The betrayal
1261 Words
The marriage was over. The moment I stepped outside the salon, I knew it.
I returned home soon after. Diana didn't make a fuss throughout the evening, so I decided to take a quick nap in her nursery instead. Being a new mom with no helping hand had taken a toll on me.
I didn't know how long I had slept, but I was startled awake by the sound of something shattering.
At first, I was in a daze, wondering if something had entered the house. Although it wasn't possible—Draven was allergic to cats, so the house was cat-proof.
As I, half-asleep, grabbed Diana, the sound subsided. After changing Diana's diaper, I walked out. I had some important emails from my company to check, so I turned my phone on while heading out.
But the thousands of messages from the group chat froze my phone for a second. Curious about what happened, I entered the group chat, only to discover a new revelation and a twist in the story.
Evelyn announced her engagement, and to make things more surprising and unbelievable—she was expecting.
For a second, I wanted to laugh. This woman had disregarded my daughter's existence because she didn't like children. She refused to come to our house for the same reason. Well, humans are really complicated.
But I didn't have time to dwell on their hurtful behavior. It was devastating for my husband—might be. After all, he loved her so much, clinging to the hope of having her. Maybe that was why he never acknowledged our daughter.
I approached the staircase, thinking about grabbing some food while I checked my emails. But, standing upstairs, my attention swiftly moved to the scene in the dining room.
There was Draven, standing next to the dining table, crying. Literally bawling his eyes out like he had lost the most important thing in his life.
The earlier shattering sounds came from here. A bunch of empty beer cans, shattered glass, and chairs were on the floor. Our rooms were soundproof, so no wonder I couldn't hear everything clearly from upstairs.
Watching my husband break down like he had lost everything, the minimal respect and hope I had for the man I used to love and the marriage I had were completely gone.
I decided not to walk downstairs. He looked drunk. He never drank except on our dinner dates, so I didn't want to face his wrath or hatred in front of my daughter.
But as I moved, Diana started crying, getting her father's attention.
"Rosé Presley!" Draven's red eyes shifted to me, angry and sad. "Let's talk!"
I stepped back. His tone didn't sit right with me. "Not now. You seem drunk, Draven!"
But he scoffed, "Let's talk because I want to settle the score today."
Leaving me appalled and puzzled, he entered his study and soon came out with a bunch of papers.
I felt something was off. To prevent any kind of harm to my daughter, I put her in the crib and decided to leave her alone so that his spiraling behavior wouldn't affect her.
But as I turned, he was there, standing. His disheveled hair, dilated pupils, and flaming red eyes showed how disoriented he was. Draven was a perfect man who cared about appearances, but that day, he looked lost.
"Let's talk somewhere else. Not here! Diana is sleeping!" I said, trying to get out of the room.
But I hissed in pain when he grabbed my arm and closed the door with full force. Diana almost cried, but she somehow fell back asleep.
"What are you doing? You don't care about her, but at least give her the privilege to sleep peacefully!" I snapped, yanking my arm away from him.
I had enough of this crap.
He said nothing in response. Instead, he grabbed a document and shoved it onto my chest with disgust and disdain.
"Let's get divorced!"
"What?" I exclaimed, grabbing the document. "Divorce agreement?"
He had already prepared everything beforehand. So he was actually planning to leave me a long time ago. "How long have you been planning to divorce me? Did you ever love me, Draven?" I asked. My voice was surprisingly calm and quiet.
"It doesn't matter. Just sign it and let me go!" he said, with a hint of desperation in his voice.
"Draven! Do you understand what this means?" I asked in disbelief. Seeing him cry for another woman was the final nail in the coffin. But I never imagined he’d betray us like this.
"I know exactly what it means," he said calmly, with no trace of love or care. Only disdain, disgust, and annoyance.
"What about our baby? Are you going to abandon her?" I asked, trying to meet his gaze. But he didn't look at me even once.
At that moment, reality hit me. What would happen to Diana? I didn't want her to grow up in a broken family. I didn't want her to go through what I did. A rush of desperation overtook me. The calmness in my heart shifted to anxiety for my baby's future.
"Please reconsider. Don’t lose everything for Evelyn. She doesn’t love you. Please come to your senses! Don’t throw away the life we built for someone who’s engaged and expecting!"
"The decision is final. So stop being so fussy and don't complicate things for both of us. It won't end well!" he said, frustrated.
"Is it for her? Evelyn, right? Draven, look at her. She is expecting. She is engaged. Why are you destroying our marriage and our daughter's life? What will happen if we divorce over nothing but some stupid decisions? Think about Diana for once!" I yelled, feeling frustrated and heartbroken. "Let's think about Diana first. I am fine with you liking another woman right now. But Diana deserves her father!"
"I'll give up my rights!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the ground slipped away. I collapsed, staring at the man who was once my world.
"You… You want to abandon our daughter?" I whispered, stunned.
He stayed silent, looking exhausted and indifferent. That confirmed it—the man I once loved had completely changed.
"Fine!" I clenched my fists. "Let's divorce, Draven Montgomery! But I won’t let you go without compensation!"
I expected him to get angry or curse me out. Instead, he handed me the papers. "Here’s half my savings — $250 million. I’ll send $5 million a month in alimony and $10 million for having my name on her birth certificate."
I stared at the black cards he pulled from the file. He had planned this perfectly, down to every rule and regulation. Was I just a placeholder for his first love?
"She really means that much to you?" I laughed bitterly. "More than acknowledging our daughter?"
"That's right," he replied without missing a beat. "So leave tomorrow. This house was bought before we married. You have no claim to it."
I stared at him, heartbroken. Two years after dating, I had moved in and made this house a home. Now it wasn’t mine.
Clinging to the crib, I stayed there, speechless. My baby girl slept, unaware her father had abandoned her. All I could do was stare into space, feeling numb and in disbelief. My world had just collapsed overnight.
"You have 24 hours to sign the divorce papers and leave. Otherwise, I won’t go easy on you!"
The man who I thought was my safest place just betrayed me in the worst way possible.
- Writer
