Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Elena’s POV

I stood in front of the open wardrobe, picking out an outfit. I chose a beautiful dress—one that Damian had never allowed me to wear during our seven years together.

Finally, the last day of the five-day cooling-off period had arrived. I got dressed, brushed my hair back, and made sure I looked completely put together. I walked out of the house and arrived at the civil affairs bureau just a little past our scheduled appointment time.

Damian was already sitting on the wooden chair right by the counter, glaring at me as I walked up the tiled aisle. His suit jacket was open, and his face was twisted in an annoyed, impatient scowl.

"Didn't I tell you not to wear that outfit?" Damian said, his voice cold, loud, and full of his usual arrogance. "Are you trying to seduce me into changing my mind at the last second? Was all this trouble necessary over the last five days? Wouldn't it have been better to just beg me earlier instead of pulling a cheap stunt like this?"

I didn't waste my breath responding to him. I ignored his words completely, walked past his chair, and took my seat at the counter directly beside him.

The staff member behind the glass window placed two official copies of the final divorce certificate documents on the desk for us to sign. Seeing me hesitate for a brief second as I adjusted my purse to pull out my pen, Damian scoffed loudly. He snatched the black ballpoint pen from the counter, signed his name across the line without a moment's hesitation, and tossed the pen carelessly back onto the wooden table.

"Sign it then," Damian sneered, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. "Let's see how many minutes you last before you start crying."

Before I could bring my pen to the paper, Damian’s phone rang loudly in his pocket. He pulled it out, pressed the receiver to his ear, and his smug expression instantly vanished.

"What?" he demanded into the phone, his voice rising in shock. "Chloe is standing on the ledge of the bridge, preparing to jump?"

Damian didn't even wait to hear another word. He dropped his phone onto the desk, stood up abruptly, and turned to leave immediately.

The female staff member called out after him, pointing her finger toward the unsigned document. "Wait! Sir, the formal procedures aren't complete yet! If you leave now, the final filing cannot be processed!"

Damian didn't even turn his head back to look at either of us. "We've gone through the process of cancelling the divorce so many times anyway—just handle it however you see fit!"

With that, he shoved open the heavy glass doors of the bureau and strode out toward his car, leaving me alone at the counter once again.

I couldn't help but let out a quiet, bitter smile as I watched his sports car speed away through the window. He was so utterly confident that I would break down, throw away the pen, and abandon the signing just like I had done ninety-nine times in the past.

The staff member turned to me with a deep, weary sigh, sliding the papers closer to my side of the counter. She asked if I wanted to cancel the proceedings and leave, assuming I would act just as I had during those previous ninety-nine failed attempts.

"No," I said firmly, keeping my voice steady and holding my head high. "I choose divorce."

I picked up the pen with my left hand, placed the tip onto the line, and signed my name cleanly across the final page. The clerk took the signed paper and slammed the heavy red official seal right onto the document.

*THUD.*

It was officially over.

An hour later, I was back at the quiet, empty house packing my things. I packed only my clothes, personal documents, and my mother's recovered project files into my suitcase. I threw away every framed photo and memory of Damian into a black trash bag.

My phone chimed on the nightstand with an incoming call from Carter.

"Elena," Carter's deep, steady voice came through the speaker. "Is it done?"

"It's signed," I replied directly. "I am done."

"Good. My car is right outside your driveway."

I dragged my suitcase downstairs, laid the stamped divorce certificate flat on the entrance console table for Damian to see, and stepped outside. A sleek black sedan was waiting. The driver loaded my luggage into the trunk, opened the door, and drove me straight out of the estate.

Thirty minutes later, the car pulled through a high iron gate and stopped in front of a massive, heavily guarded private mansion.

The driver opened my door. I stepped out onto the driveway, my suitcase in hand.

Standing at the top of the grand marble staircase, surrounded by bodyguards, was Carter. He wore a tailored dark suit, looking impossibly broad, powerful, and intimidating.

As I walked up the stairs toward him, Carter pulled a sleek velvet ring box from his jacket pocket and popped it open. Inside sat a massive, flawless diamond ring.

"Welcome home, Elena," Carter said, his dark eyes locked onto mine, his voice steady and completely serious. "The registrar is already waiting in the drawing room. Let's sign our marriage certificate right now."

Before I could even answer, a pair of bright headlights blinded the driveway.

*SCREEECH!*

A black sports car tore through the open gates at dangerous speed, slamming its brakes right behind us.

The door flew open, and Damian stumbled out of the driver's seat. His hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, and he held my signed divorce paper tightly crumpled in his trembling fist.

"Elena!" Damian roared, his voice cracking with pure desperation as he stormed up the marble steps. "What the hell is this?! Who gave you permission to sign those papers?!"

Damian reached out to grab my wrist, but before his fingers could touch me, Carter stepped in front of me, grabbing Damian by the collar and shoving him back down the stairs.

"Get your filthy hands off my wife," Carter growled, his gaze ice-cold as he looked down at Damian. "She belongs to me now."

Damian froze on the steps, his face turning pale as he finally recognized the man standing over him. "C-Carter...? What are you doing with my wife?!"

Carter smiled coldly, taking my hand in his and sliding the diamond ring onto my finger.

"Correction, Damian," Carter said quietly. "She's no longer your wife. And in five minutes, she'll be Mrs. Vance."