[Vivienne]
During the entire drive to Elijah’s place, I keep my gaze out and thought to myself.
Elijah tries to break the silence a few times, but I only have a word or two for him in response. I’m just not in the mood for a conversation. All I want is some space and quiet, so I can finally come to terms with what I’m about to do.
Once we reach his place, he comes around to open the door, and it’s only then I realize that we have reached.
“I’m sorry, I kind of faded away,” I mumble apologetically, but he only rolls his eyes.
“Don’t be,” he says and I like the way he’s not making a big deal of anything. He behaves like he always does, always cool in the head. “You know I’m glad to be of help. You wouldn’t have called if you didn’t already know.”
He’s right. I do know. When I left my home for Caden, Elijah was the only one who came to tell me that he had always had my back. That no matter the circumstances, he would never disappoint me.
I nod and that’s where we leave the conversation.
He leads the way to his apartment on the twentieth floor of this high-class complex and I do my best to keep my emotions in check.
“Now, tell me everything there’s for me to know,” he says when we are finally settled at his place and I have spent a good amount of minutes under the shower, rubbing off all the filth Caden left on and inside me.
I look up from the tea in my hand and sigh. “I can’t do this anymore.”
He doesn’t interrupt and I continue.
“Caden…I always thought I would be able to change his mind, that he would change his ways once he realized that…that no one can give him what I can. I tried so hard, Elijah,” tears burn my eyes, but I shove them away, angry that I’m still crying for that man.
“I tried so hard to make him love me. I waited and waited and waited, but he never showed me even a minute of affection. I feel so stupid now. So damn stupid. I don’t know why I even thought I could make him fall in love with me, that just because he agreed to the marriage, he would eventually grow to love me. I should have known better, right? I should have known he would never see me as someone he could trust, that he would always compare me with Astrid and find me lacking, that he would never see me as his wife, but as a piece of furniture he could use whenever he felt like it. I should have known. But I was stupid. I was so stupid that I got blinded by my own love for that man and willingly walked into my doom.”
Elijah curses under his breath. I know he hates Caden with all his heart, but he stays silent, listening to my rant patiently.
I look down at the cold tea and speak again, my voice hollow. “But I can’t do this anymore. I’m so tired, you know? So damn tired of everything. I don’t know how much longer I can tolerate his ignorance. I don’t know how much longer I can tolerate Caden humiliating me every single day. I just can’t do this anymore. I want out. I just want this pain to end.”
Elijah doesn’t reach for me or try to calm me down. He sits there, across the desk, as if he’s not a friend right now, but a professional who’s only doing his job.
“Alright,” he says then, leaning forward, hands on the desk. “I heard it all. But let me ask you again: are you sure about this?"
Am I?
If a month ago someone had asked me the same question, my answer would have been different.
But not anymore.
“Yes," I say and inhale a deep, confident breath. "I’ve made up my mind.”
Elijah nods, looking pleased with my response.
“Alright, I’ll prepare the papers tomorrow morning and have them sent to Caden. If he signs them, then this marriage will be officially over by this time next month. But if he doesn’t—”
I cut him off. “He will. I know he will. He’s been telling me to leave him since the day we got married. Trust me, he’ll hold a grand celebration when he sees my sign on the divorce papers. I’ll be surprised if he hadn’t brought his mistress home by now.”
I may be a fool in Caden’s eyes, but I’m not that stupid. I know that deep down, he wants this marriage to end as well and so does his assistant/mistress.
They probably want it more than me.
“Okay, then let’s hope for the best. I’ll have everything prepared by tomorrow and I’ll tell you once Caden gives us his signature.”
When I’m finally alone in my room, I scroll through whatever handful of pictures I have of Caden on my phone. They all give me the same kind of pain he does in person. I squeeze out whatever tears I have left in my eyes and suck in a deep breath.
Then I select all pictures of him and press delete.
When I wake up the next morning, the first thing I hear is my cell phone screaming next to my head. I grab it as I sit up and without even looking at the screen, swipe my thumb to answer.
“It’s good to know you finally came to your senses.”
[Vivienne]“It’s good to know you finally came to your senses.”To say I know the voice of the woman on the line would be an understatement.“What’s the point of calling me right now, Sasha?” I say and suppress a yawn. This is the worst thing to wake up to. To hear the sound of the woman behind my failed marriage. Well, one of the reasons.She laughs, sounding more excited than I want to know.“Just making sure it’s not one of your stunts to get Caden’s attention. We both know you’ll do anything for that man, even fake a divorce request to get him running to you.”I grit my teeth, my hands turning white around the phone. I can feel my temper rising, but I control it somehow.“Trust me, Sasha, you haven’t seen half of what I can do to get Caden’s attention.”She laughs, mocking me. I try not to lose my temper.“I don’t doubt it, Vivienne. But you should know by now that Caden wants nothing to do with you. You were just a replacement, remember? Your marriage has been a farce since day o
[Vivienne]“Stop watching that!” Elijah yanks the remote from my hand and turns off the TV.“Hey,” I try to stop him, but the screen is already black.“This is not moving on, Viv. You should know that better than anyone.”He’s right. I shouldn’t care about what happens in Caden’s life anymore. If the world thinks he’s a cheater and a manwhore, then maybe they are right. And that maybe is a good thing because now I have one more reason to divorce him.A few hours ago, when he texted me and I told him what the media was calling him, he didn’t even care to deny their claim. He just stopped texting altogether, leaving me like he always did whenever he was done with me.I was so mad at him that I instantly blocked him and his assistant.I know it’s childish, but that’s all I could think of at that moment. I just wanted to do something to release this pain in my heart. And it helped. Somewhat.“You’re right,” I say and get up. “I should stop wasting my time. Are the papers ready?”He nods,
[Vivienne]Without waiting for my response, he grabs my wrist and pulls me with him.I stumble a little, but somehow manage to keep my balance.But Caden doesn’t slow down, not even for a second.He drags me with him until we reach the end of the corridor and enter his office.When the door shuts close behind us, he throws me into the room and I stumble on my heels, crashing against his desk. For a second, something passes his face, his features soften, but by the time I blink, that expression is gone and he’s back to scowling.He walks around the desk and takes a seat, his gaze never leaving mine.“Why are you here?” He asks, his voice calm but I can hear the rage underneath.“I came to give you this.” I take
[Vivienne]I look to my left and find Caden standing next to me.His jaw is clenched and he looks furious.He turns to face Sasha and I can see her flinching under his gaze.“Caden, I don’t know why she hit me—”“You don’t know?” Caden asks, tipping his head to the side. “I believe you must have said something to my wife, didn’t you?”He lets go of her then and she instantly retreats, looking shocked by his behaviour, holding her hand to her chest.Then, he looks at me and I have to take a step back.I have nothing to fear him, but I still do. There’s something about the way he’s looking at me as if he’s pissed off beyond any explanation.He grabs my arm and drags me towards the elevator.“What are you doing? Let go of me.” I try to yank my arm away from him, but his hold only tightens.He doesn’t say anything.I look at the guards following us. They seem unfazed by the whole scene.When the elevator doors open, Caden pushes me inside and then signals the guards to stay put.I’m confus
[Vivienne]Caden looks as if he has seen a ghost, but then his expression changes, and his gaze hardens.“What the hell does that mean?”“It means that my client wants a divorce, and as her lawyer, I suggest you think twice before you say or do anything from this moment onwards. Otherwise, a divorce won’t be your only problem. We will also file a case against you for physical assault and mental harassment. So, if I were you, I would cooperate and make this easy for everyone involved. Think wisely, Mr. Lawrence. Sign the divorce papers, and no one gets hurt.”I’ve never been more thankful to Elijah than I am at this moment. He stands there, calm and composed, while Caden fumes, his jaw clenched.“Are you trying to threaten me?”I tense at his tone, suddenly scared of Caden’s reaction. But Elijah only straightens up and looks him in the eye.“I’m just doing my job.”Caden stares at him for a few seconds, and I swear I think he will attack Elijah, but then he looks at me, and a look of d
[Vivienne]The dinner at the table turned cold an hour ago but no sign of Caden.I check the time on the wall clock for the hundredth time perhaps, and try to suppress the hurt that once again rises to the surface like an angry volcano beneath my chest.It’s our third anniversary, and it’s almost midnight now, but like every single day in the past three years, he’s late as usual.I don’t know why I even try. My husband has dismissed me, rejected my efforts, and broken my heart so many times in the past, one would think I would have learned my lesson.But unfortunately, I have been cursed to be always hopeful.“Madam, should I reheat the dinner?” The head maid asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.I suck in the hurt and wipe away the tears from my eyes, not wanting to look as devastated as I feel.I smile at her like I always do.“No. That won’t be necessary,” I say and get up from the chair, pretending to yawn, hoping to look tired. “I think Caden got caught up in the meeting again,” b
[Vivienne]“Shh,” he hushes me, sucking my nipple harshly in his mouth. “Let’s just get over with it.”I gasp loudly as he bites down hard, making my whole body jerk with the sharp ache. I try to push him away, but it proves nothing in front of the force he is. He’s far stronger than me, far more persistent.“Stop resisting!” He snaps, yanking my hand away from his shoulder and pins it down above my head. “Isn’t this why you kept calling and texting me all day, wanting me to give you my attention? Isn’t this why you wore that sexy red gown tonight?”He grinds down his erection on my thigh, making me aware of the fact how hard he is right now.Is it because of the time he spent with Sasha or because of me? I can’t even tell anymore.“You never came!” I bite down a moan and glare up at him. “You promised to come home early today, Caden. It’s our anniversary!”He looks at me as if I had grown another head, tipping his face to the side, his dark eyes glinting in the moonlight pouring thro
[Vivienne]It takes me a minute to process what just happened. I don’t know why I said those words. I don’t want a divorce. I love Caden. I want to be with him forever. I want to have kids with him. I want to build a family with him.But he’s so done with me, that he didn’t even hesitate to agree to my demand.Tears spring to my eyes, and for the first time in a long time, I feel broken.I slump to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest.I cry until I feel numb.I cry until I feel empty.I cry until I feel nothing.And then when I can’t cry anymore, I pick myself up and head back to my room.There’s no point in staying back anymore. Caden doesn’t want me.It’s more obvious than ever.I pack my stuff and get ready to leave.When I’m done packing, I call someone I haven’t contacted in a while.He picks up in the second ring, and even though I try to keep the hurt at bay, it still shines through my voice.“Hey, Viv. What’s up?”I take a deep breath, not knowing how to say what I need to