The divorce papers sat on the table like a final goodbye neither of us wanted to say out loud.I stared at them, my throat tightening. The air in the room felt stiff, like it didn’t want to move around us just like we weren’t moving either. I glanced at Benjamin. He wasn’t looking at me. His eyes were fixed on the edge of the table, his jaw tense, lips pressed together. But I could see it. The sadness behind his calm mask. He was trying to be strong for both of us.My fingers trembled as I picked up the pen. It felt heavier than it should, like it knew what I was about to do.I hovered over the paper, just for a second.Then I signed.A tear slipped down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly with the back of my hand, pretending it hadn’t happened, pretending I wasn’t falling apart inside.I didn’t wait to see him sign. I couldn’t.I pushed the papers towards him, stood up without a word, and walked out of the room.My legs carried me to the bedroom, but they barely made it. The second the
“We should get a divorce,” I said, barely recognizing the sound of my own voice.It came out flat, too quiet, but somehow it still cut through the silence like a blade. My throat burned. The words tasted like ash, bitter and final.Benjamin turned to me first, then my mother. Their eyes snapped toward me like the world had just shifted. I didn’t look at either of them. I just stared ahead, blinking rapidly as the tears I had been trying to hold back finally pushed through.“That’s the only thing we can do now,” I murmured, wiping my cheek with the back of my hand, even though another tear slipped out right after.Benjamin’s fingers ran through his hair, dragging roughly at the strands like he wanted to tear something apart. He looked… lost. His jaw clenched as he looked at me. “This isn’t right,” he said in a broken whisper.My chest tightened. “I know.” My voice cracked. “But what choice do we have, Benjamin? We can’t keep doing this. It’s wrong.”He didn’t speak. Just stood there, b
A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it.I dropped the envelope on the table like it burned me. My fingers were trembling. My breath caught in my throat, like I was choking on air. My vision blurred as more tears flooded my eyes. I was shaking, my hands, chest, and lips were all trembling. I was falling apart right here in this hospital room.Benjamin picked up the paper with unsteady fingers. His eyes scanned the words. Slowly. Like he was hoping the letters would rearrange themselves into something different. Into something less cruel.His head fell back, hitting the wall behind him with a soft thud. But there was nothing soft about the pain in his eyes. Nothing soft about the way he held that result like it had just ripped out his heart.It was positive.Benjamin’s father… is my father.Benjamin is my half-brother.No. No. No.God—why?I couldn’t breathe. My lungs forgot how to work. My whole body felt like it was being crushed under something invisible but unbearably h
I closed my eyes.Please. Let the result be negative. Let it be a mistake. Let me keep the person I love.But hope was starting to feel like a dangerous thing.The chair beneath me was cold, hard, and unforgiving. I sat frozen, like moving would shatter the thin thread of control holding me together. My hands were locked so tightly in my lap, they had gone pale from the pressure.Beside me, Benjamin sat hunched forward, elbows digging into his knees. His eyes were glued to the white-tiled floor, unblinking, like he was waiting for it to offer some kind of answer. Every so often, his fingers twitched just slightly like they wanted to reach out and hold mine, but kept hesitating. Like he didn’t know if he still had the right.The silence between us wasn’t quiet. It was loud. Loud with everything we weren’t saying. It pressed down on my chest like a weight that I couldn’t shake off.I turned my head just a little, glancing at him. His jaw was clenched so tight it looked painful, and his
I slowly walked downstairs, each step feeling heavier than the last. My fingers trailed along the railing, cold and trembling.Benjamin’s father had left a few hours ago. Everyone lost the appetite to eat the food I bought. I could not even think of eating. My mind was clouded. The whole house was holding it's breath.When I reached the living room, I stopped when I noticed that Benjamin was sitting on the couch. A half-empty glass of wine rested in his hand, and his eyes stared blankly at the floor like he wasn’t really there. The way his shoulders slumped, the stillness of his body, I have never seen him look so… broken.I felt my chest tighten.Please don’t let him be my brother. Please, God.My heart was begging.I walked toward him slowly, trying not to let my tears fall too fast. When I sat beside him, he turned his head. Just one glance. Then he stood, like being near me hurt him.He started to walk away, but I couldn’t let him.I stood up quickly and wrapped my arms around his
His eyes fluttered open, slow and unsteady.“Benjamin…” I whispered, leaning closer. “Benjamin, can you hear me?”His gaze met mine, dazed and confused. I let out a shaky breath and threw my arms around him, holding him like he might disappear again. “You scared me,” I breathed out, the tears I had been holding back finally slipping down my cheeks. “You really scared me.”With help, he sat up. But when his father reached a hand out to steady him, Benjamin pushed it away without hesitation.I moved closer, wrapping my arm around him as I helped him toward the couch. He sank down, and silence stretched for a moment before his low and cold voice broke through.“So,” Benjamin said, his eyes fixed on his father, “what you’re saying is… she was the woman you had an affair with? The woman who caused my mother’s death?”My whole body tensed.“What do you mean she caused your mother’s death?” My voice cracked. “Don’t you dare put that on her. I get that you are in pain, but if you are going to