Chapter 5

Amelia pov

Damian's expression changed,the slight tightening of his jaw,the coldness settling deeper into his eyes.

The dangerous stillness,something about the message had upset him.

She folded her arms. "Well?"

Damian extended his hand.

"Give me the phone."

Lily laughed. "No."

His gaze hardened. "Lily."

"Don't call me." Lily said.

She stepped closer. "Answer the damn question."

Damian remained silent,the tension in the room grew heavier, servants wisely disappeared. Nobody wanted to be caught in the middle of this.

Especially not when Lily was involved she shoved the phone toward him.

"Look at it."

Damian took the phone.

His eyes scanned the photograph.

His expression darkened,a dangerous look crossed his face.

One I had never seen before. The sight surprised me. Damian looked genuinely angry.

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow.

"So you didn't send it." She said,

"I didn't." Damian said.

The answer came without hesitation and I kind of believed him.

The message felt cruel,designed specifically to hurt me.

Damian could be cold,but he wasn't cruel,at least not intentionally.

Lily wasn't convinced. "Then who did?"

Damian looked down at the screen again.

His eyes narrowed. "I'll find out."

The statement sounded less like a promise and more like a threat.

A chill ran down my spine. Lily, however, remained unimpressed.

"You should have thought about that before handing her divorce papers." Lily said.

My gaze returned to the image,I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Four days ago, I had been excited about tonight,I spent hours choosing decorations,I was trying to save my marriage.

Meanwhile, Damian was smiling beside Sophia.

The humiliation burned,I took the phone from Lily and deleted the message.

I didn't want to see it anymore. Lily frowned.

"Why delete it?" She asked.

"Because it doesn't matter." I replied.

Both Lily and Damian looked at me.

"It doesn't matter." I repeated myself.

The photograph changed nothing,the divorce papers were still sitting on the table and my marriage was still ending.

The outcome remained exactly the same.

Exhaustion settled over me emotionally.

The one that appears after years of fighting a battle you were never going to win.

I looked at Damian.

"Do you want me to sign tonight?" I asked

A brief silence followed.

His gaze met mine before lowering to the papers.

"That's your decision." He said.

Every major decision in our marriage belonged to him but tonight, suddenly, I had a choice.

Lily squeezed my shoulder. "You don't have to decide now."

I appreciated the support but my heart already knew the truth. Keeping the marriage wouldn't make Damian love me and delaying the divorce wouldn't change anything.

Some endings simply couldn't be avoided.

Slowly, I reached for the pen lying beside the documents.

Lily stopped speaking and just stared. I stared at the signature line.

Amelia Hart Blackwood,a name I carried proudly.

I lowered the pen and signed.

The scratching sound seemed unnaturally loud.

When I finished, I placed the pen down.

And just like that,three years ended.

I pushed the documents toward Damian,he looked down at my signature.

Lily wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"We're leaving." Lily said.

This time, I nodded,there was nothing left for me here,no reason to stay.

I turned away from Damian.

The movement felt strangely liberating.

As though invisible chains were finally breaking.

Halfway to the doorway, Damian suddenly spoke.

"Amelia." He called out.

My footsteps stopped automatically.

I turned around.

"What?" I said.

Damian Blackwood never hesitated but now, he seemed unable to find the words.

Eventually, he simply said, "Take care of yourself."

The statement stunned me because it was the closest thing to concern he had shown in years.

A bitter smile touched my lips.

"You too." I said and left.

Outside, the night air felt cold against my skin.

Lily guided me toward her car,I was halfway inside when my phone rang again.

The unknown Number again. "Don't answer." Lily said.

Something made me pause,a strange feeling of curiosity

I answered. "Hello?"

Nobody spoke,then a woman's voice drifted through the line.

A voice I recognized immediately from interviews and television appearances.

Sophia Laurent,a chill ran through me.

"Mrs. Blackwood." The title sounded deliberate,like she was mocking me.

I gripped the phone tighter. "What do you want?" I asked

A gentle laugh came from the other end.

"I wanted to congratulate you."

"On what?" I asked

She chuckled softly. "On finally signing the divorce papers." She said,

Lily's expression changed instantly because she could hear Sophia's voice through the speaker,but Sophia wasn't finished.

Her next words sent ice through my veins.

"Although..."

"I should probably thank you for giving him back to me."

The line went dead,I stared at the phone speechless.

A terrifying question entered my mind.

How did Sophia know I had signed the divorce papers...

Only minutes after it happened?