Chapter 4: Arsen's Rejection
1242 Words
"What do you mean?" Arsen asked, utterly shocked by what Ivana had just said to him.
Ivana walked over to her bag, took out a brown envelope, and handed it to Arsen. Without hesitation, he opened it, only to find a divorce petition filed by Ivana.
"I refuse, Ivana," Arsen stated firmly. "What is this about? Why do you want a divorce?"
Arsen looked confused, upset, and disappointed as he stared at Ivana in front of him. "If I did something wrong, just tell me. Don't make a unilateral decision like this," he said.
Ivana gazed at Arsen with empty eyes, though deep inside, her heart ached far more than she had anticipated.
"I don't want to be with you anymore. I'm bored and tired of our marriage. The longer this goes on, the more my love for you fades," Ivana replied, using all her strength to keep herself from appearing weak or hurt in front of Arsen.
She removed the ring from her finger and placed it in Arsen's palm. "Don't ask again. I don't want to be with you anymore, so let's just get divorced."
Ivana watched as Arsen stared in shock at their wedding ring resting in his hand. The pain on his face was evident.
'You’re such a good actor, Arsen. If I didn’t know about your dirty schemes, I might have melted just by seeing your expression right now,' Ivana thought bitterly. She turned away and walked towards the door.
Her hand hesitated on the doorknob. "I'll handle everything. You just need to show up at the trial," Ivana said without looking back. "Or maybe you don’t even have to come. Just sign the divorce papers, and I'll take care of the rest. The sooner, the better."
With that, Ivana stepped out of the room, leaving Arsen standing there, looking wounded and confused.
That night, heavy rain poured over the city. Ivana stood by the window of the guest room, staring blankly at the streams of water flowing down the glass. Her hands gripped the window frame tightly as she shivered, her emotions torn apart. It felt as if the raindrops striking the window were cutting through her own heart. She felt lonely, afraid, and overwhelmingly sad.
Tears streamed down her face, matching the downpour outside. She still loved Arseno, the man who would soon become her ex-husband. But she knew their marriage was never built on love—it was a carefully planned revenge orchestrated by Arsenio from the beginning.
As tears continued to fall, Ivana bit her lower lip, trying to contain the unbearable pain. Arsenio's face haunted her mind, filling her with fear. How could the man who was supposed to love and protect her turn into the poison that destroyed her happiness?
Yet, deep in her heart, a tiny glimmer of hope remained. Ivana tried to calm herself, to strengthen her resolve, and to believe that one day, she would find true happiness.
'Can I hope that you’ll stop this revenge, Arsen? But I guess that’s impossible,' Ivana thought, crying in silence.
She whispered to herself, "I must be strong and brave. I have to let go of Arsenio—for my family's and my father's safety." Taking a deep breath, she wiped away her tears and stepped away from the window, leaving behind the rain and the painful memories.
Ivana couldn't focus on work at all that day. Her mind kept drifting until the sound of her phone ringing snapped her out of her thoughts. She walked over to her desk and picked up the phone. It was a call from Joseph.
She already knew what her father wanted to discuss, and her heart pounded with anxiety. Taking a deep breath, she answered.
"Hello, Dad," Ivana greeted, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Ivana, is it true that you filed for divorce from Arsen?" Joseph asked directly, his voice serious and filled with curiosity.
Ivana swallowed hard, feeling cornered. "Yes, Dad. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," she replied softly.
Her father sighed, as if searching for the right words. "What happened? Do you two have problems? Did Arsen cheat on you?"
"No, Arsen didn't cheat," Ivana answered.
"Then why? Weren't you both trying to have a baby?" Joseph asked, clearly confused.
"I can't explain the reason. All I can say is that I don't want to be with Arsen anymore," Ivana replied, struggling to find the right words. She hadn't gathered enough evidence about Arsen's true identity yet.
"You were so determined to marry Arsen before. I even arranged for you to marry Alex, who was a better choice, but you insisted on choosing Arsen. Now you suddenly want a divorce? Do you think living as a divorcée will be easy?" Joseph sighed, still curious about her reasoning.
Hearing her father mention Alex made Ivana feel suffocated. She couldn’t bring herself to reveal that her husband had a dark side she could no longer accept.
"I'm sorry, Dad. There are some things I just can't fix with Arsen. I've tried," Ivana said, her voice trembling as she held back tears.
Her father was silent for a moment before finally saying, "Alright. If that’s your decision. But remember, Ivana, life is about choices. And sometimes, we have to live with the consequences of those choices."
Ivana nodded, even though her father couldn't see her. "Thank you, Dad. I understand," she whispered, silently vowing to learn from her mistakes and become stronger.
The call ended, and Ivana could only sigh, hoping the divorce process would go smoothly.
Bang!
Ivana jumped in shock as the door swung open, revealing Arsen. His shirt was slightly damp, and his face was tense as he stepped toward her.
The atmosphere grew heavy. Memories from the past surfaced, and Ivana suddenly felt fear creeping in. She instinctively took a step back, trying to keep her distance from Arsen.
"How long are you going to keep avoiding me, Ivana? Can't we talk about this properly?" Arsen asked, frustration evident in his voice.
"I-I already told you, there's nothing to discuss. Just sign the papers," Ivana replied.
"I still don’t understand your decision, Ivana. Just a week ago, you were excited about our pregnancy plan so we could have a child soon. Why are you doing this now?" Arsen asked, utterly confused.
'Yes, and that child was lost because of you, Arsen,' Ivana thought bitterly, recalling the tragic event in her past life. Her gaze at Arsen burned with pain and regret.
"Ivana, if something is upsetting you, tell me. Don’t do this," Arsen pleaded.
Ivana wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but for a moment, she saw sadness in Arsen’s eyes, as if this truly hurt him.
"My decision is final," Ivana turned her face away.
Arsen stepped closer.
"Stop! Don’t come any closer!"
Hearing that, Arsen halted.
"Please, don’t make this harder. Just respect my wish to divorce. I can’t continue this marriage anymore," Ivana said firmly.
"But why? I need a real reason," Arsen insisted.
"What are you hiding from me, Arsen?" Ivana's question made Arsen freeze.
"Answer me. What have you been hiding from me all this time? And what was your true intention in marrying me?" Ivana pressed, watching as Arsen’s eyes widened in shock. He quickly masked his expression.
"Why can't you answer me?" Ivana asked.
"What do you know, Ivana?" Arsen’s voice was no longer as gentle as before.
***
- Writer
