Chapter 2

“Liam, tell me this is just a misunderstanding!”

Elara’s voice cracked through the cold air. She stood at the doorway, her body trembling with nerves and anger. The coat she had just grabbed slipped from her fingers, landing forgotten on the floor.

But Liam only looked at her blankly, then walked past her as if the house was no longer his home. He placed his car keys on the table and threw a document in front of her. The sharp sound of paper hitting the surface echoed in the silence.

“There’s no misunderstanding,” he said coldly. “Sign it.”

Elara stared at the document—and suddenly, the world around her blurred.

“A... divorce paper?” her voice shook.

“Yes.”

She let out a small, broken laugh. “Liam, this isn’t funny. Is this some kind of cruel joke?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Liam replied flatly. He leaned back on the couch, arms crossed. “I just want to end things peacefully.”

Elara swallowed hard, trying to read the face of the man she had once loved with all her heart. “End things peacefully?” she whispered. “We’ve been together since we were kids, Liam. I went through everything with you—every fall, every failure, every new start. And now you just want to throw me away?”

Liam sighed, his tone still ice-cold. “I’m not throwing you away. I’m just choosing a different path.”

“A different path?” Elara stepped closer, her eyes trembling with tears. “You mean—Celine?”

The name changed the air instantly. Liam didn’t answer, but his silence was enough.

Elara froze. “You... you’re going to marry her?”

“Yes,” Liam said simply. “She’s carrying my child.”

Silence.

The ticking clock on the wall suddenly sounded too loud.

Elara gave a hollow smile, though her eyes were wet. “Your child...”

She bowed her head for a moment, then looked up, her breathing unsteady. “You didn’t even give me a chance to explain that night—to tell you what really happened between us. I waited for you to talk to me, Liam. But all you did was run away.”

“What’s there to talk about?” Liam cut her off sharply. “There’s nothing left to explain. You and I... we’re over.”

Elara laughed weakly—a sound more like a sob. She stepped forward and pushed his chest with trembling hands. “Over? After everything I’ve done for you? I turned down an overseas job offer just to stay by your side, Liam! I wrote your first business proposal! I kept our home together while you worked nights!”

“Enough!” Liam snapped, looking away. “Don’t make me feel guilty!”

Elara froze.

That one word—guilty—shattered what little strength she had left.

Her tears fell quietly, one by one.

“So that’s it,” she whispered. “You just want peace of mind. Even if that peace means destroying me.”

Liam closed his eyes, his voice softer but cutting deep. “Elara... I don’t love you anymore.”

The words sliced through her like a knife.

Elara stumbled back, breathless. She stared at him for a long time, searching for a trace of the man she used to know—but there was nothing left. Just coldness. Just distance.

“Then tell me,” she whispered, “why did you once call me home?”

No answer. Only silence.

Her eyes fell to the paper on the table. The pen beside it gleamed under the light.

She looked at Liam one last time, her voice hoarse. “Fine. If this is what you want, then you’ll have it.”

She sat down, picked up the pen with shaking hands, and signed.

Each stroke of her signature felt like carving a wound into her heart.

When she was done, she inhaled deeply, stared at the paper for a brief moment, then threw it against his chest.

The paper slipped to the floor, edges crumpled and torn.

“Congratulations, Liam,” she said softly, but her tone was as sharp as shattered glass. “You’ve erased me from your life. But don’t think I’ll stay here waiting for you to regret it.”

She grabbed her bag, straightened her posture, and walked to the door. As their shoulders brushed, Liam’s breath caught—he almost called her name, but pride chained his tongue.

“Elara,” he murmured.

She stopped at the doorway, turning slightly. “What?”

Liam lowered his gaze. “I hope... you find peace.”

Elara smiled faintly, her voice bitter but calm. “Peace doesn’t come from betrayal, Liam. But thank you... I’ll find it on my own.”

She opened the door and stepped out into the rain.

It poured heavily, soaking her face and hair, but Elara didn’t hurry. She walked slowly, letting each drop wash over her—washing away everything she had lost.

From the window, Liam stood watching her fading silhouette beneath the rain. His eyes fell to the divorce papers on the floor. He bent slightly, but his hands wouldn’t move to pick them up.

> “This is what you wanted,” he muttered to himself.

“You made this choice.”

But the words rang hollow. The house felt foreign, cold, and empty.

The coffee Elara had brewed that morning sat untouched on the table—long gone cold.

He reached for it, then stopped midway, his chest tightening.

Outside, Elara kept walking without looking back.

In her mind, one promise echoed over and over, blending with the rhythm of the rain:

> “If the world chooses to forget me... then I’ll return as someone it can never ignore.”