[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 say. So I just go with the flow. “I want to divorce Caden. Can you help me?”

A pause. And then, “I’m sorry, what?”

I swallow the lump in my throat, and repeat myself, “I want to divorce Caden. Please help me with it. I don’t want to stay in this marriage anymore.”

“Viv…what happened…where are you right now?”

I sniff, wiping my tears away. “I’m in Caden’s house. But I want to leave as soon as possible. Just tell me if you can help me or not. I’m done repeating myself to anyone who asks me the same question.”

I hear him sigh, and for a moment, I think he would refuse to help me. I don’t know why I called him instead of my best friend, but I needed someone to help me right now and he’s the only lawyer I know.

“Of course. I’ll help you. Just tell me where you are right now. I’ll come to get you.”

I breathe out a sigh of relief and tell him the address.

“Alright, I’ll be there in 20 minutes. Stay put, okay?”

I nod and hang up.

I go to the bathroom to freshen myself up, and try to get rid of the puffy red eyes. I know I look like a mess, but I don’t care about it right now.

All I want to do is get out of this house and never return to it ever again.

True to his words, Elijah shows up at the house twenty minutes later.

To my huge surprise, he looks far more handsome than he looked the last time we met three years ago. He’s wearing a sharp suit and looks much more professional than he ever did. Perhaps it’s the seriousness he had garnered in his deep eyes, or the way his chin is peppered with a faint beard, he looks different somehow. Different but handsome.

But that’s only a brief thought that crosses my mind, because the moment he steps inside the house, I throw my arms around him, not able to stop the hurt from leaking through my eyes.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Hey.” He says soothingly, running a hand down my spine. “Enough. No more crying, alright? Let’s get you out of here. I’ll take you to my place. We can talk about everything when you feel better, okay?”

I nod, wiping my tears away. “Okay. Just give me five minutes. I need to grab a few things.”

He nods. “Sure. I’ll wait in the car.”

I grab my purse and suitcase, and head to the door. But before I get the chance to leave, my phone rings again. Caden’s name flashes on the screen.

I debate for a moment if I should answer it or not, but eventually press the green button and put the phone against my ear.

He doesn’t even wait for me to say hello.

“I just called to let you know that I’m leaving for Washington tonight. I don’t know when I’ll be back so don’t wait up.”

I clench my jaw, gripping the handle of my suitcase tighter. Has he already forgotten that I asked him for a divorce? That I don’t want to have anything with him anymore? Does he take me so lightly that he thinks our argument over the divorce isn’t even worth his concern?

I’m so mad at him and I’m about to say something when he hangs up without giving me the chance to speak.

I stare at my phone for a moment, gritting my teeth, feeling angry and disappointed at myself. How could I marry such an insensitive asshole? How could I give my heart to someone who doesn’t even care about it? How? How could I be so blind and an idiot?

I don’t know how long I stand there staring at the screen of my phone, but when I look up, I find Elijah leaning against the side of his car, watching me quietly.

I can’t decipher what he’s thinking, but the frown on his face tells me that he wants to ask me if I’m alright.

I give him a smile I know he knows is fake and head towards him.

“Ready?” He asks, opening the trunk of his car and helping me load my suitcase in it.

I nod. “Yeah.”

“Good. Let’s go then.”

[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 one.”

I clench the phone tighter, so close to screaming my head off.

“Well, at least I had a relationship that was somewhat respectable in the society. What do you have? A one-night stand that kept on repeating itself? Do you even know how pathetic you look with Caden? No one takes you seriously because you’re just a slut.”

She gasps. I smile, feeling satisfied.

“You bitch!” She snaps and I can hear the rage in her voice. I grin, liking how she sounds like right now. “How dare you talk to me like that! I’m—”

“You’re what? His lover? Caden’s little plaything? The woman he fucks behind my back?”

Okay, I’ll be honest. I’m kind of enjoying this. Why didn’t I do this before?

“You’re crossing your limit, Vivienne. I swear to God, I’ll make you pay for this.”

I snort. “Whatever,” but then I remember that she’s also his assistant and I smile to myself. “Oh, and please pass on my message to Caden. Tell him that the divorce papers will reach him by this afternoon. In fact, I’ll bring them to his office myself.”

And without giving her a chance to say something, I hang up.

———

[Caden]

I’m busy reading a contract prepared by our legal team when Sasha bursts into the conference room, her whole face red for some reason.

I lift a brow, but she only shakes her head, flashing a fake smile that I can’t help but roll my eyes at.

If Sasha thinks she doesn’t know how much she tries to copy Astrid, my former lover, she’s mistaken big time. But I don’t say that to her, it’s not my place. If she wants to waste her time trying to impress me with all the surgeries she went through over the last three years to look like my supermodel ex-girlfriend, there’s nothing I can do.

Not everyone can accept me like Vivienne does.

Not everyone is as patient as her either.

“This looks fine to me,” I say and get up, everyone follows. “Make sure it reaches the Warners as soon as possible. I don’t want to give them even a second of relief from the previous matter. Make them sweat. Make them feel pressured. Show them we mean business and we won’t hesitate to sue if they keep on dragging this for long.”

Everyone nods their heads and I dismiss them. When Sasha and I are the only people in the room, that’s when she bursts into tears. “Caden, I’m so sorry.”

I frown. “Sorry for what?”

She sniffs, wiping her eyes. Then, she grabs the box of tissue papers on the table and blows her nose.

I watch it all with my brows raised. I don’t know why women have to act like this. Why are they always crying? Do they have nothing better to do?

I sigh, my patience wearing thin. “Spit it out. I don’t have all day to listen to your sob story.”

I know I sound harsh, but I can’t help it. I hate it when people cry. Can’t they man up? Crying doesn’t solve shit.

“I—” She hiccups. I frown. “Vivienne called me and—”

I tense, my mind already alert.

“I just called to let her know that she needs to attend the dinner at Grover’s with you next week but she…” She sniffles, another set of tears falling down her cheeks. “She insulted me and called me a slut. She even accused me of having a one-night stand with you.”

I roll my eyes. It figures.

“Sasha, if that’s all you have to say, then leave. I don’t have time for this.”

“But Caden—”

I glare at her and she gulps, shutting up instantly.

“I said, leave.”

“B-But—”

“Leave.”

She finally gets the hint and leaves the conference room.

I lean back in my chair, massaging my temples to ease the incoming headache.

But then I grab my phone and dial for Vivienne.

I wait and wait and wait, but she doesn’t pick up.

I try again, but still the same result.

Well, fuck it. I don’t have patience for this. If she wants to stay mad for what happened last night, then she’s more than welcome to do so.

I text her instead.

Caden: Stop acting like a child and call me.

A minute later, she replies.

Vivienne: If only you stop acting like a man-whore.

I scoff.

Caden: That’s what you think about me?

Vivienne: That’s what everyone thinks about you.

Vivienne: Don’t believe me? Watch the news.

I freeze at those words. But I do as she says. I grab the remote from the table and switch on the TV.

My blood boils at what I see.

There’s a clip of me kissing Sasha at the party yesterday.

And the headline: CEO Caden Lawrence cheating on his wife with his secretary?

Fuck.