Chapter 3
“Claire, you’ve been stewing on this for days. Haven’t you come to your senses yet?” Adam’s voice was cold, his eyes hard as he looked down at me. “Either
“Either you apologize to Louise right now, or I’ll have someone cut off your mother’s medical bills. Make your choice.”
So it was true. He‘ d never trusted me from the start. Every promise, every “I love you” he‘ d whispered was just empty noise. No matter how many times I explained or waited, hoping he’d come around, he would always take her side.
The most painful part was that he never even bothered to investigate, to see the truth for himself. He trusted Louise blindly, certain that my mom and I were just scheming for money. How ironic.
Slowly, I stood, wiping the blood from my nose and looked him square in the eyes.
“Adam, let’s divorce.”
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The large, pristine living room fell into a stunned silence. Finally, after a long pause, his voice echoed in disbelief, “What did you just say?”
“I said, let’s divorce.” My voice was calm, empty, as though I were reciting a simple fact. “After that, you can be with Louise. It’s clear you can’t stand the thought of her being a ‘mistress‘ any longer, right?”
“Claire, watch what you say!” His face. flushed with anger. “I’ve always treated Louise like a sister. Don‘ t project your filthy suspicions onto us!”
“Whatever you say.” I grabbed the few bags I had packed earlier and made my way to the door. “I‘ ll have my lawyer send you the divorce papers.
“Claire! How dare you!” Adam‘ s voice rose in fury. He stormed over and grabbed my arm, his grip bruising. “What‘ s gotten into you? Don’t you understand anything? You want money, don‘ t you?
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Just have your mom give you another necklace. But divorce? Are you insane?”
I looked down at his hand, nausea rising in my throat. I pushed his hand off me, shuddering with disgust. He released me, confusion and a hint of hope flashing across his face. “Claire, are you…
pregnant? Why didn’t you say something earlier?”
From behind him, Louise‘ s face changed, her delicate features twisting with a forced innocence as she placed a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Adam,” she cooed, “if she’s pregnant, she should go to a reputable hospital for a proper checkup. Better safe than sorry.”
Her words seemed to shake Adam and his gaze hardened. “Claire, don‘ t try to manipulate me. I’ll forget your outburst if you apologize to Louise. Sincerely. Do that and all of this can be forgiven.”
“What do you mean by ‘sincerely‘ ?” I glanced at Louise, a wry laugh escaping my
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lips. “Do you mean you want me to kneel down and beg her forgiveness again?”
“Can you not be so difficult?” Adam scowled, his tone patronizing. “If you hadn’t behaved so outrageously last time, I wouldn’t have asked you to kneel. It was meant to teach you a lesson.”
“Say whatever you like.” I felt the last of my patience drain away. “The biggest mistake I ever made was choosing to marry you.” Without waiting for his response, I turned and left.
Adam seemed to hesitate, as though he wanted to follow me, but Louise clung to him, her hand firm on his arm. I didn’t
look back.
Outside the house, his number flashed on my phone and I picked up, my voice exhausted. “What do you want, Adam?”
His voice dripped with irritation. “All I’m asking is for you to apologize to Louise. Is that really so hard for you?
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What’s gotten into you, daring to talk about divorce?”
For three years, I had only known his accusations, his commands. There was no room for my voice in this marriage. But I was done.
“Not a chance,” I replied coldly. “I‘ 11 apologize the day Louise gets on her knees at my mother‘ s grave and begs forgiveness. You both owe my mother–you stole her necklace, her peace. Aren’t you even a little afraid of karma?”
Adam scoffed. “Enough with your theatrics, Claire. How many times do I have to remind you that your mother’s health and hospital bills are on the line? Or maybe you’d rather tempt fate?”
“Don’t threaten me, Adam. You‘ ve already crossed every line.” I hung up, cutting him off mid–sentence and blocked his number. For the first time in years, silence felt like freedom.
