Prologue

Still aching from her parents' death, Annalise finds herself in deep trouble when she meets Alessandre Atlas Villareal, the man with scorching deep blue eyes. When her parents died, she was left alone and adopted by Alessandre's parents, who happened to be her parents' friends. He is 17, she's 10. She attempted to be the greatest sister she could be, but for some reason, Alessandre appeared to despise her. Things became even more chaotic when Annalise turned eighteen. Her adoptive parents announced her marriage to Alessandre, her step-brother. He was furious but he could not oppose his parents, he was forced. Because of that, his longtime girlfriend left him. As a result of being forced into that marriage, Alessandre turned into the worst husband imaginable. He slept with ladies in their home, treated Annalise like a maid, and did other heinous things. She had been abused both emotionally and mentally. Despite of those, Annalise put up with it. She"s broken, but she owes his family a duty of gratitude. She endured her suffering in silence. But, as the adage says, "everything comes to an end." On their first wedding anniversary, Annalise almost lost her unborn child when Alessandre pushed her and left her to pursue her ex-girlfriend. That jolts her awake. She will never be able to make someone respect her, much less like her. She ran away from everyone who had hurt her, including Alessandre. She swore that she would not be the frail Annalise when she returned. She'll let him bear the brunt of her anguish.