“Wait!”
Joshua’s voice stopped me. He rushed after me, grabbing my arm.
I shook him off, my eyes flashing with a final, desperate warning. “Mr. Sterling, we are no longer married. If you touch me again, I’m
calling the police.”
He stared at me, his face a mask of disbelief. “Viv, where… where are you going?”
“Home. To pack my things and get out of your way. Or would you rather have me thrown out?” I shot him a cold glare and turned to
leave.
He started to follow, but Mila let out a cry of pain, clutching her stomach. He hesitated, then rushed back to her side. He didn’t
follow me again.
When I got home, our housekeeper, Mrs. Gable, saw my suitcases. “Ma’am,” she said with a smile, “are you going on a trip?”
“Mrs. Gable, Joshua and I are divorced. Please don’t call me ‘ma’am‘ anymore. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”
She was silent for a moment, then said, “Ma’am, please don’t think I’m overstepping, but… Mr. Sterling is a good man, really. What-
ever you want, he gets for you. So he has another woman on the side… in this day and age, what rich man doesn’t? And besides…
you can’t have children. The fact that he’s kept you as his wife all this time… he’s been more than fair. Is it really worth throwing
everything away over something so small?”
think?”
I pushed past her and stormed toward the door.
Joshua was just coming in.
He saw my suitcases and his face fell. He lunged forward and grabbed the handle. “Where do you think you’re going?”
I tried to yank it away, but he was too strong. I let go of the suitcase and just started walking.
He grabbed my arm. “Where are you going?” he demanded.
“Joshua!” I screamed, ripping my arm from his grasp. “I did what you wanted! We’re divorced! You can go be with your precious Mila now! No one is stopping you! What more do you want from me?”
A flicker of guilt crossed his face. The fight seemed to drain out of him. When he looked at me again, his eyes were softer. “Viv, can we please just sit down and talk?”
“Sorry, I’m busy,” I snapped, and walked away. Even without my suitcase, I was leaving this house, this life that had brought me not-
Hing but pain.
He caught up to me, grabbing my arm again. I fought, but he dragged me back inside, up the stairs, and locked me in our bedroom.
I knew him. He wouldn’t give up until he got what he wanted. So this time, I didn’t fight. I just sat down and waited to see what new performance he had in store.
He brought me a glass of water. “Here,” he said gently. “Calm down.”
“Just say what you have to say.”
He set the water down and sat, sighing heavily. After a long minute of silence, he finally spoke, his voice low and full of regret. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for everything I’ve put you through.”
I didn’t look at him.
“When Mila was screaming about her stomach at the coffee shop,” he continued, “I took her to the hospital. While she was being examined, all these… memories… came flooding into my head. And there was this voice, yelling at me. Asking me why. Why, after I‘ d sworn to love you forever, did I spend our marriage hurting you with my words? Why did I take the woman who’d hurt you as my mistress, have a child with her, and then try to divorce you for them?”
He buried his face in his hands. “What happened to me? How did I become this person?”
His remorse meant nothing to me. The heart he had killed would never beat for him again.
“Are you done?” I asked coldly. “If you’re done, I’m leaving.”
He grabbed my hand and fell to his knees, his eyes red and swimming with tears. “Viv, please, don’t leave me. I know I was wrong.
Please don’t divorce me! Please?”
I almost laughed. “You’re the one who wanted the divorce, Joshua. You were ready to kill me for Mila. And now you’re putting on this pathetic show? For who? Do you think a few apologies and sweet words can erase everything you’ve done? I’ve had enough of
you. Leave me alone.”
I pulled my hand away and went to the door. He jumped up and blocked my path, his expression deadly serious. “Viv, I know I’ve
done a lot of terrible things, but I can change. I’ll tear up the divorce papers. I’ll get rid of Mila, make sure she never comes near us
again. I’ll swear to God, if I ever make you cry again, I’ll drop dead.”
He thought this was a grand gesture. To me, he was just… contemptible.
“Calling you a scumbag is a compliment,” I said.
opened the door and walked out of that house for the last time.
I deleted his number, blocked him on everything, and found a small rental apartment. I hadn’t worked since marrying Joshua, so
finding a job wasn’t easy. But my best friend, Chloe, owned her own company and gave me a quiet position. “Viv,” she said, her
smile warm and healing, “you’re safe here. If anyone gives you any trouble, you just tell me, and I’ll take care of them.”
“Thank you,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.
