PROLOGUE: Absent.
Ennuiy wanted to get away from her father and all the problems that came with him. Ayaw na niya ng magulong buhay—ng kontrol, ng mga desisyong hindi naman siya ang pumili.
She wanted something else now. A family of her own. A life that was finally hers. Free. Free from her father’s fingertips. But freedom came with a price.
Makukuha niya lang ang lahat ng iyon kung papayag siyang pakasalan si Adler Rinon Rosso. Isang lalaking hindi niya kilala. Isang pangalang ngayon niya lang narinig. Ni hindi niya alam kung saan ito napulot ng ama niya.
But Ennuiy was desperate. She hated her life. She wanted to get away—fast. Ngunit kakayanin ba niyang magpakasal sa lalaking hindi niya kilala? Mas lalong hindi niya mahal? …May choice pa ba siya?
The wedding wasn’t grand. There were no flowers. No music. No guests.
Just a quiet office that felt too cold for something that was supposed to be a beginning. A judge sat across from her. An attorney stood beside him, flipping through papers without interest. And on the other side—Not her groom.
A man in a dark suit stood in his place. Composed. Proper. Unfamiliar.
“I am Khirros,” he introduced calmly. “Mr. Rosso’s butler.” Butler. Not even a representative. Not a friend. A butler.
Ennuiy stared at the empty chair beside him. “He’s not coming?” she asked quietly. Khirros didn’t hesitate. “No, Señora.” The word felt foreign. Heavy.
Her husband. A man she had never seen. A man who didn’t even bother to show up.
“Mr. Rosso has already signed the necessary documents,” Khirros continued, placing a folder on the table. “All that is needed… is your signature.” That was it.
No vows. No promises. Just ink on paper.
Ennuiy looked down at the documents in front of her. Her name printed beside his. Binding. Final. Her fingers tightened slightly around the pen. This was it. Freedom. Or another kind of cage. She didn’t know which one she was choosing. But she signed anyway. The sound of the pen against paper echoed louder than it should have. And just like that—Ennuiy Adamovich became Mrs. Rosso. No celebration followed. No congratulations. Only silence. As if even the room knew— This wasn’t the beginning of something beautiful. It was the start of something far more complicated. And somewhere, far from that quiet room… The man she had just married never even looked back.
