Chapter 6. Signed the Divorce Papers

Pepper POV

It feels strange to be back at Gunner Holdings, Inc. 

That was the first thought that came to my head after the cab pulled outside the entrance of the building my husband owns. 

I was not gone long, but I felt disconnected from the whole office ambience when I walked in. 

Everyone looked in my direction. Whereas before, a ready smile and a respectable greeting were thrown my way, this time, everyone looked at me cautiously in silence. 

The attention made me quiver in my toes, feeling tense at the way they looked at me - like I do not belong here.

The employees at the lobby looked warily at me.

They were watchful. And silent. 

Even the receptionist had a big frown on her face when I stated my purpose for entering the building. 

“I am sorry. Your husband?” Millie, the receptionist, asked to confirm. Her fingers made quick work on the computer before her. 

I nodded and pushed to the back of my head the odd behavior. 

When Millie gave me the go-signal, I turned around to walk away, but not before hearing her talking in a hushed voice with another co-worker. 

“I thought they divorced? Ms. Green was Mr. Gunner’s new wife, right?” 

My back stiffened, but I pretended not to hear because right now, my knees quaked, and so did my heart. 

A bitter smile crossed my features to learn that everybody at Gunners thought we were divorced. How convenient, I thought snidely to myself, walking the short distance from the lobby to the elevator area with my chin held up. 

If there was anything I learned in my years in Victor's world, it was to hold myself up even when faced with challenges. The world may speculate. People may judge you, but you don’t have to act bruised and badly beaten in front of them. 

Keep the facade. Keep maintaining your dignity. Hold your head up because at the end of the day, it is you and what you thought that matters. 

Thankfully, the elevator queue was empty. I was the only passenger when the elevator arrived. 

When I reached Victor’s floor, as usual, it was empty. 

Maggie was there to greet me before I could reach his office. 

“Pepper. What brings you here?” She looked like she was guarding Victor’s office. That made me narrow my eyes suspiciously at her. 

“I need to talk to Victor.” 

“He’s not here. He was in a closed-door conference with the investors. It would take him hours.” 

Her tone was discouraging in itself, cluing me in on one thing. 

Maggie Green did not want me here. 

Not to be deterred, I bumped her shoulders on my way inside Victor's office. 

Maggie staggered backward and would have fallen if she had not grasped the door frame in time. 

“Pepper!” She cried in outrage, but I ignored her. 

I am still Victor’s wife. Until then, she can not barricade my way to my husband’s office. 

I walked straight to Victor’s desk, wanting to see his planner to check whether Maggie was telling the truth. 

The moment I reached his desk, I instantly regretted the decision.

For there, on top of his desk, was a document with a title on top that reads DIVORCE AGREEMENT.

Disregarding the pain that pricked the corners of my eyes at the sight of it, I snatched the document quickly and read the contents. 

I threw Maggie a glare when I heard the sounds of her clicking heels. It appeared like she was running after me. 

The sounds of her clacking heels stopped when she saw me holding the divorce document.

Even without looking, I heard her theatrical sigh that made me doubt what was in front of me. 

It must be Maggie's doing.  She planted this!

This was part of her act. She was informed ahead of time of my presence and planted the divorce papers in a place where I could immediately spot them, intending to mislead me. 

I turned my attention back to the document and began reading. 

To my horror, my vision blurred.  

My eyes zeroed in on the bottom right of the document and saw Victor’s carefully scrawled signature, and my heart stopped beating for a moment.

“I am sorry, you had to see that prematurely.” Maggie opened hastily, eyeing the divorce document in my hand, with her lips twitching in distaste.

There was enough commiseration in her voice to warrant the moment. 

I even thought she would manufacture fake tears. Thankfully, she didn’t. If she did, I was not sure if I could keep my cool. 

First love or not, I am still Victor’s wife. 

I took a deep breath, refusing to allow Maggie to see me breaking inside. 

I still could not believe that Victor was in the process of dissolving our marriage. He had already made a decision that would affect both our lives without talking it out with me.

Long before this, I already saw the signs. After last night, I was hoping that Victor would still choose me.  That he would still let us try to fix the problems in our marriage before resorting to divorce.

I expected better than this! My mind shouted!

Why? What do you have to offer him?

You can’t even give him a child, says another voice - a small one - in my head. 

“I am sure this comes as a shock,” Maggie said, pulling me out of my introspection.

A bitter laugh tried to escape my lips, but I caught it in time. I wouldn’t give this woman a reason to pity me. 

At least, when I get out of this marriage, I still have my pride intact. 

I wouldn’t beg because what I offered Victor was true love. In return, he chose to break my heart. 

Indecision filled my head.

“If you divorce him now, you will make five people very happy,” Maggie said, emphasizing the word happy.

She sounded like a sales agent out for a sale. But this is not a simple purchase where the payment involves money. 

This sale is too precious because for it to happen, it has to be paid for by breaking my heart. 

For a moment, I wanted to make this difficult for everyone. Should I be the only one to make all the sacrifices?

The events of the past month played in my head, and I realized, what is the use of sticking it out? I was only prolonging the inevitable.

Why not cut my losses now with my dignity intact?

Maggie must have seen the uncertainty on my face when she inserted, 

“You don’t have to wait for him. You can sign the divorce now.” 

I rose to the provocation. My eyes traveled the length of Victor’s desk for a quick inspection and landed on his pen holder where he usually keeps a spare. 

I snatched it. The force of my action almost pulled the pen holder from the desk. It landed back with a thud.

Then, I signed my name in the area indicated on the paper with a heavy heart.