Signed

LILA

Closing my eyes in dire restraint, I wanted to beat myself up for dragging out the conversation. I had it all planned, yet I thought he deserved one last chance...

That maybe yesterday had been a nightmare.

How foolish could I have been?

"Wait," I called as he turned to leave.

"What is it again?"

"I have a document for you to sign. It's due today."

I pulled out a brown folder and pushed it toward him.

"Another children's charity?" Lowell signed it without a glance. "Do this and cheer up. It's all you do at home anyway. Spend as much of my money as you want and go back to being your nice self."

A tear slid down my cheek as he dropped the pen.

"Do you even know what you just signed?"

"God, Lila... You're so difficult," he murmured, his eyes still on his phone. "Does it matter? You get the money you want. That's enough for you, right? I'm leaving."

True to his word, I watched his back disappear before my legs finally gave out, my body collapsing to the floor.

Twice... I'd tried twice to tell him that they were divorce papers, but he shut me down every time.

It wasn't just the food he abandoned-it was me.

And I refused to let it happen again.

By the end of the day, I would be a divorced woman. And once the one-month cooling period passed, I would be free of Lowell forever.

*****

"Here are the divorce papers."

I placed the envelope on the table before my late grandmother's lawyer.

"Are you certain this is what you want, Lila?" Mr Welsh asked gently.

"Yes." I nodded. "I've never been more certain of anything. You should be relieved I'm finally agreeing to what you've suggested for the past five years."

Though we weren't related by blood, Mr Welsh had been a constant presence since my parents' death.

According to his story, my mother had eloped with my father when he had nothing and married him against her parents' wishes. Furious, her father had disowned her. It was why I never knew of them until my parents' death five years ago.

Shortly after my parents' death, my grandmother passed, but not before bequeathing everything she and my grandfather owned to me, since my mother was the only heir.

"It was her dying wish," Mr Welsh sighed. "You don't know what she endured just to find you."

"I don't care about her dying wish,"

I was doing this for one reason only. I needed an escape route. I needed freedom from Lowell.

"I've told you how stubborn your grandfather is," He continued. "That's why your grandmother tried to make amends before she died. You should consider this marriage a good thing."

"I don't mind," I replied calmly. "An arranged marriage I expect nothing from is better than staying with a man who deceived me for five years."

He studied me for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. You'll have considerable freedom. But there's one thing you should know-

Mr Welsh leaned forward.

-Your husband-to-be is crippled."

A cold laugh escaped my lips.

As if losing my parents and my failed marriage weren't enough-now this?

Yet strangely... it didn't horrify me. Living in a loveless marriage with a crippled man felt far better than spending another day with Lowell and his family.

"It doesn't matter," I said firmly. "Please process the divorce as soon as possible."

Mr Welsh agreed, assuring me the paperwork had already been filed.

"Fifty per cent of the inheritance will be transferred to you tonight," he added before leaving. "You'll receive the rest after the marriage. You'll also become CEO of your grandfather's company once the union is finalised."

I was stunned. For the first time in years, I had the means and freedom to do whatever I wanted.

Growing up, I had always loved books. My mother, a writer herself, taught me to pour my heart into words. But Lowell's mother despised that dream.

"Hard work like that is beneath our family. If you want to marry my son, you must abandon it." She had said on the day we were officially introduced.

I didn't think Lowell would actually take her words seriously until the night before our wedding.

"I won't fund your writing training," he announced plainly. "My mother wants to know if you've quit the academy."

"Writing is all I have left," I begged. "It's the only thing that connects me to my mother."

"Being married to an influential man like me, that profession stains my name," he replied without emotion.

"So you want me to give up my dream because your mother says so?"

"It's the only way we can be together," he said unyieldingly. "Do you want people thinking I don't provide for you?"

"What am I supposed to do then?" I whispered.

"Women in our circle run charities," Lowell had explained coolly. "Your mother may not have enjoyed such privileges, but that's how things work here."

Having no choice, I gave in. I thought I could change his mind once I won his heart. And like that, I wasted five years of my life.

Never again.

Stopping by the academy on my way home, I walked in with my head held high.

"I'd like to re-enrol in the training program," I said steadily. "I'm Lila Bla-" I paused. "No. Lila Mondini."

"Ms Mondini?" The attendant gaped in surprise. "I've heard about you from my previous colleague. You rejected three of our offers to return four years ago. Should I take it that you've finally had a change of heart?"

"Yes," I said softly. "I'd like to start as soon as possible."

"That's wonderful!" She beamed. "One of our best-selling authors read your last project and expressed interest in mentoring you just a month ago. Would you be open to that?"

My heart raced in excitement.

"Is the opportunity still available?"

"Of course. But..." Her smile faltered. "It's a three-month project. For confidentiality and research purposes, you'll be required to cut ties with the outside world."

"When would I begin?" I asked.

"In two months."

My smile faltered...

By then, the divorce would be finalised. I'd be married again. Since this was an arranged marriage, I could easily ask my husband for some time, but... it suddenly felt so real.

The divorce... leaving Lowell...

After years of pining after him, could I really go three months without seeing him? What if I was moving too fast? What if all this was just a misunderstanding?

"Can I... think about it?"

The attendant nodded with a small smile. "You have three days. After that, the opportunity will be given to someone else."

With a shaky breath, I paid for the training program before leaving.

All through the drive home, I couldn't stop thinking that, driven by my emotions, I might have made a rash decision.

What if Lowell was just confused for a second and decided to come for me?

"Maybe I overreacted," I murmured as I stepped into the house. "I should call Mr Welsh to cancel the divorce."

But as soon as I walked into our room to see my husband and Claire tangled together on our matrimonial bed, I realised that I'd never been more right.