Your Uncle’s My Husband Now Back Off, Ex! novel Chapter 1

**TITLE: Through Unseen Doors We Step Into Untold Worlds Beyond by Sage Hunter Lane**

“Nyla, are you absolutely certain you want me to start drafting the divorce agreement?” Valarie’s voice crackled through the phone, laced with a mixture of uncertainty and concern. “Think it through. Once you sign that document, you and Clark will be severed completely. There will be no turning back.”

Nyla’s gaze was fixed on the amber liquid swirling in her glass. The whiskey burned its way down her throat, but no amount of alcohol could erase the haunting memories of the previous night. Her fingers tightened around the phone, feeling the weight of her decision.

“Yes,” she replied, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her. “I’m leaving him.”

“Why, though?” Valarie’s bewilderment seeped through the speaker. “Clark has always treated you well. He loves you so deeply…”

Nyla stifled a laugh, a bitter sound echoing in the silence of her apartment. Love. What a cruel joke. She pressed her lips together, struggling to suppress the wave of bitterness that threatened to rise in her throat.

After ending the call, Nyla turned her attention to the window. Across the street, a massive LED screen on the towering skyscraper continued to broadcast that infuriating press conference. There stood Clark, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, proudly showcasing a lavish piece of jewelry.

Crafted from the finest diamonds and gemstones, he had designed a unique piece specifically for his wife.

It was dubbed “Love Nyla.”

He had named it after her, a public declaration of his unwavering affection. The unveiling of “Love Nyla” had set social media ablaze, sparking endless discussions and envy among their peers.

The world was buzzing about their seemingly perfect love story.

Outside, the LED screens continued to loop the video, but Nyla couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

“Love me?” she muttered under her breath, the words dripping with sarcasm. “Love me enough to betray me on our anniversary?”

Last night had marked their third wedding anniversary. Clark had promised her a surprise and insisted she wait for him at home. In anticipation, Nyla had donned Clark’s favorite white dress, lit candles, and prepared his favorite meal, her heart fluttering with excitement as she waited into the late hours of the night.

She had waited. And waited. Midnight slipped by unnoticed.

At one in the morning, her phone buzzed unexpectedly, a Facebook friend request lighting up the screen. The profile picture was unfamiliar, accompanied by a message that sent chills down her spine: “A surprise for you.”

Nyla was on the verge of dismissing the request outright when another message popped up: [Are you still awake? Is it because your husband isn’t with you?]

Her heart raced, alarm bells ringing in her mind. How could this stranger possibly know that Clark was absent? She declined the friend request, but the messages persisted: [Stop pretending, I know you’re reading this.]

[Your husband is with me right now.]

[I was scared of thunder, and he came to keep me company.]

[What a good man, but it’s a shame he’s not just yours.]

Clark’s response was laced with arrogance, “You think you can even compare to Nyla, you little slut?”

He then spun the woman around, gripping her hips as he thrust into her with reckless abandon. The mingling sounds of their moans and heavy breaths filled the air, a twisted symphony of betrayal.

The sight was enough to devastate Nyla completely.

Eight years had passed since their innocent college romance blossomed into what everyone believed was a fairy-tale marriage. Friends and family had admired their love, proclaiming them a match made in heaven. But now, the reality felt absurd and unbearable. She covered her mouth, fighting the urge to retch, and fled from that wretched place.

Desperate for solace, she drove to a bar downtown, seeking refuge in the bottom of a glass. She sank into a corner booth, drowning her sorrows in whiskey. The sharp burn of the alcohol echoed the pain in her heart, but it did nothing to numb the ache of betrayal. When Valarie received her frantic call and rushed to the bar, Nyla was already lost in a haze of intoxication.

“Nyla!” Valarie’s voice pierced through the fog of her memories as she slid into the booth across from her, her face etched with concern. “Why are you so drunk? What happened? Did Clark upset you?”

Nyla, her eyes bloodshot and glazed, met Valarie’s gaze with a heavy heart. “Val, I can’t bear to hear his name right now.”

She took another deep swig of the whiskey, the bitterness lingering on her tongue. “Val, I saw him with that woman. It wasn’t a misunderstanding. I witnessed it firsthand.”

Valarie’s heart ached for her friend as she reached out, grasping Nyla’s hand in a gesture of support. “Nyla, maybe you two can have a conversation and work through this…”

Nyla interrupted, her voice firm and resolute. “There’s nothing left to discuss. It’s divorce. Every time I think of him with her, I feel like I might be sick.”