[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, arms folded across his chest. “Are you sure you want to deliver them yourself? I can send them through someone else and make sure they get to him.”
“No,” I shake my head because this is the one last thing I’ll do for him. “I can do it. Besides, I need to look him in the eye and tell him this is over. Only then will I be able to move on for real. I don’t want to hide behind you like some coward, Elijah. I want him to know that this is what I want, that I’m finally letting him go.”
The drive to Caden’s office isn’t a long one. When we reach his office complex, it only takes me ten minutes to get to the elevator and another five minutes to reach his floor.
I know he texted me last night that he would be leaving for Washington, but according to one of the posts on Instagram—who apparently knows my husband’s whereabouts better than I do—he returned a few hours ago, with his mistress by his side, obviously.
When the elevator doors swish open, the reception comes into view.
I walk straight to the woman who sits behind the desk and ask to see Caden.
The woman looks up from the screen of her computer and frowns, trying to recognize me.
But I know she can’t. Caden never made our marriage public, something I always thought was because of his parents. They never liked me, not even a bit, always trying to prove I was no good no match for their son. I tried so hard to change their mind, but couldn’t. They had made up their mind, I suppose. And they hated me even more when Caden refused to divorce me a few times when they suggested in the past.
“I’m sorry, but do you have an appointment?” The receptionist asks and I shake my head.
Well, I did inform Sasha of my arrival but I should know better than to think she would do me any favours in this lifetime.
“No—” I have barely said anything when she rolls her eyes and goes back to focus on her computer screen.
I grit my teeth. This woman clearly has no idea who I am.
I knock my fist against the marble desk and she glares at me, annoyance written all over her face.
I flash her a sweet smile, the kind that will surely leave her confused.
“Tell Caden Lawrence that his wife is here to see him.”
Her eyes widen, shock written all over her face. But then she recovers and scoffs out a laugh. “Nice try, but Mr Lawrence doesn’t have a wife. Now please, leave before I call security.”
I can’t believe my ears. This is what I get for being such a pushover all my life.
But I’m so done, so damn done with this life of humiliation that no matter how but I’ll put Caden in his place.
I’m about to lose my temper when a door opens to my right and a loud heels clacking sound fills the whole lobby.
I look that way and find Sasha walking towards me.
She looks shocked to see me here, but then the shocked expression changes into something ugly and vile.
“What are you doing here?” She hisses, her hands going to her waist.
I smile, not because I want to, but because I don’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she got to me with her attitude.
“I came to see Caden.”
“Well, he’s busy at the moment. So, leave before I call security.”
I almost laugh at her threat. “That’s it? Why stop there? Call my husband too. I’m sure he would love to hear you talk about security.”
She flinches at the mention of Caden as my husband and I smirk.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says, her face turning red. She looks over my shoulder and puts a fake smile on her disgusting face. “This woman is crazy. Please escort her out of the building.”
Before I can react, two tall and bulky men appear beside me and grab my arms. Sasha and the receptionist both look satisfied with my helpless state. I grit my teeth, trying to yank my arms away from these men’s hold, but it’s useless.
“Get off me!” I yell when one of the men starts dragging me towards the elevator.
But Sasha only smirks, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Don’t come back here again. Otherwise, you’ll get to taste my wrath. Do you understand?”
I glare at her but she’s not paying attention to me anymore.
The guard continues to drag me to the elevator.
I try to struggle again, but it’s pointless. These guards are bigger and stronger than me.
“What’s going on here?”
Everyone freezes.
I look towards the direction of the voice and find Caden standing at the end of the corridor.
He stands there, with his perpetual scowl, looking so handsome and pissed off that I can’t help but stare at him.
“Caden!” Sasha runs towards him and grabs his arm. “I tried to stop her. Look, she’s creating a scene…”
I roll my eyes. “Stop lying, Sasha. Everyone here watched how you tried to throw me out of the office.” Then, I turn my gaze to Caden, who’s still glaring at me. “And will you please tell your people who I am and ask them to let go of me?”
Caden glares behind me. “She’s my wife, you idiots. Let her go.”
“What? Mr Lawrence is married? Since when?” The guards murmur, looking all surprised, but not before muttering apologies for their behaviour and rushing away.
I rub my arms, facing the receptionist who looks like a fish out of water. Nervous. Embarrassed. Not sure what to do with herself. When her eyes meet mine, she comes skipping out of the desk. “I’m so sorry, madam. I hope you’ll forgive me. I was just trying to do my job.”
What she was doing was trying to humiliate me, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she had done that to someone else as well. As much as I want to teach her a lesson, I ignore the feeling. She’s not my concern. I have come here with only one thing on my mind, and that’s the only thing that matters to me anymore.
Caden walks over to where I stand and stops right in front of me.
He looks angry, but I don’t care.
I stare back at him, not backing down.
“In my office. Now!”
[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
[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.
[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