OLIVIA’S POV
Staring at the divorce papers, the cold feeling in my chest spread through my entire body,
So he had prepared this a long time ago. He'd carried them here, meaning that even if I hadn't brought it up,he would have.
A bitter smile curled my lips. Should I have been happy that he'd made things easier for me, or angry that he'd planned on this beforehand?
Did it even matter anymore?
“You really had all the bases covered didn't you?” I said, looking up to meet his gaze.
“Since we've come to an agreement, there's no use in wasting any time. Cassandra is pregnant and…” he took a deep breath and continued, “And I can't do this anymore, Olivia. My mother is right. This marriage has been a museum of disappointments.” No
His words hit harshly, confirming everything I already knew. All his excuses, the justification he made about distancing himself were all lies.
He had looked down on me and now that his first love was pregnant with his child, I was no longer of use.
And what about me? All the love I poured into him, the sacrifices I'd made. Two years. Two years of loving him, endless pain from bearing treatments for his sake. This past month of bearing silence after his betrayal, all for nothing.
Anger brimmed low in me. Perhaps it showed in my stare, because he averted his gaze.
“This is for the best. I’ve already had my lawyers draft a generous settlement of 10 million. You'll be compensated for the past two years. That will keep you comfortable for the rest of your life. All you have to do is sign.” he said.
I looked at the man I had loved more than my own life. He was a stranger to me now. I could imagine Beatrice's victorious look. Cassandra's saccharine smugness.
This was what they wanted, after all.
I shut my eyes, the suffocating feeling nearly choking me, but I wouldn't break down. Not now. Not yet.
I had one final question to ask.
“Tell me, did you ever actually love me? Or was I just a placeholder for her?”
Was everything a lie, or had he changed his heart?
It was a futile question and I knew it. It wouldn't erase his betrayal or the hurt I'd suffered. Perhaps I didn't want to hear the answer.
Looking at him, I met that strange flicker again before his gaze cooled.
“This has nothing to do with her. it's for the best, Olivia. You’ll realize that.” he said, voice painfully neutral. A part of me thought he was reading from a script. He probably was. He'd rehearsed every angle to push me away.
I wouldn't care anymore.
Resignation filled me. I picked up the pen and signed my name and with it, the two years. The moment the ink fried, my eyes stung.
It was done.
Damien took the divorce papers and I looked away, staring at the window. The sun hadn't broken fully through the clouds and the air was still shrouded in dewy mist, leaving cool emptiness in its wake.
‘How quaint’, I thought hollowly, considering it reflected my life now.
“I will deal with the remaining procedures. The settlement balance will also be paid into your account.” his voice rang, “Your hospital bills have also been paid. Whenever you're discharged, you can pack your things and leave the mansion."
My insides twisted, but I kept my lips sealed. It wasn't until I heard his footsteps as he reached the door and the sound of the twisting lock came that I spoke.
“You said you were disappointed but I could say the same about you Damien.” I said. His footsteps halted immediately and I shifted to face him, meeting his suit-covered back. “I'd wasted two years of my time with you, getting bullied by your mother. You watched her treat me like I was a broken object, and you never once told her to stop. Because deep down, you agreed with her. Didn't you?”
His back remained rigid. He didn't say anything but it was confirmation for me. I swallowed through the lump in my throat, the pain threatening to swallow me whole.
“If I'd known it would come to this, I would have never fallen for you. If you regret marrying me, I also regret the two years we spent together. Now leave.” I said. “ I hope you're happy.”
Seconds passed before I heard the door open and shut. I shut my eyes tightly, letting myself curl into a ball.
‘This was the last time I would cry for him,’ I promised myself.
Clutching my belly, the determination inside me solidified. This wouldn't be the end.
…
Two days later, I was discharged and had fully recovered. Just as he'd said, the settlement had been paid into my account and my copy of the divorce certificate was sent to me the day before. He had truly wasted no time.
I didn't bother to look at it a moment longer, stuffing it into the file where the rest of my important documents would go soon. With this, the last ties binding us together were gone.
The first thing I did was take a taxi to the Lightwood estate. I needed to cut ties cleanly and take everything I owned away.
As soon as I stepped in, I heard them. Tinkling laughter drifted from the living room.
It didn't take long to Beatrice and Cassandra.
I tried to slip upstairs, but Beatrice’s voice cut through the air.
"Look what the cat dragged in." She "What are you still doing here, Olivia?"
I stopped and turned. Beatrice was standing there with a glass of champagne. Cassandra was draped in a silk robe on the sofa. My robe.
"I’m here for my things, Beatrice," I said coldly. "Then I’m gone…for good.”
Cassandra stood up, resting a hand on her stomach. She looked radiant with victory.
"Oh, Olivia. The house feels so much lighter already. Like a dark cloud has finally lifted," Cassandra said, throwing a deceptive smirk at me..
"It’s amazing what happens when you remove the dead weight," Beatrice added. "A barren woman in this house was always a mistake."
Both of them laughed so loudly. It made my heart sink deeper.
Immediately i made my way into the room. I grabbed a small suitcase and threw in my essentials, my passport, my mother’s necklace, and my birth certificate.
Then, I saw it. The small white plastic stick sitting on the nightstand where I’d left it the night of the anniversary. Two blue lines.
I picked it up.
"Don't worry baby," I whispered to my stomach. "I'll take care of you"
A dark, bitter thought crossed my mind. I walked down the hall to Damien’s home office. I knew he was at work, but he would come here tonight. I walked to his desk and placed the pregnancy test right in the center, on top of his files. I didn't leave a note. The two lines on the stick said everything.
As I turned to leave, Cassandra was in the doorway. She saw the test. Her eyes widened in pure terror.
"What is that?" she hissed.
"A parting gift," I said, walking toward her.
She blocked my path.
"You’re lying! You’re trying to trick him! You aren't pregnant! Everyone knows you're a defect, Olivia!"
She reached for the desk, but I stepped in her way. "Stay away from it."
"Get out!" she screamed. Beatrice appeared behind her.
"What is going on?" Beatrice demanded.
"She’s making up lies!" Cassandra cried. "She’s trying to ruin everything!"
Beatrice grabbed my arm, her nails digging in. "I told you to leave! You are nothing! Get out of this house now!"
They began to shove me. Beatrice’s hands were on my shoulders, pushing me toward the hallway.
Cassandra was sneering in my face, "He’ll never believe you. He hates you."
"Let go of me!" I struggled, terrified for the babies.
I felt a dull thud of pain in my abdomen.
They pushed me toward the top of the grand staircase.
"Go back to the hole you crawled out of!" Beatrice yelled, giving me one final, violent shove.
I stumbled, my heel catching. I managed to grab the railing, steadying myself, but the malice in their eyes told me I had to run. I scrambled down the stairs, clutching my suitcase, and burst through the front door.
I took a pause a stared silently at the mansion. The memories of i and Damien flashed across my mind. A tear slipped down from my eyes, but I immediately wiped it off.
I got into my car, hands shaking so much I could barely start the engine. I pulled out of the driveway. I was sobbing now tears clouded my vision.
The rain started to fall, heavy and thick. I entered the main highway, and my mind drifted to Damien’s cold eyes and the blood on the carpet.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to my stomach. "I'm so sorry."
I was about to make a turn when a high beam blinded me. A sharp defening sound erupted and when i could catch a clear glimpse of what was ahead , a massive truck barreled through the rain, unable to stop.
"No!" I screamed,
I struggled to punch the brakes, but i was too late.
The crash hit me like a violent force. I heard metal twisting and glass exploding around me. My car spun out of control, and my head slammed hard against the side window. A blinding white light filled my vision, and all I could smell was burning rubber choking the air.
Then, silence.
I was hanging upside down in my seatbelt. The rain was dripping through the broken windshield, cold against my skin. I tried to move, but my body felt like it didn't belong to me.
The last thing I thought about were my babies before darkness swallowed me whole.
