Chapter 4
The Divorce
Carters POV
I stared at the divorce papers in front of me, the harsh, cold words blurring together.
When she threw the words at me during the funeral, I thought she was simply bluffing, trying to get under my skin but now, I realised how wrong I was.
Veronica, my wife, the woman I had shared years of my life with, was filing for divorce. And I didn’t understand why.
My heart pounded in my chest, and my throat tightened with panic. The room felt suffocating. This couldn’t be happening. Not like this.
How could she, of all people, be the one to make this decision? Veronica had always been so meek, so patient.
She never demanded anything, never pushed me, never even raised her voice in anger.
She had supported me, quietly handling everything while I focused on my work.
It was always this way.
She has always been a steady presence in my life.
And yet, here I was, holding papers that said it was over.
I stood up abruptly, pacing the room.
The weight of it all was crushing.
The last few months had been a blur—my focus was consumed by the company’s expansion and my need to push forward to ensure everything was in place. I have been absent, I’ll admit it.
But I didn’t think she’d notice. I didn’t think she’d feel it, not this badly. And then there was Meghan.
Her unexpected return. The pregnancy. It threw me off balance, made me lose my focus, made me do something I deeply regretted.
I grabbed my phone and hit the speed dial for my assistant. Lawrence, “Get in here, Now”.
It didn’t take long before he showed up at my door. He walked in after a brief knock, his expression neutral but curious. “Yes, Mr. Grayson?”.
“I need you to do something for me,” I said.
“Find out if Veronicas is seeing anyone else. I need to know. This divorce… it came out of nowhere, and I don’t understand why. She’s always been so quiet, so patient. Now she’s just done with me. I know something is up and I need to find out what”.
Lawrence gave a hesitant nod, but I could see the concern in her eyes.
“Of course, Mr. Grayson. I’ll handle it right away”.
“Good,” I muttered. I just need answers.
I turned away from him as he left, my mind spinning.
I had been so absorbed in my work that I didn’t notice how much I was neglecting her.
She was always there in the background, silently taking care of everything. And now, she is gone.
I walked over to the window and stared out at the city below.
My mind kept returning to the night Meghan returned, the mistake that had changed everything.
I had been drunk, and I had made a rash decision I would regret forever.
The child was innocent, and I had to make things right for them, but I never intended for it to come at the cost of my marriage.
I didn’t think it would push Veronica this far.
I snapped back to the present when I heard Emily’s voice on the intercom.
“Mr. Grayson, the conference call with the investors is in fifteen minutes”.
“Thanks,” I said, trying to compose myself as I adjusted my suit.
I couldn’t let this affect my work.
I had to maintain control, to keep everything running smoothly.
The call with the investors went as expected—professional, calculated, and efficient. We discussed quarterly projections, new markets, and our strategy moving forward.
But even as I spoke, I couldn’t fully focus. My mind kept drifting back to Veronica, to what had gone wrong.
As soon as the call ended, I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my temples. I should have seen it coming. I should have done something before it reached this point.
I looked at the lilies and the designer bag I had bought for her, the same ones I had planned to give her to apologize for everything.
What was a gift compared to what I had taken from her? It felt pathetic now, like nothing more than an empty gesture.
“Mr. Grayson?” Lawrence’s voice came from the door again, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Yeah?”
Was he done already? That would be a relief even though it was highly impossible.
“Emily said you’ve been distracted all day. Perhaps, you can take a break or the entire day off if possible. I will stand in for you,” he offered.
I exhaled a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but it was a good suggestion. I would much rather hear this than the news that my wife was actually seeing someone else. That would completely crush me.
“Yeah,” I said, voice weary. “Thanks, Lawrence, but you don’t need to worry, I can handle myself”.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “Sir, I know things have been rough, but I think if this is a family issue, you should focus on resolving it as soon as possible before it escalates”.
“Yeah…” I murmured, staring at the lilies in front of me again. He had a point. I hadn’t meant for it to end like this. I had never thought it would get this far.
After Lawrence left, I went back to my desk and began sifting through emails. But it all felt like a blur.
Every message, every phone call, every meeting—it all seemed pointless now. Without Veronica, what was any of this for? She had always been the one who made my life manageable, who kept everything in order.
And now I was alone.
The lilies on my desk and the bag I had bought for her sat untouched. Maybe I should take his advice and go home. I knew I could change her mind if I tried hard enough.
I shut my system and tossed the divorce papers in the trash. I grabbed the lillies and the bags I got for her as well as my keys.
With that, I headed home.
