Chapter 1: The Divorce

 The Divorce

QUINN

“Let’s get a divorce, Quinn.”

Jasper Finn’s voice cut cleanly through the kitchen.

Divorce? Not on the day I spent hours preparing for. Of all the ways I imagined the day ending, this was not one of them, or maybe it was, and I had just refused to admit it.

The soup simmered gently on the stove, its rich, warm aroma filling the air, reminding me of every meal I had prepared over the past three years. For him, and for this marriage.

”Quinn, I need a divorce.”

The oil in the pan hissed violently, splashing onto the back of my hand.

“Jasper, please,” I said quietly, “I am not in the mood for jokes. It is our third marriage anniversary. If you won’t celebrate it, at least let me cook in peace.”

His footsteps echoed behind me as he walked closer to the door. I was already sweating under the heat emanating from the cooker, and his presence added to my distress.

Three years ago, I met Jasper Finn at a charity gala I was never meant to attend. I was invited through my stepfather.

When my life was already beginning to fall apart, Jasper noticed me when no one else did, pursued me with a quiet intensity that felt impossible to ignore.

What started as chance meetings became something deeper, something that felt like love. I told myself I had finally found someone who chose me. Someone who saw me.

So, when he asked me to marry him, I said yes, despite the small voice in my head that warned me there was more to him than he let on.

How foolish.

I remember how proud I had been walking down the aisle, believing I had finally been chosen. Now standing here, I wondered if I had ever meant anything to him.

I turned to him. “Why now?” I asked, “Why on the exact day we got married?"

Jasper’s expression did not change. “Because there is nothing left to continue,” he said flatly.

Nothing left? I almost laughed. When had there ever been something to begin with? I had been the only one holding the marriage together, stitching cracks that had long since broken open.

"I have already prepared the papers,” he said.

Something inside me went quiet.

“I see…” I murmured

That seemed to catch him off guard. He studied me, as if waiting for tears, panic, and desperation. I gave him none. My voice didn’t tremble.

He stepped out briefly and returned with a document.

“Sign it,” he said, placing it in front of me. “The Westbridge villa will be transferred to you. You’ll also receive fifty million as compensation.”

My eyes lingered on the paper; I could only read two words: “DIVORCE AGREEMENT”.

This was the ending after all. I had sensed it long before now. The late nights, the coldness, and growing distance. Even the way he no longer got worried about us having a child.

Still, seeing it written so plainly made my chest twist.

“I’ll be back,” he added casually. “I need to use the restroom.”

I exhaled deeply.

Just then, my phone vibrated. I got a message from an unknown number. I hesitated, then opened the message. At that instance, everything shattered. The message crushed every dignity I possessed.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t think about the divorce a bit. You have been shamelessly gumming yourself to him for three years. You are barren. A trash that needs to be discarded. And…he has been sleeping at my place for the past three days…hahaha. You loser.”

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. Not because he had cheated, a part of me had always known. But because of how easily I had been replaced. As if the three years I spent trying to be enough meant nothing.

Barren?

The word dug deeper than anything else. Attached to the message were photos of Jasper, shirtless and sweaty in bed, lying comfortably on a woman’s chest. They looked like intimate lovers.

I thought of the past three years, how I had swallowed every insult, command, and every ounce of disrespect from his family. I had cleaned, cooked, and endured, hoping things would change and that one day, he would choose me.

What a joke. That I had bent myself into something smaller for this family. And for what? To be discarded like nothing.

The bathroom door opened, and Jasper walked back in, adjusting his belt like nothing had happened. I looked up at him.

“How long have you been cheating on me?” I asked.

He didn’t answer, nor did he deny it. That silence said everything. I refused to tell him about the message and pictures.

I let out a soft breath. “Fine,” I said, “we are done.”

I reached out for the pen. Though it was a hard decision to take, I know it was the best for me. My name and signature flowed on the paper.

Quinn Ledger.

There was no hesitation or struggle. Deep down, I knew the truth already. I was walking from something that could not be saved.

The moment the pen left my hand, a strange emptiness settled inside me. I thought I would feel relief. Instead, I felt like I just closed a chapter I had spent years trying to rewrite.

Jasper’s eyes darkened slightly as he looked at me. “That easily?” he asked.

A faint smile touched my lips. Did he want me to cry, beg and cling to him as I used to? That version of me was gone.

“Was there ever a reason not to?” I asked.

He looked at me for a moment longer, then nodded. “Good. I’ll process it immediately. You should move out tonight.”

“I understand,” I said.

“Be at the courthouse by nine tomorrow morning. Don’t be late.”

I said nothing; there was nothing left to say. I turned and walked away before my composure could crack.

That night, my belongings were thrown out of the villa. My suitcases, jewelry, clothes, and shoes. All scattered across the driveway like things that had no value.

“Move faster,” the housekeeper snapped.

I bent down, picking up my things quietly. Piece by piece. Dignity was the only thing I had left, and I wouldn’t lose it here.

Just then, headlights flashed across my face. A car pulled up, and the door opened.

A pair of slender legs stepped out, followed by the sharp click of high heels against the ground.

Then a voice rang out, soft, sweet and unmistakably familiar. My grip tightened around the suitcase handle as a chill ran down my spine.

I didn’t need to look up to know who it was.