She struggled against him. "Xavier, stop it. I'm your stepmother now!"
His expression shifted. He pressed her against the wall, his voice raw.
"I never wanted you to be my stepmother. We grew up together—you and me, that was always the real thing!"
"If I wasn't afraid that marrying you would set tongues wagging and hurt you, do you think I would've married Maggie?"
"She was nothing but a shield to keep people from talking. You're the only one I've ever loved."
Tilda stopped struggling. She wrapped her arms around him.
Every word hit me like ice water filling my lungs. My legs gave out, and I crumpled to the ground.
With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone and called Renata.
"Renata, I need you to draft a divorce agreement. You're my lawyer."
Her voice spiked immediately. "What happened? Did Xavier do something to you?!"
I didn't answer her question. "Just do what I'm asking. Please."
Then I called my father.
"Dad. I'm getting a divorce."
Silence on the other end. Then his voice came through, steady and warm.
"Alright. I'm here, sweetheart. No matter what happened, I'll always be right behind you."
The second I hung up, the tears broke free.
So that was the truth of my last life. Every bit of it had been one-sided. Every tender moment, every loving gesture—all of it performed. Love really could be faked.
When the ambulance arrived, Xavier rushed to carry Tilda onto the stretcher, hovering over her as though she might shatter.
He never once looked for me.
I stared at the place that had once held all my happiness. Now it was rubble. Just like what Xavier and I had been—reduced to nothing.
I didn't hesitate. I turned and walked away.
By the time Renata came to pick me up, I was barely holding it together. The look on my face startled her.
"Maggie?"
I glanced up at her but said nothing. She didn't push. She just took me home.
Once we were inside, she handed me the divorce papers she'd already drawn up.
"Take a look. See if there's anything you want to add."
I shook my head, signed my name, and set the papers on the table.
"Send them to Xavier. Get his signature."
Renata opened her mouth, closed it, then spoke anyway.
"I don't know what happened. But I know it wasn't your fault. If he refuses to sign, we go to court—and when that happens, you have to tell me everything."
She softened her voice. "For now, go take a hot shower and get some sleep."