The next time he returned was the day I gave birth to our daughter.
But he hadn’t come for us.
He had only come to take back the Infinity necklace he had once bought for me at an auction.
He had said that since Ophelia liked it, I should return it to its rightful owner.
And after that, he vanished more often than not, leaving nothing but a lingering emptiness behind.
Looking back on everything, I drew in a deep breath, slipped off my wedding ring and placed it on the table.
This suffocating, shattered marriage had to end.
Just then, Nathaniel walked in. The moment his eyes landed on me sitting on the sofa, they turned to ice.
He strode over, looming over me with an air of cold detachment.
"You saw everything at the hot spring, didn’t you?"
"It’s a good thing you didn’t lose control this time. If you’d laid a hand on Ophelia again, I wouldn’t have let you off so easily."
"Oh and I almost forgot, she’s moving in tomorrow. Her place is under renovation."
My fingers curled into fists, rage searing away the last remnants of restraint.
"Nathaniel, let’s get a divorce."
"I’ll step aside for you and Ophelia."
I rose to my feet and handed him the divorce papers. But instead of relief, he just stood there, staring at them in stunned silence.
Even now, a foolish part of me had clung to the hope that he might say something, anything, to change my mind.
But the first thing he did upon returning was announce that he was bringing Ophelia into our home, crushing any last ridiculous expectation I should’ve never held onto.
"What game are you playing now, you pathetic woman?"
"Divorce? You might as well be signing your own death sentence."
And with that, he tore the divorce papers to shreds.
I stared at him, disbelief washing over me. Hadn’t this been what he wanted all along?
For a fleeting moment, I thought, maybe, just maybe, he was doing this for our daughter.
But his next words shattered that illusion.
"In the past, I forced you to get a divorce, but you refused. Now, the moment you hear that Ophelia is moving in, you suddenly can’t wait to leave?"
"We’ll talk about the divorce later. Ophelia is coming tomorrow and there won’t be anyone around to take care of her. She’s always been pampered, not like you. You’ll stay and look after her. After all, that’s about the only thing you’re good for."