[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.

[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!”