal and glass, towering over the skyline like a blade splitting the clouds. Wind screeched through its upper decks, whistling like a lullaby from above. It stood just beyond the forest like a giant monument of silence. I knew it well. Cassian owned itlike he owned everything.

It was one of the crown jewels of his empire, used for corporate dealings, secret meetings, and affairs he never bothered hiding. But to me, it was something else entirely.

It was tall enough to promise I wouldnt feel anything when I fell.

And that was all I needed.

I took the freight elevator, the lights dim and flickering, the machinery groaning with every floor it passed.

When the doors opened, I stepped out into the night.

The rooftop was wide and barren, wind slicing through my dress, tugging at me as though trying to pull me back. Far below, the forest spread out like a shadowy sea. Somewhere in that blackness, I thought, was a river. Maybe it would catch me. Or maybe it wouldnt. I didnt care.

I walked slowly toward the edge. Cold steel met the soles of my feet. One more step, and Id be gone.

This was the end.

I closed my eyes, whispering into the wind, Mama Im sorry.

I couldnt wait anymore. I couldnt keep hoping someone would save me. I had survived too much already.

Cassian had ruined memind, body, and soul. He had crushed everything inside me. Robbed me of my child. Replaced me with a woman who took my place in our home, our bed, our life.

There was nothing left of me.

ThenI heard it.

Footsteps.

ALICIA!

His voice. I didnt turn around.

The rooftop door flung open with a bang. Cassian appeareddisheveled, panting, his designer suit drenched in sweat and desperation. His eyes locked onto mine, and for the first time in years they werent cold.

They were afraid.

What the hell is this?! he barked, striding toward me. Is this some pathetic stunt to get my attention? Well, congrats. Youve got it. Now step back.

I said nothing.

Claudia he said again, softer this time, trying to control the tremor in his voice. Enough. Youve made your point. Its over.

Finally, I turned. My arms trembled at my sides.

This isnt some game, I said quietly. This is goodbye.

He tightened his jaw. Stop the melodrama.

Im not being dramatic, I replied, tears spilling freely. You murdered our baby.

His expression cracked.

No decent fatherno decent personwould do what you did.

I moved a step closer to the edge.

He lurched forward, hand reaching for me. Dont!

I was almost full term, Cassian. He had fingers, toes, a heartbeat. He was alive. He had a name. And you let her end him. You let Roxane kill him, and then you discarded his ashes like he never mattered. And now you expect me to keep breathing like thats something I can still do?

The wind ripped my tears away, flinging them into the abyss.

Cassian stood frozen.

I raised one foot, toes curling over the ledge.

His voice broke. Pleaseplease, Alicia! Dont! I was wrong, okay?! I was wrong! I never shouldve done what I did. I never shouldve let him die. I hated youI blamed you for everything. But it wasnt your fault. None of it was. Please

He sounded like a man unraveling.

Ill fix it, he choked out. If you come down, Ill change. Ill make it right.

My other foot rose. I was weightless.

He collapsed to his knees.

Im begging you, he said, weeping openly now. Dont leave me like this. Please. Dont jump!

I looked at him one last timethis man who had destroyed every piece of me.

I gave him a soft, sorrowful smile. Then glanced down into the darkness. It swallowed everything.

Goodbye, Cassian.

His lips parted, maybe to beg, maybe to curse

But the wind took me before he could speak.