Chapter Five: Silver

The room remained silent after my words.

Every person present seemed to suddenly find documents on their desk fascinating as my lawyer had started distributing evidence of Nathan Blackwell cheating.

I almost laughed at the sight, even Nathan received proof of his own wrong doings.

I spent three years trying to be heard, and somehow the first time he truly listened to me was when we were in a courtroom.

Unfortunately for him, being late is one of my pet peeves in a person.

The rain continued tapping softly against the courthouse windows as they continued going through pictures and documents.

Such a fitting soundtrack for the end of a marriage.

Nathan sat motionless cross from me with his hands clasped tightly together and his gaze fixed on the papers.

Not once did he look in my direction, nor did he attempt another explanation or do an absurd protest.

The judge took a deep breath and said, “Alpha Blackwell.”

Slowly, Nathan lifted his head to look at the judge.

“Do you still intent to challenge the validity of your signature or these proceedings?”

For a second, nobody breathed as the judge spoke and raised the newly submitted evidence on his hand.

I kept my eyes on Nathan, waiting for his response. Because once he answered, there would be no going back. Once he speak, the marriage bond would be dissolve.

I would finally be free from him.

Everything we had built together would officially cease to exist. This thought would have terrified me years ago, now it only felt overdue.

Nathan stared at the paperwork for several long seconds, with his lips tightly tucked in.

Then finally exhaled.

The sound he made sounded, defeated.

“No, your Honor.”

That short response had relieved me greatly.

The judge nodded once and replied, “Then the court will proceed.”

I closed my eyes my briefly and felt a slow release of pressure I’d carried for far too long.

The clerk slid the final document to the judge forward and he reviewed it one last time.

Then after a few minutes, he lifted his pen and scratched it against the paper.

A signature.

And then had it stamped.

The judge set the document aside then looked directly at the both of us before announcing, “This court hereby recognizes the dissolution of the marriage between Alpha Nathan Blackwell and Genevieve Everhart Blackwell.”

Silence.

I clasped both my hands together and waited.

“Effective immediately.”

That was it.

We’re divorced.

I heard the elders from Blackwell pack gasp and sigh in despair and saw Nathan avoid their gazes.

I tried to feel every emotion I could at the moment and there is no grief, no regret, but there’s a bit of heartbreak. After all, I spent three years of my life with him.

The judge continued speaking, explaining procedural details I barely heard and understood because my attention was on something else.

I was looking at my left hand, to the finger that no longer felt burdened by a ring. To the realization that I was free.

I removed the ring from my ring finger and left it on the table in front of me.

Across the table, Nathan remained perfectly still and I decided not to give him more attention now.

The clerk gathered the finalized documents after the hearing concluded.

The elders from the pack, the judge, and the remaining people in the room began standing, and the chairs scraping quietly across the floor had sounded calming to me.

I rose from my seat, smoothed the sleeve of my blazer, and collected my handbag before walking out the table with my lawyer following me from behind.

“Genevieve.”

I paused from my steps when I heard him call my name and slowly, I turned to face him with a poker on my face.

“You’d regret this. This isn’t over.”

I raised my eyebrow at him and almost grinned by his guts.

Ironic.

“Try me, Mr. Blackwell. For me it is,” I declared and turned my back at him.

The courthouse hallway was quiet, bright, filled with distant conversations and the sound of footsteps against the marble floors.

After three years, every step I made now felt lighter.

My lawyer pushed the door ahead me open before bidding me goodbye and handing me the finalized divorce papers. The cold air and calming breeze greeted me immediately, and the rain had already stopped.

The city stretched before me, gray skies, crowded streets, world that looked exactly the same and yet everything felt like it had changed.

Behind me, the courthouse entrance door had opened once again, and I didn’t need to look back to know who it was. His presence had always been easy to recognize, well for me.

“Genevieve.” Nathan’s voice carried across the steps and I stopped to look over my shoulder.

He stood a few feet away, tie loosened, and his expression that is obviously strained. No longer the composed Alpha everyone admired.

Ten seconds have passed and neither of us spoke.

Then Nathan asked, “What do you want me to do?”

A bitter laugh almost escaped me. He should’ve asked that years ago.

The answer lingered in my head because it used to be so simple.

Come home.

Call me back.

Choose me.

Remember me.

Love me enough to notice I was already slipping away from your arms.

Now? Now I realized I no longer wanted anything from him at all.

I don’t want to be related to him anymore.

“Leave me alone.”

Then I walked down the courthouse steps without looking back.

But stopped when a black luxury vehicle parked across the street caught my attention.

The window was rolled down and there was a gray, silver-like-haired man sitting inside.

Watching me, definitely looking at me.

He had shades on and I barely can see his face.

His eyes moved onto the newly finalized divorce papers in my hand and looked away as the car window rolled back up.

And when I tried to walk over to it.

The engine started and the car drove off.

Who was that?