Then his voice cut through, colder this time. “I’ll handle it. She won’t find out.”
A pause.
“And if she does?” someone asked.
“So what if she does?” he said, almost amused. “She loves me too much to ever leave.”
Outside the door, I couldn’t move.
I thought it would break me. But it didn’t.
It just... emptied me.
My chest felt heavy, but the pain was gone.
Like a fire that finally burned itself out.
….
The next few days, Dominic got even busier.
He left before sunrise, came home when the sky was already turning pale, and spent most nights locked up in his study. The light under that door never went off.
He thought I didn’t notice. But I knew.
He was planning his grand rescue to Loriana’s wedding. His little fairytale.
That morning, I woke up early and went to the lawyer’s office. The air smelled like rain, but I felt nothing.
By the time I got home, the divorce certificate was already inside my bag. I didn’t take a single cent, just my things. I didn’t want his money, his pity, or his name.
When I stepped into the house, he was standing in front of the mirror, fixing his tie.
A new navy suit. Silver cufflinks. He looked perfect. Like he was going to war for love.
“Hey,” he said with that fake warm smile. “You’re up early. You should rest. I’ve got something important to handle today.”
He turned, brushed his hand over my stomach like it was routine. “Be good, okay? Don’t make Mommy upset, or Daddy will get angry.”
The way he said it? It used to melt me. Now it made my stomach twist.
He still didn’t notice.
He still didn’t know there was no baby anymore.
I held the divorce certificate tight in my hand. “Dominic,” I said quietly, “I have something to tell you.”
He frowned, already half checking his watch. “Can we talk later? I’m really in a rush.”
“So busy you can’t give me five minutes?”
His jaw clenched. “It’s important, Rosie. Please. Tonight, okay?”
“More important than me?” I asked.
His answer came fast. “Yes. MORE IMPORTANT THAN MY LIFE.”
I smiled at that. It wasn’t anger I felt. Just a kind of hollow calm. Like when you’ve been crying for too long and your body forgets how to feel.
“Then go,” I said softly. “Don’t be late.”
He looked at me like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. He just kissed my forehead and walked out the door.
When the sound of his car disappeared, I went into the kitchen. The fridge light flickered as I opened it.