CHAPTER 2

Elena’s POV

The moment I truly realized that Raven had completely made up his mind and absolutely nothing I said would change it, I wiped my face with the back of my trembling hands. I slowly pulled the legal documents out of the thick envelope.

His bold signature was already written clearly on the page. I pressed the tip of the pen against the empty line where I was supposed to sign, but my body completely rebelled. My hand was shaking violently and my bottom lip was quivering. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

I wouldn't.

Feeling completely trapped, I suddenly ripped the papers in half, crumpling them into a tight ball before standing up from the floor. “I'm not ready to walk away from this marriage. We can find a way to fix things.”

Raven’s face twisted into pure disgust as he watched me hurl the crumpled paper right at him. He caught the ball easily in mid-air, staring at me in utter shock.

“What do you think you're doing?” he demanded angrily. “You honestly think this childish stunt changes anything? I have dozens of copies of these documents, and the sooner you sign, the better it will be for you.”

I desperately needed to think of another plan to make him reconsider his choice. I was completely terrified of losing my marriage.

I never in a million years imagined myself uttering such humiliating words, but I was desperate. “Why can't you just have both of us in your life? You don't have to completely divorce me.”

Raven let out a sharp, amused chuckle when he heard my desperate suggestion. I could easily see how shocked he was by my words, but I was just as shocked at myself. I never realized love could reduce me to something so completely pathetic.

“Look how incredibly desperate you are right now,” he answered in a deeply mocking tone, cutting me even deeper. I knew I was acting out of pure desperation, but he didn't have to cruelly point it out to my face. “Just sign the divorce settlement, and I will make sure you are well taken care of. I'll give you any sum of money you ask for. Just name your price.”

With that, he turned and walked back into the dressing room, and I followed right behind him. “Raven, please,” I begged, trying one last time to change his perspective. “I haven't done a single thing wrong. I have been a devoted, good wife to you all these years. I don't want to lose our life together.”

“Elena, did you completely miss the part where I told you Tracy is back?” he snapped, throwing an incredibly irritated glare my way. “She is back with my biological son. I finally have my heir.”

“But all the specialists said nothing is medically wrong with my body! I can give you an heir too!” I sobbed out, but Raven was completely checked out.

He reached into his bag, pulled out a fresh duplicate of the divorce papers, and shoved them right into my hands. My jaw dropped open in pure disbelief. Did he actually predict I would react this way? Was he really that desperate to rid himself of me? I let out a bitter laugh. He wanted to get rid of me so badly, and here I was making a complete fool of myself.

Feeling completely crushed and deeply embarrassed, I grabbed the pen and paper from his grip and quickly scribbled my signature on the line.

My entire body trembled as the harsh reality set in: I was no longer married to Raven. I went from being Mrs. Elena Calloway to Miss Elena Voss in a matter of seconds.

“Thank you,” Raven said quietly as he took the finalized documents back from me. He sounded so incredibly relieved that it made me feel even more humiliated. “That wasn't so difficult, was it? I'll instruct my financial team to transfer a large sum of money to your personal account immediately.”

Right before our wedding, his mother had forced us to sign a strict prenuptial agreement, just in case things failed. I thought it was very strange at the time, especially since she used to be quite kind to me, but I didn't question her motives back then.

“I don't want a single dime of your money!” I snapped at him, my voice overflowing with raw anger and deep frustration. “I didn't marry you for your wealth.”

Raven just smiled faintly. He was completely calm and unbothered by the entire situation, which made me boil with rage. “I'll have the funds sent over regardless; you can choose to use it or leave it,” he stated casually. “Just make sure you have all your things packed and leave the estate before I return later tonight, because I am bringing Tracy home with me.”

It felt like I was trapped in a horrific nightmare and I desperately wanted to wake up. What was I going to tell my family? What would the entertainment media say about me?

Before I could even open my mouth to speak, he turned and walked out of the house. I stood there entirely alone in the center of the room, struggling to process the absolute chaos that had just unfolded.

I was so confused, hurt, and overwhelmed that I could barely think straight.

The divorce papers sat on the bed beside me, their cruel words seeming to blur together every time I looked at them.

Part of me wanted to leave. Part of me wanted to scream.

But the larger part of me refused to believe this was really happening.

Raven couldn’t possibly mean it.

We had been married for four years.

Four years.

Surely that had to mean something.

I stared at the front door, convincing myself that when Raven came home tonight, everything would be different. Maybe he was angry. Maybe he needed time to cool down. Maybe once we talked, he would realize he was making a terrible mistake.

The papers hadn’t been finalized yet.

There was still time.

I wasn’t ready to give up on my marriage without a fight.

“Please…” I whispered to the empty room. “Just come home.”.

I ran a trembling hand through my dark hair and tried to steady my breathing.

That’s when our bedroom door suddenly flew open.

I spun around in shock.

Raven’s mother marched inside without knocking.

Before I could ask what she was doing there, she let out a mocking laugh.

“I heard you’re still waiting for Raven to change his mind.”

My stomach dropped.

How long had she been standing outside the door listening?

“Why haven’t you started packing yet?” she demanded,

her sharp eyes sweeping across the room.

I remained silent.

“Raven has finally come to his senses,” she continued.

“And he isn’t changing his mind.”

The satisfaction in her voice was impossible to miss.

It was obvious she had rushed over the moment she learned about the divorce.

When I didn’t respond, she folded her arms across her chest.

“I always told Raven that Tracy was the only woman suitable for our family.”

I bit the inside of my lip, fighting back the tears threatening to escape.

When Raven and I first married, his mother had been kind.

Everything changed after a year passed without a pregnancy.

“Imagine,” she scoffed. “We had a grandson all this time while wasting years on a useless woman like you.”

The words hit me like a slap.

Fresh tears burned my eyes.

“Why are you still standing there?” she snapped.

“Do you need me to call the maids to pack your things for you?”

My chest tightened painfully.

I was already broken.

Already struggling to breathe beneath the weight of everything that had happened.

Yet she continued.

“You shouldn’t be allowed to take anything with you. Raven paid for everything you own.

You should leave this house with nothing.”

She began yanking open drawers, tossing my clothes onto the floor as though they were garbage.

“A woman who can’t even give her husband a child,” she muttered with a smug smile.

I stood frozen as she continued tearing through my belongings.

I couldn't handle another second of it. My chest tightened painfully, and my vision suddenly went completely dark. I didn't even realize my body was hitting the floor as the darkness completely pulled me under.