She Chose Him, I Asked for Divorce

Chapter 2

Audrey's head snapped up. "What did you say?"

"I said I want a divorce." Silas bent down, picked up the crumpled lab report, and smoothed it out slowly.

"Do whatever you want with the baby. You can go back to being Ethan's wife and Mia's good mom. I'm done."

"Silas, don't say that. You don't mean it. You're just angry."

"I'm not angry." He cut her off and looked up at her.

In the dark, his eyes burned like the last ember in a pile of ash. "I'm done, Audrey. I'm done always coming last. Done with your guilt, your responsibility, your hard choices, all of it, every time, turning into a knife in my back."

He turned and walked toward the bedroom.

"Silas!" Audrey called after him, her voice finally cracking. "Stop. Let's talk—"

The bedroom door closed softly. The lock clicked, loud and clean.

Audrey stood in the dark living room. Through the door, she heard the muffled, broken sobs.

Very quiet, like he was afraid of being heard.

She took two steps forward and raised her hand to knock. Her hand stopped in midair. Slowly, she lowered it.

She turned and saw Silas's bag on the coffee table, the one he'd forgotten.

The top was open. His wallet and keys sat inside.

She stood there for a long time. In the end, she didn't touch it.

Silas didn't sleep that night.

He lay on the bed in the guest room, staring at the ceiling.

He remembered six months ago, Audrey's hand on his shoulder. "Maybe in a little while, when Mia's adjusted a bit more, we could think about having a baby. We could bring in a child psychologist ahead of time to help her get ready…"

She had been so serious about it. The timing. How to make Mia feel safe. She even said, "Maybe a boy would be better. Girls tend to clash."

At the time, warmth had spread through his chest. He thought she was planning their future together.

Now he understood. It wasn't a plan.

It was a feasibility study.

And their kid was a project that needed psychological preparation, risk assessment, and perfect timing before it could be approved.

She'd even prescheduled the gender, to keep Mia comfortable, to avoid competition.

What he had thought was their love—she had seen as a tool to stabilize the family.

As dawn broke, Silas sat up, washed his face, changed his clothes, and opened the guest room door.

Audrey was right outside.

She was leaning against the wall across from him, dark circles heavy under her eyes. She hadn't slept either.

When she saw him, she straightened up. "Silas."

"Are you going out?" His voice was calm.

She nodded. "I checked. The Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital has appointments in the morning. I know the department head. We can get the best doctor…"

She said it like she was talking about what to have for breakfast.

Like going to the hospital was the most natural, most obvious thing in the world.

Something squeezed Silas's heart so hard he couldn't breathe for a second.

She hadn't even asked him what he'd decided.

She had just assumed he would go along. That he would let her end the pregnancy.

"Go by yourself," he heard himself say.

Audrey blinked. Then her brow furrowed. "I can't go alone. After the procedure, I need to rest. I need someone to take care of me..."

"Audrey." He cut her off and looked straight at her. "Do you really think I gave in and agreed to the abortion because you talked me into it?"

She said nothing.

"No, not at all," he spoke slowly, each word separate.

"I don't want this baby because I don't want my child to grow up in a house where he or she always comes last. I don't want them to have to ask, over and over, 'Mom, why do you always take care of everyone else before you take care of me?'"

Audrey's face went pale.

"This is my decision," he went on, his voice soft but each word cutting. "And it's also what you want. So you go. You handle it yourself."

He picked up his packed bag and walked toward the door.

Audrey caught up in a few steps and grabbed his wrist. "Silas, don't do this. I know you're angry, but this isn't something you walk away from over a fight. I need someone with me..."

"What for?" He turned to look at her. His eyes were empty.

"To sit in the waiting room while you're in surgery? So you can come out and hug me and say it's okay, we can always have another one later?"

He laughed. Tears ran down his face. "Audrey, I'm not one of your negotiation targets. I'm not some hostage that you need to calm down and walk toward the right choice."

He pulled his arm free and opened the door.

Audrey stood there, watching him go.

Morning light poured in through the doorway. She remembered three years ago, in the bank lobby, a knife pressed into his throat. His eyes had stayed wide open, fixed on her.

Through the glass, she had mouthed to him, "Don't be afraid. Trust me."

He had. For three years.

"Silas." Her voice came out dry and rough. "If you really want this baby, we can keep it."

His steps slowed. But he didn't turn around.

"Keep it. Then what?" he asked. "Wait for Ethan to relapse next time and cause another scene? Wait for Mia to cry and say she doesn't want younger siblings? Wait for the next special circumstance, and then you'll tell me again that the timing isn't right, and that we must be responsible for the kid?"

He shook his head.

"It's not that I don't believe you love me, Audrey. I just don't trust your love anymore."

He whispered, "Your love is spread too thin. It's rationed out to so many people and so many obligations. What's left for me is barely a scrap, yet I'm still supposed to be the bigger person, to understand, to accept it without complaint."

He stepped out and pulled the door shut behind him.

The click was soft. But it hit Audrey's chest like a hammer.