Divorce ME, Then Regret Me

Chapter One The Divorce Papers Rain lashed against the tall windows of the De Luca Mansion, turning the world outside into a blur of darkness and silver streaks. Aurora Valentina De Luca sat alone in the living room, her fingers wrapped around a cup of tea that had long gone cold. The grandfather clock in the corner ticked steadily, each second stretching longer than the last. Midnight. Lorenzo still wasn't home. Again. She glanced at her phone for what felt like the hundredth time. No messages. No missed calls. A year ago, she would have received at least a text telling her he would be late. Now, silence has become normal. Aurora leaned back against the sofa and stared at the ceiling. She hated how distant they had become. Somewhere along the way, the man who used to look at her as if she were the most important person in the world had started looking through her instead. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway made her sit up immediately. Her heart skipped. "Lorenzo." For the first time all evening, she smiled. The front door opened moments later. Footsteps echoed through the entrance hall. Aurora stood and smoothed the wrinkles from her dress before walking toward the foyer. The smile on her face disappeared the moment she saw him. Lorenzo looked exhausted. But that wasn't what unsettled her. It was the expression on his face. Cold. Unreadable. Like she was looking at a stranger. Behind him stood several members of the De Luca family. Bianca Moretti was among them, her arms crossed as she watched Aurora with barely concealed satisfaction. A knot formed in Aurora's stomach. Something was wrong. Very wrong. "Lorenzo?" she asked quietly. "What's going on?" Without answering, he reached into his briefcase and removed a thick envelope. Then he tossed it onto the marble table between them. The sound echoed through the room. Aurora frowned. Slowly, she picked up the envelope. Her breath caught. Divorce papers. For a moment, she thought she was reading it wrong. Her eyes moved across the page again. And again. But the words remained the same. Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. The room seemed to tilt beneath her feet. "What is this?" she whispered. Lorenzo laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You really want to ask that?" Aurora looked up. Confused. Hurt. "What are you talking about?" His jaw tightened. "Stop pretending." The accusation hit harder than she expected. Pretending? She stared at him, searching his face for some sign that this was a misunderstanding. There was none. Instead, he pulled another file from his briefcase and dropped it onto the table. Photographs spilled across the surface. Aurora picked one up. Then another. Her blood ran cold. The pictures showed her meeting with men connected to one of Lorenzo's biggest rivals. Only she had never met those men. Not once. "This isn't real," she said immediately. "No?" Lorenzo's voice was sharp. "Then explain it." "I don't know who these people are." "Enough." The single word silenced the room. Aurora looked at him in disbelief. Three years. Three years of marriage. Three years of trusting each other. And he wasn't even willing to listen. Bianca stepped forward. "Lorenzo has already seen enough evidence." Aurora ignored her. Her eyes remained fixed on her husband. "Do you believe this?" Lorenzo didn't answer. He didn't have to. The look in his eyes told her everything. He believed she had betrayed him. The realization hurt more than the divorce papers. Because if he truly knew her... If he truly loved her... He would have questioned it. He would have fought for her. Instead, he had already made his decision. Something inside Aurora quietly broke. Not her heart. That had been breaking for months. It was her hope. The hope that he would choose her. The hope that he would trust her. The hope that their marriage could survive. Gone. Without another word, she picked up the pen lying beside the papers. Several people exchanged surprised looks. They had expected tears. Arguments. Desperation. Aurora gave them none of it. She signed her name slowly. Aurora Valentina Kingsley. The scratching of the pen against paper was the only sound in the room. When she finished, she placed the pen down and slid the papers back toward Lorenzo. No one spoke. Aurora finally looked at him. For a second, she thought she saw hesitation in his eyes. But it disappeared as quickly as it came. A sad smile touched her lips. "One day," she said softly, "you'll learn the truth." Lorenzo remained silent. Aurora picked up her handbag. Then she walked toward the door. Before stepping outside, she paused. Without turning around, she spoke four words. "You'll regret this." The front door closed behind her. And for the first time in three years, Aurora walked away from the man she loved. Neither of them knew it yet. But that night would change everything. And Lorenzo De Luca would spend years wishing he had listened.