Chapter 5: Goodbye

Nadine’s POV

​The divorce agreement arrived on Adrian’s desk early the next morning, and he did not hesitate for a single second before grabbing his pen and signing his name across the bottom line, barely looking up at his assistant who was waiting to collect the folder.

​"Take these files to the lawyer immediately, and ensure that Nadine receives her copy by the end of the day," Adrian ordered, his voice completely flat as he threw the pen onto the table and leaned back in his chair, "She thinks she is being brave by walking away, but she will come crawling back to this house within a month once she discovers how incredibly difficult life is without the backing of the Kingsley name."

​"Are you sure you do not want to review the financial settlement options one more time, sir?" the assistant asked, holding the folder tightly against his chest while he looked toward the door, "Mrs. Kingsley left without requesting a single dollar from your personal accounts."

​"Let her leave with nothing since that is what she chose, because her pride will eventually break when the reality of her empty bank account hits her," Adrian dismissed him, turning his attention back to his computer screen to signify that the conversation was completely finished.

​Nobody in the entire city tried to stop me from leaving, so I packed a single small suitcase with my basic clothes, leaving behind every single piece of jewelry and luxury dress that the Kingsley family had bought for me over the past year. Neither Adrian nor his parents called my phone, and when I dialed my father’s number to tell him I was officially leaving, he did not even let me finish my sentence before cutting me off entirely.

​"You have embarrassed this family for the last time by signing those papers, Nadine, so do not think about coming back to our house because we have already given your old room to Nadira's new personal assistant," my father said coldly, his voice laced with absolute disgust before the line went completely dead.

​I walked out of the massive front gates of the Kingsley mansion just before dawn while the sky was still a dark shade of blue, and for the first time in many years, a genuine sense of freedom settled deep in my chest because I no longer had to answer to anyone or live as a ghost in my own home.

Hours later, while I was waiting at the local bus terminal to find a cheap apartment on the outskirts of the city, a sudden wave of extreme exhaustion and dizziness hit me so hard that my knees completely buckled beneath me, causing me to collapse onto the concrete floor before I could even reach for my bag.

The next thing I knew, I woke up in a bright, quiet hospital room with an IV line hooked to the back of my hand, and a middle-aged doctor was standing near the foot of the bed while she reviewed some test results on a clipboard.

​"Ah, you are finally awake, Ms. Ivory, we were quite worried about your low blood pressure when the paramedics brought you in," the doctor said with a warm smile, stepping closer to adjust the fluid drip while she patted my arm gently, "We ran several blood tests to find out what caused your sudden fainting and the results are actually very positive."

​"Am I suffering from severe stress or malnutrition, doctor?" I asked, my voice sounding incredibly raspy as I pushed myself up against the pillows, "I have been going through a lot of personal changes lately, and I haven't been sleeping well at all."

​"Congratulations, Ms. Ivory, because your body is actually reacting to a very natural change," the doctor announced, her smile widening as she set the clipboard down on the small table next to my bed, "You are pregnant, and that explains the sudden dizziness and exhaustion you have been experiencing over the past few weeks."

​I froze instantly, my entire body going completely numb as the words echoed in my ears. A child was the absolute last thing I expected to bring into my new, uncertain life.

​"That is impossible, doctor, because we were always so careful," I whispered, my hand automatically moving to rest against my flat stomach while panic began to rise in my throat. “Adrain would never let me have his child.”

​"Well, the blood tests do not lie, and that is actually not the only surprise we have for you today," the doctor continued, reaching into her pocket and pulling out two glossy ultrasound images before placing them directly on the table in front of me, "Take a look right here, you are not expecting just one baby."

​"What do you mean by that?" I asked, my vision blurring slightly as I stared at the dark shapes on the paper, unable to comprehend what she was trying to tell me.

​"There are two distinct heartbeats on the monitor, Ms. Ivory, which means you are going to have twins," the doctor explained gently, giving me a moment to process the massive news before she walked toward the door to give me some privacy.

​Hot tears quickly filled my eyes as I looked at the two tiny images on the table, and without a single shred of hesitation, I reached for my phone and blocked every contact on it.

​"My children will never have to beg anyone for love, and they will never live in a house where they are treated like unwanted guests," I whispered to the quiet room, wiping the tears from my cheeks as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, determined to walk away from Adrian Kingsley and my toxic family forever.