Chapter 2: You Deserve Each Other.

~Elena’s POV~

"Just sign the damn papers, Elena."

Damian's voice is flat. Devoid of any emotion.

Like I’m nothing.

He talks like our time together, the kisses, the way my name dances on his lips every time he is on the edge, the flowers, the dates, the 'I LOVE YOUs', the memories, the promises, like they all meant absolutely nothing.

I stare at the divorce papers in my trembling hands, my breath coming off in pants, my pulse hammering like a war drum inside my chest. My fingers tighten around the pages, as if by sheer force I can crush the reality staring me in the face.

This is really happening.

He thinks he can throw me away just like that? Like I am some business contract he's discarding the second I am no longer convenient?

The weight of betrayal slams into me with full force. A slow burning rage ignites in my gut, curling like smoke through my veins with a suffocating effect.

I lift my gaze to Damian.

The man I married.

The man I loved.

And yet, the man sitting across from me is a total stranger. His jaw is set, and his dark eyes are so cold and heartless.

He doesn’t even flinch under my glare, doesn’t so much as blink. He makes me feel like I’m just an inconvenient problem that he has already moved past.

Like I never mattered.

A sharp, bitter laugh escapes my lips, the sound foreign even to me. "You really have no soul, do you?"

He says nothing. He shows not even a sign of remorse.

That silence? That awful silence? It tells me everything I need to know.

I feel sick. My stomach churns violently, bile rising up my throat. My fingers clutch the divorce papers so hard that the edges curl against my palm.

"You are a coward," I whisper, my voice trembling as I wait for a reaction from him.

But I still get nothing.

Just then, I hear a sound. A slow, taunting chuckle.

I turn my head toward the source, and there she is.

Sophia. Wearing his shirt. The same one I bought him for our anniversary. Her hair is a mess, the undeniable evidence of what they did hanging in the air like a slap to my face. And she’s smirking. Like this is some twisted game that she has already won.

“Oh, come on, Elena,” she purrs, stretching like a satisfied cat. "There's no need to be so dramatic. We’re all adults here."

I see red.

Is this woman fucking mad?

My entire world is crumbling at my feet, and she has the audacity to act like this?

I take a slow, measured step towards her, my hands curling into fists at my sides. “Excuse me?”

She shrugs, her eyes sparkling with wicked amusement. "I mean…" She sighs, twirling a lock of golden hair around her manicured finger. "Desperation isn’t a good look on you, Elena. It’s honestly embarrassing."

The blood in my veins turns to molten fire. My pulse roars in my ears with a deafening effect.

The fucking audacity!

Her lips curve into a smirk. “And besides… you didn’t really think he was loyal, did you?”

That’s it.

Before I can think, before I can stop myself, I lunge at her. My palm connects with her cheek so hard that my own hand stings from the impact.

CRACK.

The slap echoes through the room, loud and very satisfying to my soul.

Sophia gasps, clutching her cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“You bitch!" she shrieks.

"Say that again," I breathe, voice deathly calm. "And I’ll break your teeth."

She stares at me, stunned, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.

In the blink of an eye, a pair of strong hands grip me. I barely have time to react before those strong hands shove me backward.

And then I’m falling.

My body hits the floor with a hard thud, my head banging against the sharp edge of the coffee table.

Pain explodes through my skull. A sharp, blinding pain.

For a second, I just lay there, the room spinning before my eyes. My vision is blurry. My ears are ringing.

He pushed me. Damian pushed me.

I hear his sharp intake of breath. “Elena.”

That's his voice. The Asshole. The same man who just pushed me to the ground.

I painfully push myself up onto my elbows. My head feels as if it is going to split in two. My forehead is wet with my blood, and I feel the sticky warmth of my blood as it trails down my face.

I turn my head slowly, my vision still hazy.

And there they are. Standing together. Sophia is pressed against Damian’s side, her arms hooked around his.

And him? He’s just standing there. Not helping me up.

Not apologizing.

Not even flinching.

He's just watching me like I’m nothing more than an inconvenience.

"Elena," he says again.

And the worst part?

There’s no guilt in his voice. No regret. No concern.

Absolutely Nothing.

He looks at me like I’m the villain in this story.

Sophia giggles.

GIGGLES.

She traces her nails along Damian’s chest, tilting her head as she purrs, her voice dripping with sheer mockery, “Baby, tell her. Tell her how romantic today has been.”

"What?" I blink, my heart thudding so hard it hurts.

Sophia sighs. Her lips curve into a slow, venomous smile. “Oh, Elena. You didn’t know?” She sighs again, tilting her head with fake sympathy.

And right then, she lifts her hand up to her collarbone, wiggling her fingers.

I see it.

A ring. A fucking engagement ring.

My stomach drops. A deep hole opens inside my chest, swallowing me whole.

“Damian proposed to me today, and it was so dreamy.”

The air leaves my lungs in a harsh gasp. It feels like someone just ripped my heart out and is crushing it under their fucking boot.

Sophia sighs dramatically, rubbing her hand over her stomach. “Oh, and of course, you’re invited to our baby shower,” she coos. “It’ll be so much fun.”

As if the bombshell was not enough, he leans in and kisses her. Right there. In front of me. Tongues and all.

I don’t realize I’m crying until the salty taste floods my lips.

My hands shake as I push myself off the ground.

Standing straight, I let out a laugh.

A real laugh.

Despite the pain in my chest and the throbbing pain in my head, I find myself laughing and pulling my hair.

I am losing my mind. This is like a scene in the movies, except that it is actually happening to me. In reality.

I feel like I can’t breathe. My body moves on autopilot. I stumble up the stairs.

To our bedroom.

Their bedroom.

My suitcase is still unpacked, thank God.

I instantly grab anything that isn’t mine: every dress, every piece of jewelry, every useless reminder of what once was. I toss them all onto the floor.

The only things I take? The ones I bought myself.

Done, I march back downstairs, dragging my suitcase behind me.

Damian turns. "Elena..."

I don't say anything to him. Picking up the divorce papers from where I left them, I take off my wedding ring and hold the useless piece of shit between my fingers.

Then, with perfect aim, I throw it.

It hits him square in the face.

He flinches, stunned.

"I will mail you the divorce papers when I am done signing them. You can keep the damn house to yourself. You both are disgusting and you deserve each other." I spit the words out like they burn my tongue.

With the divorce papers in my hand and my suitcase, I turn and walk the hell away.

Outside, I flag down a taxi.

"Where to?" the driver asks as soon as I take my seat.

I swallow the lump in my throat.

"The airport," I whisper.

The house disappears behind me as the car pulls away.