With her hate-filled eyes burning into him, he carried me away. That night, for the first time, he cried in front of me. He whispered “sorry” over and over, as though he’d failed me by letting her live.
But tonight, on the ride home, he didn’t call me once.
Instead, I saw his friends posting updates, sharing his interactions with Arabella.
Turned out, after I left, their atmosphere wasn’t nearly as hostile.
Marianne's POV
Maybe the truth was, they had already made peace a long time ago. And I was the only one still holding on to all of this like a fool.
With that in mind, I called my best friend, Colette Montgomery, who happened to be a lawyer, and asked her to draft a divorce agreement for me.
When she heard I wanted a divorce, she was shocked. “What did Gideon do? Did he hit you?”
“No. He treats me well,” I said quietly, then gave her a brief explanation.
The moment she learned he had forgiven his sworn enemy, she laughed in disbelief. Then she swore she’d handle the divorce papers for me.
It was supposed to be Thanksgiving, but as I walked away from the noisy gathering and came home alone, the silence felt crushing.
At four in the morning, Gideon finally stumbled in, reeking of alcohol. The moment he got into bed, he pulled me close, pressing his warm lips against mine, insistent and probing.
After three years of marriage, I knew exactly what he wanted.
His body pressed down on me as one hand fumbled toward the nightstand. His kisses left me weak until I heard the sound of a pill packet being snapped open.
In that instant, desire turned to ice in my veins.
“Be good,” he whispered. “Take the pill, and we’ll keep going.”
But I clenched my jaw and refused. I wouldn’t take another birth control pill.
Out of nowhere, Arabella’s words from earlier replayed in my head. “We even made a pact that until the scar on my collarbone healed, he couldn’t have kids with you.
My stomach turned. I shoved his drunken body off me and spat the pill he’d tried to force between my lips back out. The bitterness burned so much that it brought tears to my eyes.
I took a deep breath and said, my back to him, “Let’s get a divorce.”
But when I turned around, bracing myself, Gideon was already asleep.
His wedding ring then slipped out of his pocket and hit the floor. He probably took it off earlier while “playing games” with Arabella, so he wouldn’t scratch her with it.