Chapter 2

Amelia pov

I couldn't hear anything.

The divorce agreement trembled in my hands. I stared at Damian as if he had suddenly become a stranger.

Maybe he always had been,maybe I simply spent three years refusing to see the truth.

"I want a divorce."

His words echoed repeatedly inside my head.

I swallowed hard,the lump in my throat hurt.

"Why?" I asked. My voice sounded weak.

I needed an answer,I deserved one.

Three years had to be worth an explanation,Damian's expression remained unchanged.

"I don't think this marriage should continue." He said.

"Was that meant to be an answer?" I asked.

I looked directly into his eyes. "Why?" I asked again.

My voice was firmer this time and his gaze met mine and neither of us looked away.

"We were never compatible." He said.

The words landed like another blow.

Compatible,was that all? Three years reduced to a single word?

I stared at him in disbelief. "That's it?"

His jaw tightened slightly. "What answer are you looking for?" He said.

I felt tears gathering in my eyes.

At this moment,I did not want to cry in front of him, I did not want to show any form of weakness. Especially when he never seemed affected by my pain.

"I'm looking for the truth." I said

"That is the truth." He said

"No." My voice cracked. "No, it isn't."

Frustration flashed across his face.

"Amelia…."

"Don't." I held up my hand.

The gesture surprised both of us because I rarely interrupted him,I never even challenged him. But tonight felt different.

Tonight, something inside me was breaking apart.

"You owe me more than that!” I said

His eyes narrowed.

"Do I?" He said. " Yes,you do!” I said.

"You don't say…" he said.

The question hurt,God,It hurt badly.

I stared at him,unable to believe the man standing before me was the same man I loved for years.

"I was your wife." I said

"You still are. For now…" he said.

"Then why does it feel like I've been alone this entire marriage?" I asked.

Silence fell on us,I felt my chest tighten.

"You never loved me, did you?" I asked again

His eyes flickered, something changed,he looked uncomfortable.

The realization made me smile bitterly because his silence was the answer.

I lowered my gaze to the divorce papers,the signature stared back at me.

He didn't come to discuss divorce,he came to inform me.

My opinion never mattered,just like always.

"When did you decide this?" I asked.

His answer came immediately. "A while ago."

I closed my eyes,which somehow made everything worse. While I was planning our anniversary dinner… while I was waiting for him to come home... I was hoping things would improve...

He had already decided to end our marriage and with that realization,humiliation burned.

"Did you ever intend to tell me?" I asked

"That is what I'm doing now." He said.

"No." I shook my head.

"No, Damian."

His expression darkened. "What do you mean?"

"Telling me would have involved a conversation." I said.

I lifted the divorce agreement. "This isn't a conversation."

The papers trembled. "This is a decision."

I looked away before the tears could fall,the last thing I wanted was his pity,If he even possessed such a thing.

My phone suddenly vibrated,the sound startled both of us. I glanced at the screen.

Lily. I immediately rejected the call.

I couldn't talk right now,not when my entire world was collapsing. Unfortunately, Lily knew me too well.

A second later, another message appeared.

Lily: Did he come home?.

Lily: Amelia?

Lily: Why aren't you answering?

I quickly locked the screen.

Damian noticed. "Your friend?"

After three years of marriage, he finally remembered I had a best friend.

"Yes." I said

The conversation died again,the mansion felt suffocating.

Every wall seemed to be closing in around me.

Every memory hurts. I looked at Damian again.

His handsome face,his cold eyes and his perfect appearance.

The man countless women admired and a man I spent years loving.

Something suddenly occurred to me,a thought I had been avoiding and a thought I didn't want to believe.

But now...I couldn't ignore it anymore.

"Is there someone else?" I asked.

The question left my mouth.

Damian froze,the reaction lasted less than a second.

"Amelia,just sign the damn document" he said.

My fingers tightened around the papers.

"Is there someone else?" This time my voice shook.

The answer mattered more than anything.

In my mind,I was thinking,please,just say no.

Damian exhaled slowly,his gaze shifted away from mine.

The tears finally escaped,I nodded slowly.

Everything suddenly made sense.

The distance,the indifference,the divorce.

"Who is she?" I asked

“Some perfect little girl,is it?" I said bitterly.

His expression became unreadable.

"That's irrelevant." He said.

A sharp laugh escaped me. "Irrelevant? Really?” I said

"The woman you're leaving me for is irrelevant?"

His silence spoke volumes,I took a step backward as though physical distance could somehow protect me.

I spent years believing patience would eventually make him love me.

How foolish,how unbelievably foolish.

Damian watched me carefully,perhaps expecting another emotional outburst.

Another plea,another attempt to save the marriage.

Instead, I asked, "Do you love her?"

The question hung heavily, Damian hesitated.

A long pause followed.

His phone rang,the sound cut through the tension.

Damian glanced at the screen and everything changed.

His entire expression softened,the transformation was subtle,most people wouldn't have noticed but I did because I spent three years studying every expression this man possessed.

And the expression on his face now...

I had never seen it directed at me.

My heart dropped slowly.

Damian answered the call in my presence.

"Hello."

His voice changed too.

The difference nearly destroyed me,I stood frozen and listening.

Then I heard a woman's laughter coming from the other side of the line.

Damian's eyes lifted and our gazes met. The woman on the phone spoke again and Damian smiled.

The kind I spent years waiting to see,something he never once gave me.

And at that moment, I realized I already knew her name.