I Want A Divorce

DARIUS I rubbed my temples, trying to push away the headache building behind my eyes. Sera's face kept flashing in my mind—those hurt, angry tears she tried to hide from everyone. Why did she always have to make things so hard? I loosened my tie and walked toward the toy room where Luna's laughter echoed down the hall. At least someone was happy today. My daughter's giggles mixed with Vivienne's soft voice, and for a moment, it sounded like music. "Daddy!" Luna ran to me the second I stepped into the room, her little arms wrapping around my legs. "Look what Vivienne taught me!" She showed me how to make the music box play different songs by turning tiny keys. Her face glowed with excitement, and my chest tightened. When was the last time Sera had looked at our daughter like this—with pure joy instead of worry and exhaustion? "That's wonderful, sweetheart." I kissed the top of her head, breathing in that sweet smell of children's shampoo. "Why don't you keep practicing while I t

DARIUSMy hands gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles went white. Vivienne trembled against my chest in the passenger seat, her bandaged arm cradled carefully between us. Every red light felt like torture, every second stolen from getting her help.How could Sera do this? The question burned in my mind as I watched Vivienne's pale face. She was a pianist—her hands were everything. And she was dying. How could my wife be so cruel, so heartless? Just because Vivienne played piano at her birthday party? The jealousy was pathetic! I thought she was smarter than this! My jaw clenched as another thought hit me. Sera could go to prison for this. Assault charges. Did she even think about Luna before she lost control? Our four-year-old daughter would grow up with a mother behind bars.The hospital's emergency room doors slid open with a sharp hiss. I carried Vivienne inside, her blood seeping through the makeshift bandage."Help! She's lost a lot of blood!" I called out, my voice

DARIUSSomething was wrong with Sera's eyes.The way she'd looked at me in the hospital hallway kept playing in my head like a broken record. No anger, no tears, no begging. Just... nothing. Empty. Like she was looking at a stranger instead of her husband.It made my chest feel tight in a way I didn't want to think about.I adjusted my grip on the steering wheel as I drove Vivienne home, glancing in the rearview mirror at Luna in her car seat. She was quiet, playing with her stuffed elephant and humming some tune Vivienne had taught her."Thank you for taking me to the hospital," Vivienne said softly, her bandaged arm resting carefully in her lap. "The doctors said it wasn't as bad as it looked.""You're lucky," I replied, keeping my eyes on the road. "Your hands are precious. You can't afford injuries like that."She was quiet for a moment, then turned to look at me with those doe eyes that used to make me weak in the knees. "Darius, about what happened in the greenhouse...""Don't."

DARIUS I spent the whole afternoon locked in my study, staring at contracts and financial reports that might as well have been written in a foreign language. My mind kept wandering to empty closets and suitcases, to the way Sera's eyes had looked right through me at the hospital. The numbers on my computer screen blurred together. I rubbed my temples, trying to focus, but it was useless. My work efficiency was complete garbage today. By evening, I gave up pretending to be productive and went to find Luna. She was sitting at the kitchen table, picking at her dinner with a fork. Maria had made her favorite—mac and cheese with little hot dog pieces—but she was just pushing it around her plate. "Not hungry, sweetheart?" I sat down next to her, my chest tight at the sad look on her face. "Where's Mommy?" she asked in a small voice. "She always cuts my hot dogs into stars." I looked down at the round slices on her plate. Such a tiny thing, but it mattered to her. "She had to go

SERAI didn't expect to see Darius here.But there he was, walking into the ballroom with Vivienne's hand tucked into the crook of his arm like they were husband and wife. Like they belonged together. Like I was just some distant memory he'd forgotten about.I shouldn't care anymore. I'd already made my decision to let him go, to stop fighting for something that was never really mine to begin with.But my heart didn't get that message. It twisted in my chest, a fresh cut on top of all the old scars.Because despite everything I'd tried to tell myself, I really did care about him. So much it hurts just seeing him. Even more when he's with another woman, when he's with Vivienne. "Sera, you know Vivienne is sick, and her last wish is to work with AJ. Why can't you have a little sympathy and let her make this happen?"His words hit me like stones. She was sick, yes. But that didn't mean I had to give her everything she wanted. That didn't mean I had to sacrifice myself on the altar of h