Divorce papers

~Zara POV~

​“Look at her… even a dog has more privilege than her,” one of the servants scoffed, her voice carrying easily across the tiled hallway. ​

“Ahh, she's such a pretender… I can't believe she cheated on Mr. Wilson… such a disgrace,” another one chimed in. I could feel their disdainful gazes on me as I mopped the floor. My knees were blistered with sores that I entirely ignored. The physical pain was nothing compared to the weight in my chest. One of them knocked over a flower vase and it shattered to the floor, the water splashing everywhere including the parts I just cleaned. ​

“She's just a mere servant… we are even more valuable than her… how embarrassing,” the servants continued with their assault as I went through my daily routine. I had to clean the mansion, scrub the floors, and cook for the entire family, the choice I made in exchange for my daughter's treatment money. My stomach ached with a sharp, lingering pain from the loss of my pregnancy, yet I pushed myself up. I had no choice. ​

“The Adams family is the most prominent, wealthiest family across the country… what was a loser peasant like her thinking, that she was a queen here?” one of the servants passed by and said bitterly before. ​Yes, for five years I had lived as a mere slave for the Adams family. They were a family most people envied and yearned to associate with. I was married to the most powerful man, a man most women wanted. But, my life was not as glittery as they imagined. It was dark, and it was lonely. ​

“Come here!” ​Suddenly someone grabbed me by the arm. It was Wilson. His grip was like a vice, bruising the skin of my forearm. ​

“Stop it… you're hurting me… Wilson, stop!” I tried to pull away, to stop him, but he dragged me toward the bedroom. I saw Ivy peek from the shadows of the hallway. She was crying, her small hands clutching the doorframe. I nodded at her, trying to signal for her not to worry, though my heart was racing.

​“Sign those damned papers!” ​He tossed me onto the bed where he had laid out the divorce papers. I pushed myself up, tears lingering in my eyes as I looked at the legal documents. ​

“You can't do this… you know Ivy is yours… you betrayed me!” ​This was the truth. He betrayed me and my love, but Wilson didn't care. He grabbed a pen and forcefully grabbed my hand. ​

“Fucking sign it and leave our lives, damn it!” ​With sheer force, he guided my hand to the paper, forcing down a signature. He dug his sharp nails into my skin as I scrambled my name, effectively ending our marriage. He didn't stop there; he made me sign another. This one stated that Ivy was no longer his daughter and stripped her of the Adams surname. My heart broke with every stroke of the pen. ​

“Did you pretend… all this time… for seven years… Did you ever love me? Did…you love Ivy?” I wanted to know. We had dated for two years before we got married. I needed to know if any of it was real. Did he love our child?

“I showed sympathy, Zara… when your family kicked you out… when they took those damn properties from you… I took you in.” Wilson scoffed, a cold sound that lacked any warmth. ​He said it proudly, as if I were some charity case he was finally done with. It was true that my father had died, leaving a huge sum of debt. My house and everything I owned had been confiscated. My family had kicked me out with nothing but the clothes on my back. ​

“She's your daughter,” I choked out. ​“On paper, maybe,” Wilson said, kneeling so his face was level with mine. He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. His touch made my skin crawl. ​

“You… you planned this,” I whispered. ​“It was all a lie… the love, the promises… everything was a lie,” I stumbled backward, feeling a hysterical urge to laugh. I wanted to laugh at myself. My life was a joke; even a dog had a better life than me.

​“Just leave, Zara… leave… I don't love you… leave us!” Wilson yelled. ​I noticed that he had already packed my bags. He didn't waste any time. He grabbed me again and ordered the servants to grab my stuff. I saw Ivy being dragged away by her arm, crying out for me. ​

“Wilson, please,” I pleaded, but Wilson was ruthless. He dragged me down the stairs like some ragged doll, my feet catching on the steps. ​

“Get the fuck out, or so help me, I'll ruin you!” ​He tossed me out of the front doors like garbage. Outside, the rain was pouring heavily, a cold, drenching downpour. My daughter was thrown out onto the pavement alongside my suitcases.

“Daddy…” my daughter yelled her soft voice broke as she landed on the cold wet pavement. ​

“Wilson!” I screamed, but it came out as a wet cough. ​He didn't look back. He closed the heavy doors, and I heard the lock click from the outside. ​

“No… please, not my child… please, Wilson… Ivy is not well, you know that.” I tried banging on the doors, my fists hitting the thick wood, but there was no answer. I was ready to go, but my daughter wouldn't survive out there. She was delicate and needed constant care. ​The rain poured down on us, soaking us to the bone. Ivy was crying as she held onto me, her small body shaking from the cold. I stared at the magnificent mansion before me, recalling the first time I had arrived there. I remembered the happy moments, and now I was leaving them behind with a heavy heart. The betrayal was too much. They had done this to me; they had killed my unborn child without a hint of remorse. ​I wiped my tears, though it was useless in the rain, as I held my daughter’s hand. ​

“Mommy, why is Dad angry at us… doesn't he want me anymore?” Ivy asked, and my heart sank. I stopped and went down on my knees in the middle of the wet driveway. I tried to act strong for her, despite the blood still staining my clothes and the pain in my body. ​

“That's not it… my love… your father is just… he's just upset… I upset him…” I wiped her tears, but the rain was too much.

​“He hurt you… does he hate us?” Ivy’s eyes flashed with a deep longing. I could only hug her and nothing else. ​This was the end. I had to leave; I had to run away. I knew that if they found me again, or if I stayed in their shadow, they would destroy me completely.

I stood soaking in the rain with my chd, glancing up i saw justin standing by the balcony, a smirk plastered on his face. I knew he was happy his enemy had been gotten rid of. Of course if only Vincent knew what was happening right under his nose.

I looked at my daughter's pale face and knew that our lives depended on disappearing forever.