Chapter 4

I blinked back the raw tears stinging my eyes and met his gaze. "I'm not throwing a fit. I mean every word. Yosef, I don't have to sit here and accept that your heart belongs to another woman. I want a divorce."

I roughly wiped the tears from my cheeks, reached into my bag, and pulled out the divorce agreement I had already drawn up. I thrust it toward him.

After scanning the text, Yosef let out a cold laugh. "Renee, are you seriously going to make a scene like this? You're not young anymore. Who else do you even know in Ravenshire besides me? You need to realize that you are nothing without me."

He snatched the paper and scribbled his signature with a few harsh strokes.

Then, he tossed the divorce agreement toward me, but I failed to catch it.

I picked it up and slowly stood back up.

Seeing the tear tracks on my face, Yosef felt a sharp pang in his chest. He reached out his thumb to wipe away the remaining moisture from the corners of my eyes.

Bending down, he whispered close to my ear, "Renee, it's not too late to change your mind. When you realize you regret this, just text me. I'll act like none of this ever happened."

With that, he turned and walked straight out the door.

I sank onto the floor, my energy drained. I used the last of my strength to sign my name on the agreement.

After that, I arranged the divorce agreement, the pregnancy test report, and the abortion medical report in order, placing them right on top of a cake box.

Finally, I slipped off my wedding ring and set it down beside the items.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a new Instagram post from Yosef showing a photo of a dessert. The caption read, "Thank you for always being by my side whenever I'm feeling down."

During the brutal early days of building his business, I was the one who stood by him.

When his health took a turn, I walked away from a far better career path just to shoulder his burdens and clear his path.

Back then, he used to tell me that I was the only reason he kept going.

Now, someone else stood in my place.

I let out a bitter laugh, hit like, and flipped the phone face down.

Yosef rarely posted on Instagram. I knew exactly what game he was playing, but I wasn't going to call him out, nor was I going to beg him to stay.

Not anymore.

I grabbed my suitcase and walked out, never looking back.

The next morning, I arrived at the airport, checked my luggage, and flowed through security with the crowd.

Before boarding, I opened WhatsApp. I tapped Yosef's pinned chat, blocked his contact, and deleted the chat.

The moment his chat disappeared from my list, a long, deep breath escaped my chest.

I swapped in a new SIM card, snapped the old one in half, and tossed it into the trash can.

"Welcome aboard the flight bound for Vandor. Please find your assigned seats. We wish you a pleasant journey."

As the flight attendant's voice echoed over the intercom, the plane began taxiing down the runway.

I pulled down the window shade, leaving the city behind without a second glance.

…

Meanwhile, Yosef finally returned to the office, only to find my seat empty. He froze, a sudden unease gripping his heart.

He rushed into the HR office and asked, "What's going on? Where's Renee's stuff? Did she leave on her work trip?"

Noticing the tense look on his face, the HR manager replied nervously, "She's not on a trip. She turned in her resignation yesterday. Everything was in order with company policy, so…"

A wave of dread washed over Yosef. With trembling hands, he dialed my number.

"The number you have dialed is not in service."

Refusing to believe it, he scrolled down to our chat and realized our last exchange was from three days ago.

A sharp ringing filled his ears. His hands shook violently as he typed out a line. "Renee, stop this! It's not funny!"

He hit send, but the message just wouldn't go through.