Chapter One
1050 Words
“Sign it.”
Richard Smith’s voice was calm and cold. His voice was that kind of voice that could destroy companies overnight without a single emotion attached to it. He was emotionally detached.
The room suddenly felt too big for Elizabeth as she sat quietly across him, looking at the paper stacked properly on the table between them.
She was speechless yet calm. Adrenaline rushed through her veins. It felt like she couldn't contain it any longer.
Three years of marriage, three years of being his wife, and now it ended with a stack of divorce papers sitting between them like a funeral announcement.
Elizabeth lowered her hands, picked up the documents and let out a heavy sigh. She wasn't angry, but she felt like a piece of rag that can be trashed out anytime without a legal reason.
Her silence somehow irritated Richard. His wife wasn't a quiet person, her silence was more t*****e than when she spoke.
“You’ve been quiet since you got here,” he said.
“What exactly do you want me to say?” She let out a faint smile.
Richard leaned back slightly in his chair, his expensive watch glinting under the chandelier lights.
“You knew this marriage wouldn’t last forever. This is your third year as my wife. I foot all your bills, care for you, but it seems you are incompetent to give me a child. Is that too much to ask for? That's why I'm letting you off.” He smirked loudly in a disdainful manner.
Those words landed harder than she expected, not because they hurt, but because, after everything, he still sounded like a business person closing a contract.
Elizabeth remembered the day she married him. It wasn't for love, but she believed in love. Their marriage was just an arrangement to bring stability to the Smith family after a corporate scandal.
Her father needed financial rescue and Richard needed a wife who would stay quiet and never interfere in his life, and she did exactly that without altering the agreement.
She stayed quiet while tabloids linked him with models. She stayed quiet when he missed anniversaries. She even stayed quiet when people mocked her for being “the invisible Mrs. Smith.”
But somehow she still loved him. Maybe that was her biggest mistake. She could have stuck to the agreement and not mix business with pleasure.
“You’ll receive the penthouse downtown along with the settlement money,” he said calmly.
Elizabeth looked at him slowly. Is this man trying to compensate me for my body or for the time I have stuck through and endured his inflicting lifestyle with him?
“Compensation?” she asked, sounding surprised.
“It’s security. You will need it. Don't act too big to accept it. You will see the need for it when you are out of here.”
“Did you just say security? As if money could refund wasted years.”
A small laugh escaped her lips. She was finding everything funny. The scenes, the settings, the conversation. Everything looks like her eyes and ears lost their function for a while.
“What’s funny?” Richard narrowed his eyes.
Elizabeth looked directly at him now. For the first time in three years, something inside her felt tired. She was done with him.
“You know,” she said softly, “I used to wonder what I lacked.”
Richard said nothing. He was not interested in petty talks, he only wanted the paper signed and Elizabeth out of his sight forever.
“I thought maybe if I became prettier… quieter… more understanding…you would eventually love me. But now I realize something.”
Her fingers tightened lightly around the pen as she picked up the papers and signed them.
She signed the papers and sat calmly, waiting for the next instruction.
“You’re not even going to argue?”
“You have already decided.” Elizabeth pushed the papers back toward him calmly and walked away.
Why wasn’t she crying? Why wasn’t she begging like before? His chest tightened at her behavior.
She accepted it too easily. This wasn't the Elizabeth I know.
As he pondered on it, his phone rang. Selena was calling. He picked up the call.
“Hi babe, I miss you!" Are you done with her? Did she sign the papers?”
“Yes, she did sign the papers,” he responded.
I will call you back, I'm in the middle of something. He dropped the call and headed straight to Elizabeth's room.
He knocked and entered without waiting for a response. She was already packing her stuff.
“You can take anything you want from the estate.”
Elizabeth laughed softly without turning around, her hands were busy packing. “I have already given you the best years of my life, Richard.”
A strange uneasiness settled in his chest. He felt like something was slipping beyond his control, but his pride refused to acknowledge it.
He walked away after telling her to pick anything she wanted.
She finished packing her stuff and walked away. The sound of her heels slowly disappeared down the hallway.
Outside, the rain poured heavily. Elizabeth walked alone under the storm, clutching her handbag tightly. She refused to take anything apart from her clothes alongside with her.
Her vision blurred as dizziness hit her. She stumbled slightly near a gate far from her house.
“Madame,” the guard shouted.
One of the guards around the estate area rushed forward, but before she could answer, everything went dark.
Hours later, Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes.
The strong smell of antiseptic brushed her nose as she lay in the hospital room. A doctor stood beside the bed holding a file.
“You’re awake.”
“What happened?” Elizabeth touched her forehead weakly.
“You collapsed from stress and exhaustion.” The doctor hesitated briefly before smiling.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Smith. You’re pregnant.”
Elizabeth’s fingers froze instantly against the blanket. The words echoed inside her head repeatedly.
Pregnant? No, no, this couldn't be. How?
The doctor continued speaking softly, but Elizabeth could barely hear her anymore. Her thoughts lingered more than the doctor's voice.
She had just divorced Richard Smith and she was carrying his child.
- Writer
