CH005: Choose Her, Free Me!

~LORETTE~

Nate bursts into a short, dry, humorless laugh as he stares at me like I’ve completely lost my mind.

“You? Divorce?” He shakes his head, amusement dripping from his voice. “I have to admit that this one is indeed creative, almost cute.”

I just stare at him calmly. This time, there’s no anger or rage boiling inside of me. Just complete emotional exhaustion.

I’m drained. And all I want is for this conversation to end so I can walk out of this hell.

Sighing, I walk over to my handbag, pull out the divorce papers, and hand them to him.

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” I say quietly.

Nate’s amused expression slowly fades as he reads the document. His brows pull together in confusion, then disbelief.

When he finally lifts his gaze back to me, his emerald-gray eyes are slightly dilated, searching my face as if looking for any sign that this is another one of my “tricks.”

“What the hell is this?”

“You can read, can’t you?” I reply with a small shrug. “Now that Ava is back, I figured I should just make way for you two.”

“Stop acting like you’re doing us a fucking favor,” Nate growls dangerously. He grips the papers tightly in his fist and storms closer until there’s barely any space left between us.

He towers over me, his broad tall frame casting a shadow that makes the room feel smaller. His familiar cologne; the same one I used to love, now turns my stomach.

“You stole Ava’s place for five years,” he hisses, voice low and venomous. “What right do you have to act generous now and talk about giving up the spot like you’re some kind of saint? You really have no shame, do you?”

I let out a dry, quiet laugh and bite my lower lip.

I really thought he would be happy. I expected him to throw a party at the idea of getting rid of me. Instead, here he is, throwing tantrums about the past again.

What a child.

“You think this is funny?” he snarls, nose flaring. “You think you can just crawl into my life like a gold-digging leech and crawl out whenever you feel like it?”

I meet his hard gaze without flinching.

“I don’t think any of this is funny. In fact, you’re the one not taking me seriously right now.”

I take one step closer, closing the remaining distance until my body lightly brushes against his.

“You’ve never loved me, Nate. Not for a single day.” Saying the words out loud makes the pain in my chest feel fresh again, but I swallow it down.

“So why don’t we just let each other go and live the lives we actually want? You’ll finally get the freedom to run to Ava and be with her as much as you want, since she’s the one you love. Isn’t that what you want?”

“Love?” Nate’s voice drips with absolute disgust and rage. “You dare speak to me about love? A worthless orphan who used her mother’s kidney to trap me?”

“You forced yourself into my family and into my house like a fucking plague. You enjoyed luxury you never earned, and now you want freedom?”

He leans in closer, his breath hot against my face.

“You will never be Ava. You were never even close. The only reason I tolerate you is because of my grandmother. The moment she’s gone, I’ll throw you out like the trash you are.”

Every single word that leaves his mouth is a sharp arrow that pierces straight into my already mauled heart. Still, I fight back tears from forming.

I will not let him see me weak again.

Then, before I can even see it coming, Nate suddenly lifts the divorce papers and tears them into pieces right in front of my eyes.

A gasp of disbelief escapes my lips. I stare at the shredded pieces falling around our feet, my mind struggling to process what just happened.

What kind of sick person is he? All I asked for was freedom from this toxic cage, and even that he refuses to give me? He still won’t let me go?

I look up into those angry emerald-gray eyes, searching for any trace of the kind little boy I once knew. The boy who saved me years ago at his family’s luxurious banquet.

I had snuck in as a little girl, wearing old clothes and worn-out shoes. The rich kids mocked me cruelly, taunting my cheap appearance, before pushing me into the pool, knowing I couldn’t swim.

I was drowning, terrified, until that little boy jumped in and pulled me out. He gave me his towel and warned the others to stay away.

From that day, he became my little superman. My secret crush.

But that boy is long gone. The cold, cruel man standing in front of me now is nothing like him.

Swallowing the heavy lump in my throat, I steady my voice with everything I have left.

“I’ll send you a new copy of the divorce papers tomorrow,” I say, fighting to stay calm. “Please sign them. I don’t want to drag this to court. So, let’s settle it amicably.”

Ignoring the disbelief on his face, I turn my back to him and continue packing.

My hands shake slightly as I shove the rest of my clothes messily into the suitcase, zip it shut, grab the handle, and storm toward the door.

Just as my fingers reach for the doorknob, Nate’s phone rings behind me. He answers it immediately, his voice sharp with impatience.

“Yes?”

His assistant Michael’s voice comes through on speaker.

“Boss, I’m organizing Miss Ava’s medical records, but I found something important I think you need to know.”

My fingers freeze on the doorknob. My entire body goes cold.

“I found Mrs. Hawthorne’s miscarriage surgery record, sir.”

For a moment, everything is silent. I can feel Nate’s shock behind me.

Slowly, I turn my head. Our eyes meet.

He looks pale and completely shaken, like he’s just seen a ghost.

“Miscarriage?” Nate asks, staring straight at me.