CHAPTER ONE: THE DIVORCE HE WANTED

"Sign the papers, Elena."

The words didn't register immediately. I blinked once then twice. My smile slowly disappeared. 

"What?"

Adrian pushed a document toward me. His face was cold, calm like he wasn't about to destroy my entire world. My fingers tightened around my phone. 

Just a few hours ago, I had left the hospital with the happiest news of my life. I was pregnant. I had spent the whole day imagining this moment. I imagined Adrian smiling, imagined him pulling me into his arms, imagining us finally becoming a real family. Instead, divorce papers sat between us. My chest tightened painfully.

"What is this?"

"Read it."

"No."

His eyes lifted.

"No?"

My voice shook.

"I asked what this is."

His expression remained unchanged.

"It means our marriage is over."

The room seemed to spin. I stared at him, waiting, hoping, praying he would tell me this was some cruel joke. He didn't. 

A laugh escaped me. Broken, disbelieving. 

"You can't be serious."

"I'm serious."

My heart slammed against my ribs.

"Why?"

Without speaking, Adrian tossed a brown file onto the table. Confused, i opened it. The moment i saw the contents, my stomach dropped. Confidential company documents, emails, security records. Everything linked to my laptop. I looked up immediately. 

"This isn't real."

"The files were leaked this morning."

"I didn't send anything."

"The evidence says otherwise."

Shock exploded into anger.

"So that's it?"

His jaw tightened slightly.

"What?"

"You already decided I'm guilty."

"I followed the facts."

"No."

I stood abruptly. The chair scraped loudly across the floor.

"You followed the easiest excuse."

Silence. Adrian looked away first. That hurt more than I expected. Three years together, three years married and he couldn't even look me in the eye. 

"You really think I betrayed you?"

His voice stayed frustratingly calm.

"I think someone leaked confidential information."

"Someone?"

I laughed bitterly.

"You can't even say my name."

"Elena."

"No."

Pain burned inside my chest.

"Look at me and tell me you honestly believe I would destroy your company."

He remained silent. Tears gathered instantly. 

"Tell me."

Nothing. Not one word. The silence shattered something inside me. I nodded slowly. 

"That's what I thought."

My throat tightened. For years I had defended him. When he forgot anniversaries, when he missed birthdays, when he buried himself in work, when people asked why my husband never seemed happy beside me. I defended him every single time because i loved him stupidly, completely and unconditionally. 

"I would never hurt you."

My voice cracked. I hated that it did. For one second, something flickered in his eyes then it vanished.

"People change when money becomes involved."

The words felt like a slap. I stared at him. 

"You actually believe that."

"You had access."

"So did hundreds of employees."

"You're avoiding the issue."

A broken laugh escaped me.

"No."

I shook my head.

"I finally understand."

His eyes narrowed.

"Understand what?"

"I was never important."

His expression hardened.

"That's not true."

"Then tell me you trust me."

Silence. Pain stabbed through me. I swallowed hard. 

"Tell me."

Nothing.

"I spent years blaming myself."

"Elena."

"I thought I wasn't enough."

His jaw tightened.

"I thought maybe I talked too much."

I laughed through my tears.

"I thought maybe I wasn't beautiful enough."

"Stop."

"No."

Years of frustration spilled out.

"I thought if I loved you harder, you would finally choose me."

The room fell silent. My breathing became uneven. 

"You know what's pathetic?"

Adrian said nothing.

"I actually believed things would get better."

Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks.

"I kept waiting for the day you'd look at me and see your wife."

His face remained unreadable. That hurt even more. Yesterday I was searching for baby names online, yesterday I was imagining a nursery, yesterday I believed my future was finally beginning. Today everything was ending. Adrian walked towards the window. 

"I don't want public drama."

I stared at him in disbelief. D****e? That was his concern? Not our marriage, not our future, not me. Drama.

"Sign the papers and leave peacefully."

The words crushed me. Leave peacefully like I was a stranger, like I hadn't spent years building a life in this house, like he wasn't breaking me apart. The hospital flashed through my mind. 

Congratulations, Mrs. Knight. You're pregnant. My chest ached. I was so happy. So excited, now I couldn't even tell him. 

What was the point? The baby wouldn't change anything, not when Adrian already wanted me to go. 

"I loved you."

The confession slipped out. His shoulder stiffened. I swallowed painfully..

"I loved you more than my pride."

Slowly, he turned around. I continued before courage disappeared.

"Every time you pulled away, I blamed myself."

"Elena."

"I kept wondering what was wrong with me."

His expression darkened.

"I kept wondering why another woman would always be enough while I wasn't."

Before he could respond, footsteps echoed through the hallway. My stomach immediately tightened. A woman appeared seconds later. 

Vivian Cross.

The sight of her felt like another knife to the heart. She stopped after noticing me. 

"Oh."

Her voice sounded awkward.

"I didn't realize"

"It's fine."

Adrian answered instantly. The humiliation hit me immediately. Not because she was there, because she wasn't surprised. Her eyes landed briefly on the divorce papers then she looked away. That tiny movement told me everything. She knew. My chest hurts. 

"How long?"

Adrian frowned.

"What?"

I looked directly at Vivian then back at him. 

"How long has this been going on?"

Vivian shifted uncomfortably. Adrian's face hardened. 

"You're being irrational."

I laughed bitterly. Of course. The wife was irrational. Not the husband ending a marriage, not the woman standing inside my home. Me 

I suddenly felt exhausted. Completely exhausted. Fighting for someone who never fought for me, waiting for affection that never came, holding onto hope that never existed, maybe I was done, maybe I should have been done long ago. Slowly, I reached for the pen. 

My hand trembled. I waited, I waited for him to stop me. To say something, anything. He didn't, neither did Vivian. That hurt more than anything else. I signed. 

The moment my name touched the paper, something inside me broke. Three years ended with a signature. I placed the pen down. Nobody moved, nobody apologized, nobody cared. I grabbed my phone and turned towards the stairs. If I stayed another second, I would completely fall apart. 

"Elena."

I stopped. Hope rushed through me before I could stop it. Maybe he changed his mind, maybe he finally realized what he was losing. Slowly I turned around. Adrian met my gaze. His face remained cold then he delivered the final blow. 

"You should know this before you leave."

My heart pounded violently. Vivian lowered her eyes. A terrible feeling settled inside me then Adrian spoke. 

"Vivian is pregnant with my child."

The world stopped. My fingers tightened around my pulse. Inside was the hospital report I had carried all day. The report proved I was pregnant too. And in that moment, I realized something heartbreaking. The man celebrating another woman's baby had no idea his own child was growing inside me and suddenly, I never wanted him to find out.