Ashes of Our Marriage

Logan Reed didn’t sign the divorce agreement.

He glanced at the papers only for his phone to buzz.

After reading the text message, Logan grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. It was clear that he had lost his patience.

He paused at the door and looked back at the stuff on the table.

“Take them all back.

“Make sure you don’t lose the access card.”

I looked up, my tone indifferent. “You can take the card with you. I have no use for it.”

At last, Logan met my gaze, his eyes filled with nothing but annoyance.

“Coral, do you honestly have any idea how many people would kill to get their hands on this card?

“I basically handed this to you because I trusted you.

“It’s not meant to be a prop for you to play hard to get.”

Turning on his heel, Logan took off.

I sat there, staring at the black access card with downcast eyes.

Five years ago, I was there for Logan through his darkest days when the Reed Group nearly faced bankruptcy.

Eventually, the business emerged from the ruins.

At the celebration gala, Logan set the access card down on my palm in front of the office and said, “Starting today, Coral has access to every corner of the Reed Group.”

“Her word is my command.”

At that moment, I couldn’t believe that a marriage born out of convenience would eventually turn into love.

What I never saw coming was that the day he made his comeback would also be the day I was written out of his life.

Two years into our marriage, he found a new lover.

It was Elise Harper, the secretary, who had stood out among thousands of applicants.

Ever since she came into the picture, Logan had grown more distant toward me.

Even the occasional intimacy felt nothing more than a half-hearted, mandatory routine to him.

When Logan threw his jacket on, I caught a whiff of the familiar cologne.

It was the scent he always carried before meeting Elise.

Simply because Elise preferred it.

My favorite bottle of fragrance lay abandoned in the cabinet, collecting dust.

The card was not my concern.

It didn’t take long before my phone started blowing up with notifications.

“Mrs. Reed, the final bid for the West Coast development needs to be locked in tonight. I can’t reach Mr. Reed. Could you approve the numbers with your access?”

“We have an urgent transfer that needs to clear tonight, Mrs. Reed, but it requires the highest authorization. Can you log into the system to verify the release?”

“Ma’am, Mr. Reed talked about issuing temporary access for Ms. Harper last week, but since it grants executive-level clearance, we need your approval in line with company policy.”

I paused and let out a cynical laugh.

“I no longer hold any power in the Reed family.

“From now on, you don’t have to go through me for anything related to the Reeds or the business.”

After sending a mass response, I turned off the device. The world finally fell silent, but only for a few seconds.

Soon enough, the sound of frantic footsteps came up from behind.

The butler chased me down in a panic, the black access card and divorce papers in hand.

“Ma’am, you leave something so important just lying on the table? Mr. Reed would be upset if anything were lost.”

I didn’t take the things from him.

The butler looked at me and sighed, his voice softening.

“You still hold a place in Mr. Reed’s heart, ma’am.

“Not to mention, you have a child with him. Your position in this house cannot be shaken.

“Whatever the other woman does, she can’t take your place.”

At that point, I chuckled.

Days earlier, I tried Logan’s number three times when I ran a high fever. He didn’t pick up the phone once.

Lying in the hospital bed, I stared at the explicit photos of Elise and Logan in bed.

You seem eager, Mrs. Reed. Care to join in?”

Met with my silence, Elise sent another photo, one that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

My son, Teddy Reed, sat quietly in another room.

Elise pointed the camera at Teddy, her face beaming.

“If you’re feeling shy, you can also sit in the next room and watch the child.”

I felt the air sucked right out of me.

It was true that my place as Mrs. Reed remained secure, but I had no desire to keep it.

The butler looked at me, wanting to persuade me further. However, he simply sighed in the end.

“If you’re that worried, you can leave the card in his study.

“Since he’s refusing to sign the petition on my terms, you can just dump the papers.”

I headed straight for the Thornton residence.