I didn’t even glance at him. His words meant nothing anymore. His voice no longer had the power to wound me.
“There’s food in the fridge,” I said, my tone eerily calm. “Help yourself.”
As the fire roared higher, I let my gaze drift to the house behind me—the place that no longer felt like home. The walls, the furniture, the very air reeked of Maureen. It wasn’t mine anymore.
I set a timer. By tomorrow, when I was far away, when nothing tied me to this place anymore, this house would burn.
A fitting end.
With one last glance at the flames, I reached for the divorce agreement. I had prepared it after they had pushed me out of the celebration. Thankfully, a friend had rushed the process for me. It was time to end this.
When I returned inside, Harland was still on the phone with Maureen, his attention nowhere near me. I placed the papers in front of him. “Sign this.”
He barely looked up. With a careless shrug, he scrawled his signature across the page and shoved them back at me. “There. Happy now? Leave me alone.”
I took the papers, fingers tightening around them. The final tie between us was severed.
As I turned to leave, I whispered under my breath, so softly he couldn’t hear—
“I will. Forever.”
Avery's POV
I sat alone at my desk, tucked away in the quietest corner of my bedroom, the weight of my reality crashing down on me. The pain, the betrayal, the fury—they all twisted together, suffocating my thoughts. I had no choice. I had to walk away, and this time, there would be no turning back.
My hand trembled as I gripped the pen, struggling to find the right words. But I couldn’t leave without saying something. Something for Harland Something that would put an end to the illusion I had once believed in.
I began writing:
Harland,
I can’t do this anymore. I’m done. You have shattered every piece of me I thought you once cherished. I won’t keep pretending—not for you, not for anyone. I’m leaving, and this time, I won’t be looking back.
And you never even noticed, did you? It never even crossed your mind to care. I’m pregnant. A week ago, I stood in front of that damn gift box, ready to surprise you with the news, and you were too preoccupied with Maureen. The woman you so desperately wanted beside you, the one who replaced me, the one who reduced me to nothing more than a shadow in her wake.