Chapter 1~. Divorce

Scarlett’s POV

A faint sigh escaped my lips.

My body ached in ways I couldn't describe.

I felt exhausted and overwhelmed, and my muscles were trembling from hours of labor.

Despite the mixture of physical pain and emotional turmoil brewing in me, I felt a sense of relief wash over me as my gaze settled on my babies–My twins, feeling a deep connection to them.

Their cries filled my ears like melodies and I felt my worries slipping away instantly.

The joy of motherhood was so surreal and I couldn't be happier.

“Congratulations, Mrs Scarlett. It's a boy and a girl!” The nurse exclaimed, her perfect teeth showing through her warm smile as she locked eyes with me.

She was beautiful, dressed all prim, and proper with blue eyes hiding behind a pair of glasses.

Relief washed over me as I stared at my babies, who were swaddled in her arms.

“They're so beautiful and angelic!” She whispered, her eyes filled with admiration, her voice dripping with compliments.

Just then, the atmosphere shifted, and the room grew stifling as a figure walked in.

Ethan Blackwood. My husband.

His stoic countenance made my blood run cold, and my smile dissipated instantly.

Ice seemed to form on the edges of conversations, freezing everyone's smile and laughter in place.

I stared at his face. His eyes were icy, devoid of warmth or emotion.

I just delivered his babies, and there wasn't a hint of pride in his eyes. Not even a single smile or words of comfort.

Just before I could say a word, he handed me a document and said coldly, “Sign this.”

My brows snapped as I struggled to process what it was.

“I don't understand, Ethan. Wh- what is this?” I asked, my voice barely audible, but there was no response.

Sitting upright, I glanced at the paper, my expression twisting into something halfway between shock and confusion.

My fingers left wet marks on the crisp folds as I opened it, my breath caught as the words came into focus.

“Divorce paper?” I gasped as I looked up at him, realization hitting me like a jolt of electricity.

My head spun as I struggled to process what was happening.

“Let's get divorced, Scarlett.” Ethan replied harshly, and my heart slammed against my ribs.

“What?!” I asked as a thick knot of emotion swelled in my chest.

I had just birthed his children and the next thing he wants is for us to get divorced?

Is he out of his mind?

“I'm dead serious about this, Scarlett. I don't want us to be together anymore. Sign this and let's put the past behind us.”

The room titled, and I felt the blood drain from my face as his words hang heavily in the air.

Seriously? Who divorces their wife moments after she gives birth to their children?

“Ethan-” I croaked out. “I don't understand what's going on. I just gave birth to your kids and you're asking for a –”

“--You should be thankful those kids are genuinely mine.” He cut me off mid-sentence, his words dropping like a bombshell.

What?

“I had the doctors run a DNA test the minute they were born. But that doesn't change the fact that I've been doubting your fidelity.”

My mouth fell open, each word like a punch to my gut, the accusations driving a stake to my heart

What? What was he talking about?

Gripping the sheets, I countered, “Ethan. Do you think I can ever cheat on you? What exactly is going on?”

He sneered, his lips twitching with his face as emotionless as ever.

“Oh, stop this game of pretence, Scarlett! Don't think you can deceive me. Now, I know who you truly are!” He spat unyieldingly, the depth of his words intensifying the ache in my chest.

“Ethan. I've always been faithful to you and you know how much I love you. Why would you say this?!”

“Love?!!”

I heard a sharp feminine voice erupt from the back, and my head snapped in the direction.

It was Jade, Ethan's older sister.

She shot me a venomous glare as she walked in, her heels clicking against the polished tiles.

I noticed Jasmine as they wheeled her into the ward with a bandage on her left arm.

Jasmine was Ethan's childhood friend who returned to the city just last month after years of being away.

I noticed how she tried to pull off a sorrowful face that would elicit the barest amount of empathy.

Last week, during our confrontation, she had fallen down the stairs intentionally, and Jade, who had always despised me, believed I was responsible for it.

“If you truly love my brother, you wouldn't have cheated on him, you whore!” Jade spat, her words snatching me out of my thoughts.

What? Did she just call me a whore?

My eyes went wide as Ethan flung a pile of photographs at me, with some landing on the bed, others on the floor and a few sticking to my clothes.

A huge lump settled in my throat and my brows creased as I tried to make out the images in the photo.

“I wished Ethan never got married to you, you cheater! First, you pushed Jasmine down the stairs out of jealousy. You acted all innocent, but it turns out you're not only toxic but also a two-timing asshole and a bloody cheater!!”

Jade's accusations stung harder than any insults I've ever had. Tears gathered in my eyes as my gaze drifted towards Ethan, hoping he'd still have an iota of trust in me, hoping he'd believe that these weren't true.

But no.

His face darkened, his jaw clenched, not a single emotion could be read on his face, it was as if he had erected a wall between us.

Everything was all like a dream to me.

I'm being framed. I'm being accused wrongly. I never pushed Jasmine. I've never cheated on Ethan. I've always loved him despite our marriage being arranged by his father.

Even when his mom disapproved of me, and his sister rained insults at me at every slightest opportunity, I remained by his side, and he'd assure me that we would face it all together, that their opinions wouldn't come between us.

“I never pushed Jasmine down the stairs. She fell out of her own accord just to frame me and make me a bad person! Why can't you all believe me?!” I croaked out once more as bile rose up my throat, my heart shattering into more pieces.

“Oh please, nothing good comes out of a liar. I’m sure you’ll claim someone framed you for your infidelity.” Jade fired, her callous words clawing at my heart and they echoed in my ears like a haunting melody that refused to be silenced..

The accusations keep piling one after the other, and the worst of it is that I'm innocent.

Let's not even talk about Ethan, who isn't ready to give me the benefit of the doubt, everyone seems to think worse of me.

“Ethan—” I called out, my lips trembling with my eyes filled with pleas.

“Ethan, I'm sure this is a misunderstanding. I didn't cheat on you. These photos are fake. I'm sure someone is trying to—-”

“---Sign it. I'm not ready to listen to any words you have to say!” He bawled as he cut me off mid-sentence, handing me a pen.

“Ethan, please, you can't do this to m—-”

“Enough, Scarlett! Don't waste my time and sign those damn papers!”

He yelled once more, his voice laced with irritation as it raised several octaves higher.

My throat constricted, my chest tightening as his intense gaze seared into my skin like a firebrand.

With trembling hands, I reached for the pen and stared at the familiar handwriting at the bottom page, which was unmistakably his signature..

Tears blurred my vision as sadness engulfed me. I have never received appreciation. This outcome was unexpected, despite my love for him. I guess it's time to let go.

I have my twins with me. They're all I'll ever need.

My heart broke with every stroke of the signature and not long after I had signed, jade approached one of my twins–my son.

My eyes went wide as I stuttered, “Wh- what are you doing?”

She smirked while Ethan's next words dropped like a bombshell. “Don't you have any clue? There are clauses in what you signed, Scarlett. As part of the agreement, I have parental rights for our son and not you!”

“What?!” I gasped, chills running down my spine with my pulse spiking with panic.

“You can't take my son away from me, Ethan! No- no! You can't do this to me!” those words scraped out of my mouth, raw with emotions.

The dam holding back my tears finally broke as I stretched out a desperate hand, yearning to reach for my son, but in a cruel twist, Jade retreated, leaving me grasping for air and shattered by the sudden loss of connection.

“Ethan. I'm his mother, for God's sake! You can't take my son away from me!!!”

“I need an heir! You can keep the daughter. She's of no use to me. You can raise her like the whore you are!”

His words sliced through my heart, leaving an endless scar that would forever remind me of the cruel thing he said.

“She's your daughter, Ethan!! Why would you say that about her?” I clenched my jaw as I yelled, shoving down the sob clawing its way up my throat.

He didn't respond. Instead, he turned to leave, the weight of his actions leaving me suffocated.

“Ethan! Ethan!

“I called, my shoulders trembling as more tears streamed down my cheeks.

My ragged breath broke the solitude as the weight of betrayal shattered me completely.

What have I ever done to deserve this?