When His Perfect Mask Shattered I Awoke (Anneliese) novel Chapter 1

Anneliese Claude's friend had seen Zacharias Shaw walking into a hotel with a young girl. Looked like a loving, sweet couple. She called Anneliese right away.
Anneliese didn't take it seriously. She laughed it off, figured her friend must've been mistaken. Maybe the guy just looked like Zacharias.
Zacharias was Anneliese's husband. She trusted him. They'd known each other since they were kids and had grown up side by side. Thirteen years had gone by—years that, to her, proved how deep and steady their bond was. Cheating was the last thing she expected from him.
Just last month, he'd rented the biggest LED billboard in Oceaton for her birthday. 
Their photos and his declaration of love played on a loop. He'd wanted the whole city to know he loved her.
Besides, they were planning to have a baby.
She had just gotten her pre-pregnancy test results. Everything looked good. The second she saw it, she headed straight to his office to share the good news.
She'd almost forgotten what her friend had said. Stepping out of the elevator that led to Zacharias's top-floor office, a young girl blocked her way.
"You can't be up here without an appointment!" the girl snapped, chin tilted up.
It was the first time Anneliese had seen her, but the girl acted like she belonged there, arrogant, unbothered.
She wore a bright yellow dress. She looked young, sharp, and a little too confident. Her face seemed vaguely familiar.
She stood with both hands out, clearly trying to keep Anneliese from getting past.
"Coral, this is Ms. Claude. She's Mr. Shaw's wife. Apologize," Jackie rushed over, his tone tight. 
Coral blinked, smoothed herself, and smiled sweetly. "Good afternoon, Ms. Claude. I'm Coral Slenderidge. I'm still in college; Mr. Shaw is sponsoring my studies. I'm interning here and didn't get any notice about a guest, so I had to stop you. I was just following the procedure. Hope you understand, sorry."
She sounded polite, but there was an edge in her voice—a quiet kind of challenge.
Anneliese didn't respond. Her eyes dropped to Coral's hands.
"Nice polish," she replied, flat and calm.
That dusty blue shimmer.
That dusty blue shimmer. The same color she'd seen on Zacharias's pinky last night while they were cooking—He said he'd brushed it off as something from work. She hadn't thought anything of it then.
Coral's smile wavered. She quickly tucked her hands behind her back and turned her head, but not fast enough.
Anneliese saw the hickey.
A dark, deep hickey pressed against the side of Coral's neck, right near her earlobe, with faint bite marks around it.
A cold clarity hit her, and her friend's warning slammed through her.
Yeah. Zacharias loved kissing and even sucking that spot. It was like his turn-on.
He often buried his face there when he wanted her. He'd murmur low and needy lines—"Honey… when will you finally be ready? I'm burning up every day…"
Anneliese had taken time to get ready. Years ago, she'd suffered severe injuries. Doctors had told her getting pregnant would be nearly impossible. Zacharias had said he was allergic to côndôms. They were always busy, always tired. They'd been married two years and still hadn't made lôve.
Each time he went to cool off in the shower, she felt torn—guilty, touched, and thankful.
So, when he asked for a baby, when he gently told her to quit her job and focus on her health, she agreed without hesitation.
For six months, she endured the endless checkups and treatments, and beneath it all, she'd held on to hope.
Tonight, they were supposed to go all the way. She'd even bought lingerie she'd never normally wear.
But now she knew the truth. 
The reason Zacharias had been holding back wasn't because he loved and cherished her. 
It was because he'd already gone to someone else for what she couldn't give him.
Her friend's warning, her blind trust, everything hit her all at once like a brick to the chest.
She stood still as stone.
"Ms. Claude, Mr. Shaw is with Mr. White. You can go in," Jackie said softly as he pulled Coral aside.
Anneliese walked forward, her heels tapping steadily against the polished floor.
She reached the office door and pushed it open just enough to hear.
A man was speaking inside.
"Having a lookalike is fine, but keeping her so close is just asking for trouble. What if Anneliese finds out?"
It was Christopher White's voice. Her second brother.
Anneliese froze. Her fingers turned ice-cold against the doorknob. 
So Christopher already knew Zacharias' betrayal and never tried to tell her.
Zacharias replied. His voice was low and calm, steady as always.
"Don't worry. Anne trusts me. She loves me. She's obedient. She won't leave. She's focused on getting pregnant. She won't notice a thing."
Each word cut deeper than the last.
Christopher's voice returned. "Let's not forget, Selina paid someone to hurt her. Anneliese got stabbed twice. Her uterus was nearly destroyed. Everyone in Oceaton knows she can't have kids.
"If you hadn't proposed, whisked her out of the country, and kept her happy, we wouldn't have had time to clean up after Selina.
"If Selina had gone to prison, her life would've been over. You really went the extra mile for her.
"Selina's proud. She doesn't like competition. She's nothing like Anneliese. If she finds out you found a stand-in who looks just like her, she'll lose her mind."
"It's just a fling. Selina's coming back soon. I'll get rid of that girl before then."
"Alright. Just handle it right."
Anneliese's hand trembled. Her legs felt weak. Her vision blurred as the pain crushed her chest.
It felt like her heart was being torn apart, like fingers were digging in, squeezing, ripping it into pieces. Her back curled from the weight of it. Her breath came short. Her knees nearly buckled under her.
She was the true daughter of the Whites, yet they didn't bring her home until she turned seventeen.
No matter how polite or thoughtful she was, no matter how hard she tried to please them, her parents and her older brothers always favored the fake—Selina White.
The only person who truly cared for her was her grandma.
When Anneliese turned eighteen, her grandma gave her the family's heirloom bracelet. Selina couldn't stand it. She cried and screamed nonstop until their parents gave her a fifty-million-dollar mansion just to calm her down.
Not long after that, Anneliese was heading home one night when a group of thugs cornered her.
They yanked her into a dark alley. She fought back with everything she had, but they stabbed her twice.
She lay there bleeding, her clothes soaked. When the attackers ran off, she crawled toward the street alone, dragging herself out of that alley for help.
She was rushed to the hospital, barely hanging on. The doctors almost had to take her uterus.
The story exploded online and on every news outlet.
"Did you hear? The real White daughter got gângbânged and lost her uterus!"
"She's useless now. Can't have kids. She was already crude—now she's totally ruined. Who'd want her?"
"How many guys râpe her? If I were her, I'd have tâken my life by now."
The mockery spread like wildfire. The shame never let up.
And through it all, Zacharias was the only one who stood by her side.
While the whole city tore her apart, he stepped forward and said he loved her.
Right after her eighteenth birthday, he got down on one knee and proposed in front of everyone.
He took her on a trip. He stayed close and helped her heal.
She had almost drowned as a child, and it was Zacharias who had jumped in to save her. After that, she stuck to him like a shadow.
She already had feelings for him, and after that, she gave him her heart completely. Even when her family disapproved, she stayed by his side. He had nothing, but she didn't care.
She worked with him through the hardest years—through the tiny basement they lived in, through all the sleepless nights. She didn't complain once. Two years later, they finally got married. Even after that, he stayed gentle. Their love stayed strong. They began planning for a baby.
Everything felt like a sweet dream. Anneliese thought Zacharias was her light, her miracle, the beautiful answer to all the pain life had thrown her.
But now she finally saw the truth—Zacharias had always loved Selina.
That was why Coral's face had felt so familiar. 
She had that same soft, fragile vibe Selina carried so well.
So, the love confession, the public proposal, the marriage—none of it was for Anneliese. It was all to shield Selina. To serve her. To protect her.
How noble of him.
And what did that make Anneliese?
A sacrifice for their love story? 
Forever in the shadows as everyone spoiled Selina?
Should she thank them for wrapping her up in this pretty little lie?
A voice broke through from behind the door.
"Who's there?" Zacharias spoke, his voice low and cold.
He pushed back from the desk and walked to the door, his eyes dark and sharp.
He flung the heavy doors open and looked around with a tense glare, but the hallway outside was empty.
His brow furrowed. Jackie came jogging down the corridor.
"Who just passed through here?" Zacharias' voice was tight.
Jackie froze under his stare, unsure what had happened. 
He didn't dare lie. "Mr. Shaw, the madam came by. She bumped into Coral. Looked like she got upset. You didn't see her?"
"Anneliese was here?" Christopher stepped forward, his expression tightening.
Zacharias' jaw locked. A sudden unease shot through his chest. His tone turned cold.
"Check the security footage. Now."