The Hundredth Divorce

Amelia's POV The Hundredth Divorce I never thought I would become a regular at the divorce office, but here I was again for the hundredth time. I sat quietly beside Alexander, staring at the divorce papers on the desk in front of me. The papers looked ordinary. Just a few sheets of paper with our names written clearly on them. Alexander Black and Amelia Carter. Seven years of marriage reduced to a few signatures. Honestly, I should have been used to it by now. After all, this wasn't my first time sitting here, wasn't even my tenth, it was the hundredth. The staff member sitting across from us adjusted her glasses and looked between Alexander and me. She had probably seen us more times than she had seen some of her own relatives. She cleared her throat. "Mr. Black, Mrs. Black, as you both know, there is a five-day cooling-off period. If neither of you changes your mind within those five days, you can return and complete the final divorce procedure." I nodded but Alexander didn't say anything. He simply leaned back in his chair, looking as calm as ever. I looked at him, that face was still annoyingly handsome. His black hair was neatly styled, his expensive suit fitted perfectly against his tall body, and his cold expression made him look like the kind of man who had never lost an argument in his entire life. Unfortunately, I knew him better than most people did, I knew that beneath that calm face was an extremely stubborn man. A man who could threaten divorce because his dinner wasn't warm enough, a man who could threaten divorce because I bought the wrong flowers, one who could evwn threaten divorce because I forgot to iron one of his shirts. And every single time, I had begged him to stay, and this was the hundredth time. I looked down at my hand to see it trembling slightly again, but enough for me to notice, so I quickly placed it under the table. But the Alexander noticed anyway. He always noticed it, he just never cared why it trembled. He suddenly stood up, causing the chair to scrape against the floor. I looked up at him, and before I could say anything, he walked toward me. He grabbed my chin with his fingers and forced me to look at him. "Get a grip, Amelia." He said with a cold voice. "This time, I won't withdraw the application." I stared into his eyes, there was almost a challenge in them. He stood there waiting, waiting for me to cry, to grab his hand, to say the same words I had said ninety-nine times before. 'Alexander, please don't leave me.' But those words didn't come, for some reason, they were no longer there. His fingers slowly released my chin, the he straightened his suit and walked away without another word. I remained seated for a few seconds and the staff member looked uncomfortable. When I finally stood up, I heard one of the women behind the counter whisper. "Again?" Another woman sighed. "Yes, again." They probably thought I couldn't hear them, but nfortunately, I could. "I heard the last time he filed for divorce, it was because she didn't take care of his suit properly." "No, this time it's because he didn't like the flowers she bought." They laughed quietly. "Do you think she'll beg again?" "Of course. Give her three days." Hearing this, I stopped walking, and my eyes suddenly became hot. But they weren't wrong, and that was the embarrassing part. They had probably seen me kneel before Alexander more than once. The first time he threatened divorce, I cried, the tenth time, I cried, the fiftieth time, I cried, even the ninety-ninth time... I got on my knees and begged him not to leave me. I had completely forgotten that I had dignity. I had loved him so much that losing myself didn't even seem like a big price to pay, but what did I get in return? Alexander still ended up with Isabella whenever he wanted to hurt me. And yes, Isabella was my stepsister. The woman who always smiled at me like an innocent angel while quietly taking everything she believed belonged to me. Maybe I had been stupid. No. I had definitely been stupid. I wiped the tears from my face before they could fall, this time, I wasn't going to beg. Alexander wanted a divorce, fine. I would give him one. I walked out of the divorce office without looking back, but the moment I stepped outside, I saw Alexander standing with his friends. They were laughing about something, when they noticed me, the laughter became louder. One of them looked at my hand and smirked. "Look at that. She's trembling again." Another laughed. "How can someone like that even hope to keep Alexander?" I lowered my eyes. "Just stay away from us, Amelia," one of them said. "Isabella is waiting for Alexander." Alexander looked at me and bled out a small smile out of his lips. "Don't play pitiful." I looked at him. "I won't be withdrawing the divorce this time." His eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm curious to see what trick you'll use to make me change my mind." I almost laughed. He really believed I was still trying to win him back. I looked at the man I had loved for seven years, then I realized something. I was tired, not angry, not even heartbroken anymore. Just tired. I turned around and walked away. I took out my phone and found the number I had saved years ago but had never dared to call. Sebastian King. My thumb hovered over his name for a few seconds then I pressed call. The phone rang twice before he answered. "Amelia?" He called my name wuth a calm and steady voice. I swallowed hard before any word could escape my lips. "I'll be divorced in five days." I finally said, but there was silence on the other end. "Are you sure?" He finally asked. "Yes." Another brief silence followed. "If you're still willing to invest in my mother's project like we discussed..." I took a deep breath. "I'm willing to marry you in five days." He didn't answer immediately, then his voice came through. "Okay." I blinked. "Okay?" "See you in five days, Amelia." He ended the call. I lowered the phone and stared at it. Five days. In five days, I would no longer be Alexander Black's wife. I looked toward the city ahead of me, my mother's unfinished project was still waiting, and that was the reason I had endured so much. My mom, Victoria Carter had left behind the work of her lifetime, and I wasn't going to let it disappear. I had lost seven years of my life and I wasn't going to lose my mother's legacy too. My phone suddenly vibrated and I checked and saw it was a message. opening it, I noticed it was a photograph. Alexander was sitting inside our usual bar with Isabella beside him, she was smiling. But that wasn't what caught my attention, it was the small brooch pinned to her dress. My breath stopped as I saw this. I definitely knew that brooch, I had held it in my hands hundreds of times when I was younger. It was my mother's, the last thing I had left of her. I stared at the photograph with a pounding heart. Then I grabbed my bag and rushed toward the bar, this time, I wasn't going there to beg Alexander. No, I was going there for my mother's last belonging.