Dying Hope

The other end of the line fell silent for a solid second. Thalina could practically hear the surprise in Ronan’s voice when he spoke again.

“Really?”

Of course he’d be surprised. She had turned down countless opportunities, even given up her dream of becoming a head bio-pharmacist just to work as a simple assistant, all so she could stay close to Evander. 

But now, she knew better. With her life ticking down and Elowin back in the picture, there was no point deluding herself any longer.

Drawing in a quiet breath, she steadied her voice. “Yes, I’m sure. Please find me the best divorce lawyer. I want this done as soon as possible.”

“Anything for you, Lina. Leave it to me. I’ll send the files over as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Ronan.”

Thalina ended the call after that and leaned against the railing, lowering her head. As she did, her gaze fell on the golden band resting on her finger, and a faint ache stirred in her chest.

When she had first received the ring, despite the indifference on Evander’s face, she had promised herself she would wear it for the rest of her life. 

Back then, she had clung to the illusion that she had a future with him.

But now…

Reaching up, she slowly slid the ring off her finger and stared at the bare space it left behind.

She knew better now.

With that, she pushed herself away from the railing and glanced toward her bedroom, her gaze lingering on the doorway. Then, without another thought, she turned and walked past it, heading instead for the guest bedroom.

~☆~

Thalina had barely gotten any sleep that night. 

Between the persistent ache in her stomach and the nightmares that chased her whenever she drifted off, rest had been almost impossible. 

By the time the first light of dawn filtered through the windows, she gave up on trying and got out of bed to prepare for work.

Standing in front of the mirror, she was fixing her hair, when her gaze inevitably dropped to her neck and a wave of faint nausea curled in her stomach at the sight of the red marks scattered across her skin.

Once, those marks had brought her a strange sense of comfort—a reminder that she still held some kind of place in Evander’s life, even if it was only physical. But now, knowing he had been thinking of Elowin even in those moments, made her feel sick.

Turning away, she stepped back into the closet and chose a turtleneck instead, pulling it on to conceal the marks completely.

After finishing her appearance, she finally left the guest room. As she walked toward the stairs, her eyes drifted instinctively toward her bedroom. The door was open now.

Earlier, when she had slipped in quietly to grab a change of clothes, Evander had still been asleep. Now, the room was empty.

Would he remember what happened last night?

The thought lingered as she descended the stairs.

Or would he assume she had taken advantage of him again?

Her chest tightened slightly.

She shouldn’t care. She knew she shouldn’t. But feelings like hers didn’t disappear overnight. She had spent years loving him—it wasn’t something she could simply switch off.

The soft ping of her phone pulled her from her thoughts.

She glanced down and saw Ronan’s name flash across the screen. Without hesitation, she opened the message.

[Morning, Lina. I’ve got the documents ready as requested.]

Below it was an attachment.

Thalina’s fingers hovered over the attachment for a brief second, but just as she was about to open it, the sharp sound of shattering glass cut through the air.

Her head snapped up, and she instinctively moved toward the kitchen.

She stopped abruptly at the entrance, eyes landing on a middle-aged woman who stood there, frowning at the broken pieces scattered across the floor. 

Then, as if sensing her presence, the woman looked up and her expression twisted into a scowl.

“I was wondering when I’d see the good-for-nothing housewife who can’t even clean a cup properly,” Emogen Hale—Evander’s mother—sneered.

Thalina’s gaze dropped briefly to the shattered cup before lifting back to Emogen.

“What are you standing there for?” Emogen barked. “Clean it up, you useless thing!”

Her words were as sharp as ever.

In the past, Thalina would have swallowed them, apologizing repeatedly as she rushed to do as told. Back then, she had endured it all because she believed Emogen’s approval mattered—because she was Evander’s mother.

But now…

This was a marriage she had already decided to end. One Evander had never truly wanted.

There was no reason to keep bowing her head.

“But,” she began, lifting her gaze to meet Emogen’s directly, “I wasn’t the one who broke it, was I?”

Silence fell instantly.

Emogen’s expression remained composed, that same arrogant authority she wore like a second skin still intact. But the flicker of surprise in her green eyes was unmistakable.

Had Thalina—the one who used to cower—just spoken back?

For a moment, she said nothing. Then her eyes narrowed as she stepped forward.

“What did you say?” she demanded coldly. “You useless thing.”

A warning rang loudly in Thalina’s mind, urging her to let it go. But she ignored it and held Emogen’s gaze—cold meeting cold.

“I won’t be cleaning it up,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. “So—”

She didn’t get to finish.

Thwack!

Pain exploded across her cheek the very next second. 

The force of the slap snapped her head to the side, a sharp ringing filling her ears.

“The audacity!” Emogen bellowed. “Is this what I get for giving my blessing to a fruitless and useless marriage?” She fumed. “I knew I should have stood my ground. I should have waited for my Elowin to return so she could marry Evan. She’s a much better fit!”

Thalina didn’t move for a few seconds. Perhaps it was because she had endured something far worse the night before, but the sting of Emogen’s slap didn’t hit as deeply as it used to.

Still, her cheek burned.

Composing herself, she slowly lifted her head and met Emogen’s gaze with a quiet stillness that only seemed to irritate the older woman further.

“You—”

Emogen raised her hand again, and Thalina instinctively braced herself to be hit once more. 

“What's going on here?”

Evander’s voice suddenly cut cleanly through the tension and everything stilled.

Thalina turned slightly to see him descending the stairs, dressed in a crisp black three-piece suit, his hair neatly pushed back. His fingers adjusted the cufflinks on his wrist as his gaze swept over the scene—from his mother, to the shattered pieces on the floor, and finally, to her.

It took everything in her not to flinch under that look.

His eyes lingered on her longer than she would have liked, and for a brief moment, she wondered if he remembered what had happened the night before.

But then, just as quickly, he looked away and shifted his attention to his mother.

“It’s too early for all this, Mother,” he said evenly.

“Too early?” Emogen echoed sharply. “Is that your way of going soft on her?” She scoffed. “I suppose I should blame you for pampering her. Now she even has the nerve to talk back to me.”

Evander paused, then glanced at Thalina again.

This time, his eyes caught the faint bruise forming on her cheek.

“You slapped her?” he asked, looking back at Emogen.

It was foolish—an old, fragile hope that should have died long ago—but Thalina couldn’t stop herself from wondering if, just this once, he might defend her.

“She called for it,” Emogen said, casting her a sharp glance. “It seems I’ve been going a little too easy on her. She needed some discipline.”

Her gaze hardened on Thalina, but Thalina wasn’t looking at her.

She was looking at Evander.

He met her eyes, but there was no warmth in them. Still, that foolish part of her lingered—waiting, hoping he would say something.

Anything.

But he didn’t.

Without a word, he walked to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, took a sip, and moved past her as though she were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

“Have Diana clean that mess up, Mother,” he said coldly.

Thalina remained still.

She didn’t move when his footsteps faded past her, and she didn’t move when the door opened and shut behind him.

“Try acting smart again and it won’t be just a slap,” Emogen hissed before brushing past her deliberately.

The impact forced Thalina to stumble back a few steps, yet she still didn’t react. Her gaze stayed fixed on the spot where Evander had just been, as if something of him still lingered there.

Only when the silence settled did her knees slowly give way and she sank to the floor, pulling them to her chest as the fragile mask she had been holding finally cracked. 

Tears slipped down her cheeks, falling silently.

It hurt.

No matter how much she tried to convince herself that she would stop loving him, seeing Evander treat her with such cold indifference—especially now, when she knew her time was running out—hurt more than she had expected.

Her shoulders began to tremble, and a broken sob escaped before she quickly raised a hand to cover her mouth, muffling the sound.

It’s okay, Thalina, she told herself, squeezing her eyes shut.

It would all be over soon.

She would divorce him soon and then… he would never have the chance to break her like this again.

Ever!