Chapter 4

The following day passed in apparent tranquility.

Alexander left for the company in the morning, while Elena stayed at the mansion.

There was nothing different that might have caught his attention.

And that was exactly what she wanted.

Once she was certain he had left, she returned to her room and closed the door behind her.

She took out the paper on which she had written her list of belongings and added a few more details.

She didn't want to take much.

She knew Alexander would notice if things began disappearing from her wardrobe all at once.

So she decided to do everything gradually.

A few items today.

A few more tomorrow.

Then some more after that.

Until the day came when nothing she needed remained behind.

She opened her wardrobe.

Her gaze settled on the dresses Alexander had bought for her.

There were so many of them.

Some she had worn only once.

She reached for one, then withdrew her hand.

"No."

She said it quietly.

"This one is from him."

She returned it to its place.

Then she moved to the other side of the wardrobe and took out the clothes she had bought herself.

She placed them inside a small suitcase.

She didn't feel sad as she did so.

It felt more like an attempt to divide her life into two parts.

One that belonged to her.

And one that belonged to the man who no longer wanted her.

An hour later, the suitcase was hidden somewhere no one could easily find it.

Then Elena picked up her phone and called her closest friend.

Only a few seconds passed before Sophia's voice came through.

"Elena? Why are you calling at this hour?"

Elena fell silent for a moment.

It was the first time she had felt that she was about to tell someone else the truth.

"Sophia... I need your help."

Sophia's voice changed immediately.

"What happened?"

Elena sat on the edge of the bed.

"I need you not to ask me why right now."

"Elena, you're scaring me."

She closed her eyes.

"Alexander is cheating on me."

Silence followed.

Even Sophia didn't know what to say at first.

Then her shocked voice came through.

"What?"

"I received some pictures and a video."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Elena then told her everything that had happened.

The anonymous message.

The pictures.

The video.

Victoria's voice.

And the things Alexander had said about her.

Sophia listened until the end without interrupting.

Then she asked firmly, "Have you confronted him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to give him the chance to lie to me."

Sophia was silent for a moment.

Then she asked, "What are you going to do?"

Elena looked at the small suitcase inside the wardrobe.

"I'm leaving."

"When?"

"In a week."

Sophia took a slow breath.

"All right. What do you need me to do?"

"I want you to help me prepare the divorce papers."

Another silence followed.

Then Sophia said, "I will."

Elena felt a little relieved.

"I also want you to find me somewhere to live."

"A house?"

"Yes. A small apartment or a simple house. I don't need anything big."

"Elena, you don't even know where you're going to live, and you still want to leave in a week?"

"I can't stay here any longer."

Her voice was calm, but firm.

Sophia understood that her friend had already made up her mind.

"All right. I'll start looking today."

"But don't tell anyone."

"I promise."

"And I don't want anything fancy."

Sophia let out a small laugh despite the situation.

"I know you. You'll look for a place with a bedroom, a kitchen, and a window, then tell me it's wonderful."

Elena smiled for the first time since the previous night.

"Maybe."

Elena glanced at the jewelry box on the table.

Inside were expensive pieces Alexander had given her over the years.

"The jewelry, the clothes, the gifts, even the little things he chose for me himself... I'm not taking any of them."

"But they're yours."

"Maybe, but I don't want to carry anything with me that reminds me of him."

She paused for a moment before adding, "I'll take only what I bought with my own money and my personal belongings."

"Where will you put all of that?"

"I'll divide everything among the coming days."

Sophia nodded, even though Elena couldn't see her.

"All right. We'll do this together."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Just don't try to be strong all by yourself."

Elena lowered her eyes.

"I'll try."

After the call ended, Elena began putting her plan into action.

That day, she took out some books she had bought herself, several pieces of clothing, and a few personal belongings.

The following day, she packed another bag.

Then she gathered a small collection of photographs that belonged to her alone.

She hid everything inside small boxes and moved them out of the mansion without anyone noticing.

Whenever she passed Alexander, she acted as though everything were normal.

She smiled.

She answered whenever he spoke to her.

And sometimes, she even asked whether he needed anything.

He had no idea that the woman standing before him was preparing to leave.

On the evening of the third day, Alexander entered his room and noticed that one of the drawers looked less full than usual.

He stopped.

He opened the drawer.

He examined its contents for a few seconds.

Then he closed it.

He didn't think much of it.

Perhaps Elena had simply rearranged her belongings.

To him, there was nothing to worry about.

Meanwhile, in another room, Elena was placing the last piece of clothing into a small suitcase.

Then she sent Sophia a message.

"How much longer?"

The reply arrived a few minutes later.

"I found a suitable apartment for you. I'll send you the details tonight, and I'll start the divorce paperwork tomorrow."

Elena read the message several times.

Then she placed her phone against her chest and closed her eyes.

Only four days remained.

Just four days...

And after that, Elena King would no longer be the woman who waited for her husband to come home.

She would be Elena, the woman who had chosen to start her life anew.