chapter 3

Serena

The hallway goes silent.

He stares at me like I just cursed him. “What did you just say?”

“I want a divorce, Marcus.” The tears come freely now, but my voice stays steady. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep living like this.”

His face twists in rage. “You ungrateful woman. Do you have any idea what I’ve done for you?”

“What have you done?” I almost laughed. “You’ve given me nothing but pain. You betrayed me. You made me a stranger in my own home. You had a child with my best friend and let your family humiliate me every single day.”

“I gave you a home! A name! The Wellington name is everything!”

“And it cost me everything,” I cry. “My father. My pride. My heart. You took it all, Marcus. And I let you. But not anymore.”

“Keep your voice down!” he hisses, glancing back toward the party.

“I don’t care,” I say, louder now. “Let them all hear. Let them see what kind of man you really are.”

“You’re not thinking straight. You’re tired. Dramatic.”

“No,” I whisper. “For the first time, I’m thinking clearly.”

I look at him, really look, and all I see is a stranger. Cold. Greedy. Cruel.

“I want a divorce. I’m done.”

His eyes darken. “You have nowhere to go. No one. You think you can survive without me?”

“I don’t know,” I say honestly. “But I’ll die trying before I live like this another day.”

For a moment, something flickers in his eyes; fear, maybe. Then it hardens into hate.

“Fine,” he says coldly. “You want a divorce? Let’s see how that works out for you. You’ll crawl back soon enough. And when you do, don’t expect me to be waiting.”

He walks away. Back to Sarah. Back to his new family.

I stand in the hallway, shaking, bleeding, and barely able to stand.

But for the first time in years, I can breathe.

I said it.

I finally said it.

“I want a divorce.”

And this time…

I mean it.

**********

The loud sound of the door made my eyes snap open. My heart jumped. I sat up immediately, confused, still half-asleep.

But the moment I saw them—Margret, Victoria, and Richard—standing at my door with their faces twisted in anger… my breath froze.

God… what is it now? What did I do again?

“Get up!” Richard barked.

Before I could even understand anything, Victoria grabbed my arm. Margret held the other one. They dragged me off the bed like I was some thief caught stealing.

“Stop… please… what’s happening?” I cried, trying to pull my arms back, but they gripped me harder.

They dragged me through the hallway. My feet kept hitting the floor. My heart kept beating fast. Fear squeezed my chest. Tears burned my eyes.

When they pushed me into the living room, I stopped breathing for a second.

Marcus was standing there, holding a paper. His face was blank, but his eyes… his eyes were filled with something between shock and fear. Something he quickly hid when he realized I was looking at him.

Margret clicked her tongue and threw me forward. I stumbled.

“You ungrateful idiot!” she shouted. “So you finally grew wings? You have the guts to ask for a divorce after all we did for you?!”

My heart cracked.

Divorce? They… already knew?

Richard stepped closer, his face red with anger. “In this house, no woman tells my son she wants a divorce. Never. If anyone ends a marriage here, it is the man. Not a worthless girl like you!”

Worthless.

The word stabbed me.

Victoria folded her arms. “We knew you were acting from the beginning. Acting like you were sad, acting like you wanted peace. You’re nothing but a pretender.”

Pretender?

Pretender?

I swallowed hard, but the pain was too much.

Sarah was standing at the corner. Her lips were tucked in, but I saw it.

She was smiling.

Happy.

Marcus finally spoke. “Serena… if you change your mind now and apologize, I’ll accept you.” He raised his chin. “Just say sorry.”

My chest tightened.

Sorry?

After everything?

He looked scared earlier… but now he was trying to look strong. Cold. Unbothered.

They threw the divorce papers at me. They fell on my feet.

I picked them up slowly. My hands shook.

When I read through the papers, my whole body felt numb.

Nothing.

I would get absolutely nothing.

No money.

No support.

Nothing.

My throat burned. My vision blurred.

But I still whispered, “I accept.”

Margret hissed like she wanted to slap me. “Good. At least you know your place.”

My heart was breaking… but I signed it. My signature looked shaky. Broken. Just like me.

“I’ll go to my room now…” I said quietly. “I’ll pack and leave tomorrow morning.”

“No,” Richard said sharply. “You’re leaving tonight.”

My stomach dropped. “But… It's raining. Heavily. Let me leave tomorrow, please.”

“You are no longer part of our family,” Victoria snapped. “You leave now.”

My lips trembled. “At least… let me take my things.”

“No,” Margret spat. “You are not taking anything from this house.”

I turned to Marcus. I needed him to say something. Anything.

“Marcus… please… say something. Please.”

He looked at me.

Then he looked away as if I disgusted him.

That one action broke something deep inside me. Completely.

They pulled me toward the main door. I tried to hold the wall, their arms, anything.

“Please… just wait! It’s raining! Let me stay till morning!”

“Get out!” Margret screamed and shoved me hard.

I fell outside, straight into the cold, heavy rain.

My knee hit the ground. Pain shot through my stomach.

Then something warm… something wrong… flowed out.

Blood.

I felt it.

“No… please…” I whispered, pressing my hand to my stomach. “Help me… Marcus…”

He stood at the doorway.

And did nothing.

He didn’t move. He didn’t reach for me. He didn’t even blink.

He just stared… like I was nothing. Like I was someone he had never loved. Someone he wanted gone.

“Please…” I sobbed, crawling a little. “It hurts… help me…”

But no one came.

Margret folded her arms. “Good. Maybe next time you will learn never to disrespect us.”

The rain grew heavier. I was shaking. Cold. Weak. Terrified.

My breath became shallow.

The pain in my stomach got worse.

I felt myself losing strength.

Losing everything.

My tears mixed with the rain as darkness crawled in from all sides.

“Marcus…” I whispered one last time, even though he wasn’t listening.

Then everything went black.