Chapter 4

Ivy's POV

The silence after Rowan stormed out was deafening. I stood there in the middle of the bedroom that no longer felt like mine, my hand still pressed protectively over my belly. The divorce papers lay on the bed like a death sentence, mocking me with their crisp white pages and bold black letters.

My fingers trembled as I picked them up, the words blurring through fresh tears. How did it come to this? Seven years of my life, reduced to ink on paper and a man who couldn’t wait to erase me.

Downstairs, the giggles started again. Sienna’s high-pitched laughter mixed with Rowan’s deeper chuckles. They didn’t even bother lowering their voices. The happy couple, already playing house while I bled out upstairs.

A knock sounded on the door.

Before I could respond, it swung open. Rowan entered, Sienna right behind him, her hand possessively on his arm.

“Have you signed yet?” Rowan asked without preamble, his eyes cold and detached. “We don’t have all day. Sienna’s things are arriving this afternoon, and we need the room cleared.”

You’re both heartless,” I whispered, voice cracking. I looked at Sienna. “You grew up in the same house as me. I never treated you like an enemy. I accepted you.”

Sienna rolled her eyes dramatically. “Accepted me? Please. You always acted like you were better than us. Miss Independent. Miss Provider. Now look at you, crying over a man who never really wanted you. Sign the papers and go. We have a life to live.”

Rowan crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. “She’s right. Stop dragging this out, Ivy. You knew this was coming. I told you three days ago.”

I picked up the pen with shaking hands, the weight of every sacrifice pressing down on me.

Tears splashed onto the paper as I hovered the pen over the signature line. “I loved you,” I choked out. “I gave up everything for you. My youth, my money, my health. I ignored the signs, the late nights, the secret calls, the way you looked at Sienna during family dinners. I told myself it was nothing. And now… now you’re throwing me away.”

Rowan sighed heavily, checking his watch. “Here we go with the guilt trip again. Yes, you did a lot. Congratulations. But I never asked for a martyr, Ivy. I wanted a partner, not a mother. Sienna gives me that. She makes me feel alive. You… you just made me feel trapped.”

“Trapped?” The word ignited something fierce amid the heartbreak. I stood up slowly, still clutching the papers. “I made you feel trapped while paying the rent so we wouldn’t be homeless? While covering your debts? While smiling through every humiliation because I believed in ‘us’? You’re unbelievable, Rowan. A real piece of work.”

Sienna laughed lightly, as if this were entertainment. “Oh, stop being dramatic. We all know you’re the one who clung too tight. Rowan needed peace, and I gave it to him. Without conditions. Without lists of everything I’ve done. That’s real love.”

“Real love?” I spat, turning on her. “Real love is sneaking around with your sister’s husband? Getting pregnant on purpose to trap him? You’re no better than him. Both of you are selfish, entitled parasites. You think this house will feel like home once I’m gone? It’ll feel like a prison when reality hits, when the bills pile up and Rowan’s new job lasts two weeks.”

Rowan’s face darkened. He stepped forward, snatching the papers from my hand. “Just sign it already! I’m done listening to your venom. You think you’re so smart, exposing me? Fine. I’m lazy. I’m jobless. I used you. Happy now? But at least I’m honest about what I want. You? You’re pathetic. Crying and begging like some weak little girl. Sign. Or I’ll have my lawyer force it.”

“You two deserve each other,” I whispered between tears. “A lazy cheat and a homewrecker. When the excitement fades, and it will, you’ll both crash and burn. And I’ll be somewhere else, raising this child alone, finally free from the weight of carrying dead weight.”

Rowan’s patience snapped. “Sign the damn papers, Ivy! Stop wasting our time with your tears. No one cares. Not me. Not Sienna. Not even your so-called family. They chose us, remember?”

Sienna nodded, her smile saccharine sweet. “Exactly. Dad and Mom already know. They’re happy for us. You’re the only one holding onto the past. Move on.”

With a trembling hand and a heart that felt like it was dying, I took the papers back. The pen felt like lead as I scrawled my signature across the lines. Page after page. Each stroke felt like signing away pieces of my soul. Tears dripped freely, smudging some of the ink, but I kept going. When I finished the last page, I shoved the documents at Rowan’s chest.

“There,” I said, my voice hoarse and broken. “It’s done. You’re free. I hope she’s worth destroying me for.”

Rowan didn’t even flinch. He grabbed the papers, flipping through them quickly as if checking for mistakes. Sienna leaned in, kissing his cheek right in front of me. “Finally. Now we can really celebrate.”

I turned away, unable to watch their happiness any longer. The room spun slightly, but I steadied myself against the dresser. I began packing what little I could call mine. A few clothes, some toiletries, and other few things I would need.

As I zipped up the small suitcase, I paused at the door. “May we never cross paths again.”

Sienna waved a dismissive hand. “Whatever. Bye, Ivy. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

Rowan didn’t even look up. “Leave the keys on the table downstairs.”

Outside, the afternoon sun felt too bright, too indifferent to my pain. I dragged my suitcase behind me, tears still streaming down my face as I reached the street.

I sat on the curb for a moment, rubbing my tummy gently. “It’s just you and me now, little one,” I whispered through sobs. “Mama will figure this out. I always do.”

I forced myself to stand, flagging down the first available cab. As it pulled away from the only home I had known for years, I looked back one last time. Rowan and Sienna stood at the window, arms around each other, laughing.

They cared less. They had already moved on.

I turned forward, clutching my stomach, determination mixing with the heartbreak. This wasn’t the end for me. It was the beginning of something new, painful, terrifying, but mine.