Chapter 6
1095 Words
Vincent's pov
I reached out, intending to touch her forehead, to check if she had a fever from standing in the cold rain—
Her eyes flew open all of a sudden, startling me.
She jerked away from me with a gasp, grabbing the blanket and shrinking back against the headboard. Her eyes were wide with fear.
"Rachel—" I pulled my hand back, startled by her reaction. "What's wrong?"
For a second, she just stared at me like she didn't recognize me. Her expression hardened till all I got from her was a cold stare.
"Don't touch me," she snapped, "with the hand you used to touch Camilla."
"What are you—"
But she was already getting out of bed, moving away from me. She swayed slightly when she stood, and I instinctively reached out to steady her, but she flinched away from my touch.
"Rachel, what's gotten into you?" I asked, my own voice rising. The exhaustion from the hospital was all catching up to me now, making my temper shorter than usual.
She didn't answer. Just walked toward the door, I rolled my eyes at her drama.
"How can you sleep so peacefully?" I barked at her, "After what you did to Camilla? After causing her to lose Wyatt's baby? How can you just—"
She stopped at the door but didn't turn around.
"You're jealous," I continued, the anger building now. "That's what this is about. You're jealous of Camilla, and you can't stand that I care about her. Do you even know that she's the one who sent me back here to check on you? Even after everything you did to her, she was worried about you."
Rachel's shoulders tensed, but she still didn't turn around.
"Vincent," she said quietly, her voice sounded broken and it made me pause. "Is that really what you think of me?"
Rachel's pov
Just the mere sound of her name made tears fill my eyes. Even after losing my baby and going through hell, he'd only come home because Camilla told him to.
I stood at the door with my back to him, feeling the tears start to fall. I pressed my hand over my mouth to keep any sound from escaping, wiping my eyes quickly with the other hand.
I would not let him see me cry.
I took a breath before I turned around to face him.
"Very well," I said, my voice surprisingly calm. "Now that you're back, I have something for you."
Confusion flickered across his face. "What are you talking about?"
I didn't answer. Just walked past him, careful not to let our bodies touch, and headed down the hallway toward the study.
The fax machine sat on the mahogany desk, and I could see the papers stacked neatly in the tray.
I picked up the documents, found a pen in the desk drawer, and flipped to the signature page. My hand was steady as I signed my name, Rachel Ashford, for the last time.
Then I walked back to the bedroom just to see that he hadn't moved. He was standing exactly where I'd left him, watching the doorway with a frown on his face.
I held out the papers.
"Here," I said. "This is what I wanted to give you."
He took them automatically, his eyes still on my face. Then he looked down at what he was holding.
I watched the exact moment he understood what he was seeing.
His expression changed completely. The color drained from his face and his hands tightened on the papers, crinkling them slightly.
"What—" His voice came out rough. "What is this?"
"Divorce papers," I said simply. "I've already signed them. All you need to do is add your signature, and you'll be free."
"Free?" He stared at me like I'd spoken in a foreign language. "Rachel, what are you—why would you—"
"So you can be with Camilla," I finished for him. I'd cried all the tears I had left. "Isn't that what you want? You've made it very clear where your loyalty and heart lies. This way, you won't have to pretend anymore."
"I'm not—" He shook his head, still staring at the papers like they might bite him. "This is insane. You can't just—"
"I can." I met his eyes directly, refusing to look away. "And I am giving you what you want, Vincent. A way out of this marriage so you can be with the woman you actually love."
I could see the muscle jumping in his cheek, the way his knuckles had gone white around the papers.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
He just stood there, staring at the papers in his hands. All the emotions played into his face but he buried it so fast, I almost thought I’d imagined it.
He looked up at me.
"No," he said.
"No?"
"I can't divorce you." He set the papers down on the dresser like they'd burned him.
I had prepared myself for a lot of reactions. That wasn't one of them.
"Why not?" I asked.
"The Ashford family doesn't divorce." He said it simply, "It has never happened."
I almost laughed.
"Then I'll be the first," I said. "Someone has to be."
His eyes stayed on me, and the silence went on long enough that I could hear the clock on the mantle, the distant sound of a car somewhere on the estate grounds. His throat moved as he swallowed.
He was angry. I could see it, even under all that careful control.
"Fine." His voice came out flat. Almost casual. "You want a divorce, I can give you that."
I reached for the papers.
"But." He said it quietly. "You caused Camilla's miscarriage. You put her in that hospital. So before I sign anything, you go to that hospital and you apologize to her. Properly." He paused. "That's the condition."
"Vincent, I didn't—"
He picked the papers up from the dresser and held them out to me. When I took them, he let go immediately.
"Otherwise," he said, "don't bother asking for my signature."
He looked at me for one more second. Then he walked out.
I stood there holding the papers, listening to his footsteps go down the hall until there was nothing left to hear.
I looked down at my signature at the bottom of the first page. At the blank line beside his name.
I pressed the papers against my chest and closed my eyes.
- Writer
