The Fall of a Proud Princess

Chapter 15- "You broke me..."

CONRAD

“Okay?” She surprises me by sitting on the ground across from me and leans against the wall still in the outfit she was wearing earlier. “I go my ring resized again last week.”

My eyes automatically go to her ring finger and the rock on the band nearly blinds me as it catches the light.

“They said its weaking the structure, but it was falling off, so it had to be done,” she looks up to face me. “I went to our lawyer and got these fixed too.” She hands me the yellow envelope.

“Why?” I stretch out my hand and pick it up.

“It’s all falling apart so it had to be done too.” She says under her breath but I hear every word.

I open it and pull out the divorce papers I knew they were there but still get shocked to find them. I skim through it and realize immediately what changes she’s talking about.

“You don’t want anything?”

When I first had them drafted, I made sure to split everything we own in half except our New York property. I arranged for her to get it because I know how much it means to her.

But she changed the terms and gave me everything, even the dogs.

“Nothing at all.” She nibbles on her lower lip as I continue reading only to find her signature in all the appropriate pages.

“You signed?” My voice chokes out in the end.

“I haven’t seen Kai since Kat’s birthday. My father won’t let me and I won’t stop till I see him and know he is okay.” She blinks. “I’m only here for this week and I’ll be flying back to Denmark from Briar.”

What?

“And I’m not sure if I’m coming back,” she continues as I return the documents back into the envelope.

“So you want a divorce?” I run my fingers through my hair in attempt to calm down.

“I want to see my brother,” her voice shakes a little. “I am not able to think about anything else but that and that’s not fair on you.”

“What are you talking about?” I can barely hear her at this point.

Its like the room is closing in on me or something and all the oxygen in the room is slowly reducing as my heart tries to escape out of my chest.

“I can’t give you roots Conrad. Last night wasn’t me trying to apologize it was me saying goodbye, that’s why I didn’t want you to say what you said.” She picks at her fingers.

“This house needs to be filled with furniture and you need a wife to show up for the holidays and not cluster-f**k your birthday by crying all night in the bathroom.” Her eyes pool with tears. “You deserve so much better than a wife that’s never there.”

I knew saying that would come bite me in the arse but I didn’t expect it to hurt this bad.

“Dani think about this, we can do long distance. We did it the first 2 years of our marriage we can do it again and—”

“But you were not in love with me and our marriage was for show then.” She cuts me off, “And I did think about this, I thought about it as I was crying on the plane ride here, I thought about it when we had our fight yesterday.”

“Please don’t this,” don’t give up on us.

“You did this,” her voice rises. “You drafted the papers and gave me an ultimatum remember? You want roots and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to give them to you while my brother is under my father’s thumb.”

“So what? I sign and you move out? I never see you again?” I couldn’t remove the bitterness from my voice even if I tried.

“That’s up to you but I’m setting you free,” Dani’s words not only make me angry but the downright don’t make any sense.

So I stand up with my bowl and walk into the kitchen, she follows shortly but stops at the doorway. I drop my bowl so roughly in the sink, I’m surprised it doesn’t break.

As I turn to face her, I realize something I didn’t see when she walked in last night.

“You’ve already made your mind haven’t you? There’s nothing I can do or say to change it.” She folds her arms as I scoff.

“Not there isn’t,” she finally admits after a long pause.

They say it’s not possible to hear your heart physically break, that you may feel like its splitting into a million pieces but to hear it is impossible and not at all close to being physically possible.

Well, whoever ‘they’ are, were clearly not married to a proud princess because all I hear right now is my heart shattering.

“Fine,” I slam the envelope on the counter making her jump. “You win Daniellah, you want a divorce? Then I’ll give it to you.” I struggle to keep my voice steady.

I open the envelope again and pull out the pen inside after removing the documents, “but before I sign these I’m going to say 3 things then I’m going to walk out of here.”

“Go ahead,” she drops her hands to the side.

“You always assumed that you have to choose or sacrifice something to get another thing, you assumed you had to sacrifice your happiness for Kai to get his. You assumed that in order to be free from your father that you had to be married off to me.”

I wait for her to correct my observation, but her silence just confirms I am right.

“You assumed that you had to choose between me and Kai. That you couldn’t have us both so you’re choosing him,” I look to my side to find her eyes on the floor. “Little did you know that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

I flip the pages and land on the dotted line I have to sign.

“That all you had to do was ask,” my voice breaks. “If you had just asked me to go to Denmark for a couple of years or even relocate there permanently, I would have done it.”

My eyes are still on her so I don’t miss the tear that drops down her cheek before she wipes it off.

“For you, I would have moved. I would have relocated because I would never want to make you feel like you have to choose but you did and all because you didn’t ask. You didn’t even try.”

That’s why I went there after New Years to discuss a possible relocation if it was what she wanted or needed.

“What’s the 2nd thing?” She wipes off another rogue tear, her eyes still on the floor.

“The 2nd thing is I lied about googling you and then agreeing to the marriage because I didn’t want to lose my trust fund and inheritance.” Her eyes move up to look at me.

“It’s true, if I wanted to keep them all I had to do was marry a princess but what I left out was I actually didn’t need them.”

“What do you mean?” Her voice is meek.

“At 17, I invented a software algorithm and sold it for millions to a tech company that makes phones. I work at the family company because I promised my dad I would after college,” and they overpay me so the money is good.

I also did the rich boy with no responsibilities phase in college and nearly died way too many times than I’d like to admit. It was at my brother’s wedding when I realized life’s not as fun if you don’t have anyone to share it with.

So I agreed to get married after graduation, granted I was little drunk from the graduation party but I never once regretted it.

“But you said—”

“I did google you Dani but I also flew out to Oxford to see you the week you got your engagement ring. I wanted to personally deliver it and meet you but as I arrived on campus the last thing I expected happened.”

I was never going to tell her this, but I have nothing to lose now.

“When I first saw you Dani I broke. You broke me and nothing has been the same since.” I wipe my running nose, “then Aiden appeared and I realized that you were never going to look at me the way you looked at him.”

So I stood there and watched Dani fight tears while Aiden apologized and I knew she was in love with him but he had broken her heart so it was over.

“So the 3rd and final thing is that you Daniellah Rose Hilton,” tears fill my eyes as I realize this might be the last time I’ll address her with my name. “Are the first girl I’ve ever said I love you to. ”

"What?" It's a whisper.

"In Vegas, everytime I said thank you or said I coulnd't do this without you, what I really meant was I love you. I love every part of you and that love is the real reason I was able to get through that horrible week."

That's why Japan was so important.

I sign my name on the dotted line next to hers and put the pen down before turning towards the door.

“I can’t.” Her meek voice stops me. “I can’t drag you into this mess with my father Conrad please say you understand,” her voice breaks.

I turn around and she walks towards me, as more tears run down her face.

“Please,” she pulls off her ring and the wedding band.

To think the first time I saw her cry was because of the same ring. She got so upset when she thought she lost it and iced me out when she found out I was the reason.

It meant so much to her that she pretended to be sick on our honeymoon, now the irony is I’m on the brink of tears because of the same ring.

“I’m so sorry Conrad,” she places it on the counter.

“And I love you Dani,” I kiss her forehead before walking away.

It’s pouring out as I walk out of the house still in my powder blue button-down shirt and navy dress pants. I pull the tie from around my neck in attempt to help oxygen enter my body.

But as I look around our large property, I realize I’m contributing more to air then it is to my body so I cave and let the first tear drop.

It was time to let it all go.