He wants a divorce.

~ DANIELLE ~

“Divorce papers?”

My heart hammered in my chest after I tore open the envelope. At first, I thought I was hallucinating, but after blinking repeatedly, the words remained the same.

“Elle,” He sat upright in his chair, a rigid expression carved on his face, before leaning forward. “It’s what’s best for us.”

He couldn’t say that. Elijah couldn’t mean that. Watching Elijah flip through the documents in front of him without looking into my eyes, broke me.

What about the love we shared these past few weeks? The intimate nights? The laughter? The small walks in the streets?

Was that all a facade?

I tried to blink back the tears already forming in my eyes as I pushed my body forward, searching his eyes for the love I believed he had for me.

“Elijah—’

“— Our contract ended two days ago, Elle.” The words were a curt dismissal, spoken in a hoarse voice he’d repressed for a while. “Or have you forgotten?”

He arched his brows at me curiously, making it almost impossible to think about anything else.

How could I forget?

We’d gotten married three years ago because of the pressure from our families. Love wasn’t something we anticipated to find, but I’d found it along the way.

And I thought he had too.

The premarital agreement we had stated that we would part ways after it ended.

And it had—two days ago, on October 18th.

It wasn’t any use to fight for what was contractual. Everything was part of the agreement.

My feelings didn't matter. And since he wasn't willing to fight for the relationship, why should I force him?

With tears welling up in my eyes, I snatched a pen from the ones he’d thrown at me; the cold metal felt alien in my trembling fingers.

My whole body was vibrating, and my hands were unsteady. The scratch of the nib on the crisp, unforgiving paper echoed in the dead silence of the office.

That was the hardest moment of my life. A cold dread seeped through my skin, telling me this was it, the point of no return.

Everything before this felt like child’s play.

Tears blurred my vision as I scribbled on the document in front of me, the scent of fresh ink mingling with the lingering smell of Elijah’s cologne.

A tear fell on my signature after escaping my right eye. My world was crashing down, and there wasn’t anything I could do.

“Here,” I could barely keep my voice above a whisper by the time I was done. “It’s done.”

Elijah plastered a smile across his face, and I kept staring at his perfect dimple that never failed to lure me in and capture my attention.

Was that it?

Wasn’t he going to fight for me to stay?

To end the contract and start all over?

He leaned forward and grabbed the papers in front of me, his husky voice ringing through the office.

“Thank you, Elle.” He didn’t need to thank me, because I hadn’t done it for him. “Thanks for understanding.”

For a split second, his gaze flickered past my shoulder, and I saw a hint of something unreadable before he settled back on me with that familiar, impenetrable calm.

I gave him a small nod, my hands tapping against my thighs restlessly and on the soft wool of my skirt that did little to soothe the frantic energy coursing through me.

Now that we were divorced, what was next?

“You can keep working here in the company. I wouldn’t want my father to start having… doubts.”

Working with him? In that company? The thought curdled in my stomach.

I stood up abruptly from my seat, almost losing my balance as I struggled to come to terms with reality.

“That wouldn’t be necessary, Elijah,” I uttered with a convincing tone. “I’ll take my leave now. I’ve got some packing up to do.”

Without further hesitation, I turned around to leave, my knees betraying me for a moment as they went numb.

I wanted him to call me back in his usual deep and affectionate tone and say that it was a prank.

My heart ached as I fought my legs to keep walking, silently desiring to hear his voice for the last time before I walked away from everything.

Outside the office’s premises, I could hear whispers from the staff. They already knew about the divorce before I did, and through their lips, I found out something I’d never presumed.

“She’s back,” one of the staff said to the other as they stood in front of the reception. “I heard she flew into the country yesterday.”

“She?” Her listener sounded confused, and so was I for a second. “Who’s she?”

My own breath hitched, another inexplicable dread tightening in my chest as she glanced around fearfully before whispering loud enough to filter into my ears.

“Sorayah Gates.”

*

“I’ve packed up everything for you, Ma’am.”

Carmen, his assistant, announced to me before I could walk into my room.

My luggage and suitcases were next to her and awaiting me in the living room. I wasn’t even allowed to be back home before they were packed and ready to go.

It turned out that Elijah had told her to pack my things up before I got to the house. And it only made me wonder… Was that how desperate he wanted me out of his house and life?

I wanted to scream. To fight. To crash things out of the annoyance I felt. But I held myself back and wore a smile instead.

“Thank you.”

“Mr. Harrington said you could move into the apartment on Fourth Street. He didn’t want you to feel… stranded.”

Stranded. How nice of my sweet husband.

Or should I say, ex-husband?

That was him—Elijah Harrington.

Always caring, loving, and respectful. For three years he’d cared about my well-being and health. No matter how busy he was, he never missed an occasion where I needed him.

He made sure I ate whatever my health needed and cared about my preferences. Carmen was always there to take my medicines so I wouldn’t feel unwell around him.

And I’d thought I had the perfect life and husband, until the illusion shattered in front of me into a thousand shards.

“That wouldn’t be necessary, Carmen.”

“But… Where would you go? There’s no housing left for you to live in.”

She was right.

There wasn’t any family, any friends, any relatives.

I had nowhere else to go, but that wouldn’t be any issue for Elijah anymore. I couldn’t keep accepting his favors. Not after learning about ‘her’ return.

I grabbed the handle of my luggage, my eyes glistening with unshed tears. My clammy hands gripped my suitcases as I pulled them behind me, the heavy weight adding to my spiraling emotions.

My nightmare had finally transitioned into daytime, and it was more horrible.

“Let me worry about that.”

Carmen grew concerned and wrung her hands. “But Mrs. Harrington—”

“—It’s Danielle,” I corrected, strolling towards the exit. “I’m divorced now.”

*

Sitting in the backseat of the taxi made me ponder about my life and how suddenly everything had flipped around.

I’d woken up that morning with a jolt and had rushed to the hospital after contacting my doctor about my deteriorating health.

No matter how hard I tried to keep up with my diet and medication, something still felt… amiss.

My stomach pangs had gotten worse, and I could hardly breathe properly, or maybe it was because I was overthinking everything.

Dr. Darcy ran a few tests on me, and I wasn’t able to get the results because Elijah had called for my attention urgently.

And I hadn’t imagined that he’d throw divorce papers in my face, not after the show of love he’d made me feel over the past few weeks.

My phone began to ring in my hands, and it jolted me out of my reverie. It was Dr. Darcy, and the timing was just perfect. I didn’t hesitate to answer the call.

“Hello, Doc?”

“Mrs. Harrington,” she called from the other end, and I felt the urge to correct her, but the tension in her voice halted me.

Fear began to creep into my tone as I sat upright in my seat, the fresh air from the window making me feel nauseous.

“Is… Is something wrong?”

“Your test results are out, and I’ve got good news… and bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?”

My heart throbbed heavily against my chest in fear. Several thoughts began to ruminate in my mind,

and I could barely control my heavy breathing.

Bad news and good news? Couldn’t I just have something good for once in my life without misfortune altering it?

I’d had enough bad news for the day. So I opted for the good one, hoping to change the mood.

“What’s the good news?”

“Congratulations. You’re four weeks pregnant.”

I almost dropped my phone after the news. Cold shivers ran down my spine at the thought of carrying a child for my ex-husband.

“W-what?” I stuttered, my vision almost turning blurry. “How can I be pregnant?”

I was on several medications, and I knew for a fact that could hinder my chances of conceiving. Also, one of the doctors I’d seen before getting married had informed me that it would be impossible for me to carry a baby.

So? What had happened?

“I don’t know how to explain it, but… I have the result in front of me right now.”

A cold sweat broke out on my skin, and the taxi’s air conditioner suddenly felt like an icy blast. My breath clamped in my throat and refused to come out smoothly.

Was that even good news?

I had mixed feelings and goosebumps and was becoming emotionally drained from everything.

“I— I’m confused. But,” I swallowed, shutting my eyes momentarily. “What’s the bad news?”

The long pause from her end was enough to send my heart into a frenzy. But I needed to hear the words, and when I finally did, I almost passed out.

“I’m sorry to inform you, Mrs. Harrington. Your other result shows that you have a terminal illness, and you have a few years left to live.”