4

Betty’s POV

He could have at least pretended he wasn't happy.

That was the part that hurt the most.

I had expected anger, perhaps an argument, or even an attempt to convince me to stay. Instead, Jayson had hugged me and smiled as though I had finally done him a favor.

I slowly pulled his hands away from my waist.

“Sorry,” he said, still smiling. “I got carried away by the good news.”

I stared at him. “Good news?”

“Betty, let's not pretend this marriage has been working. We both know it's time to move on.”

“We?”

He frowned. “What?”

“Don't say we, Jayson. You might be happy about this, but I'm not.”

His smile faded slightly.

I took a breath, determined to say what I had spent years keeping to myself.

“You know how much I love you. I've never hidden it. I stayed in this marriage because I kept hoping that one day, you'd see me as more than the woman you were forced to marry.”

“Betty, you knew I loved Jewel before we got married.”

“I know!” My voice rose before I could stop it. “I knew about her. I knew this was a contract. I never asked you to wake up one morning and suddenly fall in love with me.” I paused, struggling to keep my voice steady.“But was it so difficult to treat me with a little kindness? Was it too much to ask you to care when I was sick, or to spend one evening with me without making me feel like I was keeping you from something more important?”

Jayson couldn't meet my gaze anymore, the guilt was there.

“I'm not saying you had to love me,” I continued. “I'm saying I was your wife. I deserved more than being someone you tolerated until you could finally be with the woman you wanted.”

“Betty, you're taking this too personally.”

I let out a disbelieving laugh. “How else was I supposed to take it? I was married to you, Jayson. I loved you. Did you expect me to feel nothing?”

He sighed, his patience clearly wearing thin. “You've never been in love. That's why you're angry.”

“I'm sorry?” I raised my brows at him.

“You don't understand what it means to love someone the way I love Jewel.”

I felt my throat tighten.

“Don't tell me what I understand about love.”

“I'm just saying…”

“No, you're not just saying anything. You're standing in front of me, telling me that the years I've spent loving you mean nothing because I wasn't the woman you wanted.”

He became silent and I wiped the corner of my eye before a tear could escape.

“Do you know what the worst part is?” I asked. “I kept thinking that if I were patient enough, if I treated you well enough, maybe one day you'd care about me. I kept making excuses for you because I thought our marriage could become something more.” My voice softened. “But you were waiting for me to give up.”

Jayson exhaled. “I didn't want to hurt you.”

“You didn't want to hurt me?” I repeated.

I shook my head.

“You could have fooled me.”

He looked at the divorce papers in his hands.

“Betty, I'm happy that I can finally spend the rest of my life with Jewel. She's my one true love.”

I held his gaze, refusing to let my tears fall. “Then stop wasting my time and sign the papers.”

His expression changed, but I didn't give him a chance to respond.

“And don't worry about the compensation. I'll discuss it with my father.”

“I don't mind giving her all my life's earnings just for her, Betty.”

He said it so casually, as though offering up everything he had for another woman was the most natural thing in the world.

“You don't know how much I love her,” he continued. “I'll never love someone else that way.”

I nodded slowly. “I'm sure she knows.”

Then I turned toward my suitcases again.

I had nothing left to say to him. No question I needed answered, no promise I wanted him to make. I'd spent enough time trying to understand a man who has never bothered to understand me.

“I'll send the signed divorce papers to your father's mansion tomorrow morning,” he called after me.

“Fine.”

I pulled my suitcases toward the door.

“Betty.”

I stopped, but I didn't turn around.

“I hope we can end this peacefully,” he muttered.

I tightened my grip on the suitcase handle.

“So do I, Jayson. That's why I'm leaving.”

And this time, I walked away without waiting for him to say another word.

The driveway was empty when I reached my car.

I told the staff to leave because I didn't want anyone witnessing my departure or sharing the news online. Jayson and I were too well-known for something like this to remain private for long.

I wanted to reach my father's mansion before anyone discovered what had happened.

After lifting my suitcase into the boot, I climbed into the driver's seat.

For a few seconds, I sat with my hands resting on the steering wheel.

Then I started the engine.

As I drove away from the mansion, I caught sight of it in the rearview mirror. The place where I'd spent years trying to build a marriage that had never been mine in the way I'd hoped.

I looked away.

I needed to think about what came next. My father's reaction. The divorce. The questions people would ask when the news broke.

There was so much to deal with.

But all I could hear was Jayson saying he would give Jewel everything he had.

I tightened my grip on the wheel.

“Enough,” I whispered.

I promised myself I wouldn't cry over him anymore.

Yet, when his words replayed in my mind, my eyes began to sting.

A tear slipped down my cheek.

I wiped it away, keeping my attention on the road.

“I loved you,” I whispered.“I really did.”

My throat tightened, and I drew a shaky breath.

For years, I'd imagined what it would feel like to finally hear Jayson say he loved me. I'd pictured the day he'd come home looking for me, the day he'd choose to spend time with me, the day I'd no longer have to wonder whether I mattered to him.

Instead, I'd left his house with divorce papers and the knowledge that he was already looking forward to a life without me.

Another tear fell.

I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision.

“Please, Betty. Not now.” I begged myself.

But the tears kept coming.

I reached for a tissue in the compartment beside me, briefly taking my eyes off the road.

When I looked up, a bright light was approaching.

A horn blared.

My eyes widened.

I jerked the steering wheel.

The car swerved, and the tires screeched against the asphalt.

Then came the impact.

A deafening crash shattered the silence as metal collided and glass burst around me.

My body was thrown forward against the seat belt. Pain shot through my chest, and my head struck something hard.

I tried to breathe, but my chest hurt.

My fingers twitched against the steering wheel as I struggled to understand what had happened.

The windshield was shattered. Pieces of glass glittered across the dashboard.

I tried to move, but pain stopped me.

“Help!” The word barely left my lips.

Warm blood trickled down the side of my face.

I reached for my phone, but my arm felt too heavy to lift.

My vision blurred.

I thought of my father. Of the divorce papers. Of the life I'd been so determined to start tonight.

I can't die here, I tried to keep my eyes open, but the darkness creeping into my vision grew heavier.

A tear slipped down my temple, mixing with the blood.

And then everything went black.