SIGN THE PAPERS
757 Words
Amelia didn't sleep.
How could she?
The divorce agreement lay on the bed beside her like a cruel reminder of everything she had lost.
Just yesterday, she had become Mrs. Amelia Blackwood.
Less than twenty-four hours later, she was being asked to leave.
The room felt suffocating.
The wedding dress she still wore suddenly seemed ridiculous.
A costume.
A joke.
She stared at the signature at the bottom of the agreement.
Alexander Blackwood.
Strong.
Confident.
Decisive.
Just like the man himself.
He had signed it without hesitation.
Without regret.
Without caring whether it shattered her heart.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
Three years.
Three years of loving a man who had never loved her back.
A knock sounded at the door.
Amelia stiffened.
The door opened before she could respond.
Alexander entered.
Tall.
Handsome.
Cold.
His black suit jacket had been removed, and the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up.
He looked effortlessly perfect.
As though he hadn't just destroyed someone's world.
His eyes landed on the agreement.
"I see you've read it."
Amelia swallowed.
"So that's it?"
His expression didn't change.
"What do you mean?"
A painful smile touched her lips.
"You marry me yesterday and divorce me today."
Silence.
Alexander walked farther into the room.
"The marriage served its purpose."
Each word felt like a knife.
"Purpose?"
"Our families needed it."
He spoke as if discussing a business deal.
Not a marriage.
Not a human heart.
"Victoria is back."
There it was.
The truth.
Simple.
Brutal.
Amelia looked away before he could see the tears gathering in her eyes.
"So I was just a replacement."
Alexander remained silent.
His silence was answer enough.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Amelia asked the question she already knew the answer to.
"Did you ever care about me?"
His jaw tightened.
"No."
The word hit harder than any slap.
Amelia felt something inside her crack.
No.
Not "a little."
Not "I tried."
Just no.
She lowered her gaze.
Refusing to let him see how badly he had hurt her.
Alexander reached into his pocket and placed a pen on the table.
"Sign it."
The sight of that pen nearly made her laugh.
Of course.
He wanted efficiency.
No delays.
No complications.
Just sign and disappear.
"Do I have a choice?"
"You always have a choice."
The irony almost made her scream.
If she truly had a choice, none of this would be happening.
Amelia stared at the papers.
The room blurred.
For a brief moment, she imagined refusing.
Forcing him to stay married.
Making him suffer.
But what would be the point?
You couldn't force someone to love you.
And she was tired.
So tired.
Slowly, she picked up the pen.
Alexander watched quietly.
No emotion.
No hesitation.
Nothing.
The man she loved looked at her like she was a stranger.
With trembling fingers, Amelia signed her name.
Amelia Hart.
Not Blackwood.
Hart.
The name she'd been born with.
The name she would leave with.
The moment the ink dried, something shifted.
The marriage was over.
Before it had even begun.
Alexander collected the documents.
His expression remained unreadable.
"The lawyers will handle everything."
Amelia nodded.
She couldn't trust herself to speak.
Alexander turned toward the door.
Then paused.
For the first time that night, uncertainty flickered across his face.
Only for a second.
Then it disappeared.
"Take care of yourself."
The words should have sounded kind.
Instead, they felt like pity.
Amelia looked away.
"I'll survive."
Alexander left.
The door closed.
And Amelia finally broke.
Tears streamed down her face as sobs shook her body.
She cried until her throat burned.
Until her chest hurt.
Until there were no tears left.
Hours later, exhaustion finally dragged her into sleep.
The next morning, Amelia woke feeling numb.
Empty.
She packed her belongings in silence.
Most of the closet was untouched.
She had barely moved into the mansion.
Now she was leaving it.
A sudden wave of dizziness hit her.
She grabbed the edge of a table.
Her stomach twisted violently.
Nausea.
Sharp and unexpected.
Amelia rushed toward the bathroom.
Minutes later, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Her face had gone pale.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
The realization was impossible.
Yet terrifying.
Her hands slowly moved to her stomach.
"No..."
The word escaped as a whisper.
But deep down...
She already knew.
Something had changed.
And if her suspicion was correct...
The divorce wasn't the only thing Alexander Blackwood didn't know.
Because Amelia might be carrying his child.
- Writer
