Chapter 43
Trying to get me and Dad to notice you like this? You think pretending to leave will make us feel bad
“You’re disgusting!” he screamed. “Trying to
and beg you to stay? Dream on!”
“If you’ve got the guts, then leave for real. Don’t ever come back!“I
His words were venomous and the knife in his hand gleamed under the light, fueled by a hatred far too intense for a boy his age.X I dodged fast–just barely.
The blade missed my heart, but I felt the sting as it sliced across my cheek. Hot pain bloomed instantly, Flesh split. Blood beaded, then spilled in a slow, sticky trickle down my jaw, soaking the front of my shirt before hitting the hardwood floor in fat crimson drops. Jayden froze, horror flashing in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just trying to scare you, I swear… I didn’t think it would. Are you okay?”
I didn’t answer. I raised my hand and slapped him, hard. S
The sound cracked through the air like a whip. His head jerked sideways from the force. A bright red mark bloomed on his pale cheek and for a second, he just stood there, stunned.
It was the first time I’d ever hit him. In all these years, I’d endured every tantrum, every cruel word, but this–this was too far. And it would be the last time I ever laid a hand on him.
Jayden’s face crumpled. His scream echoed up the staircase.
Moments later, footsteps thundered down the stairs. “What the hell is going on?” he barked. ”
Nick appeared, his expression darkening the instant he saw the red print on Jayden’s face!
He opened his mouth to yell at me but then he saw my face. His anger froze mid–sentence. His eyes widened slightly and for a moment, I thought I saw something close to fear in them.
“Did Jayden do this?“;
Before I could answer, Jayden ran over and clung to Nick’s waist, sobbing
“I didn’t mean to hurt her! I just wanted to scare her off–so she’d leave and not come back.”
Nick’s gaze flicked from me, to the knife lying by my suitcase and back again”
I braced myself for the usual. The lecture. The blame. The dismissal
But instead, he stepped forward and reached for my hand. “Come on. I’m taking you to the hospital. That cut’s deep. You’ll need stitches. “X
I jerked my hand away. “Don’t bother. I’ll take care of it myself. I’ll stop by a hospital on the way to the airport. I left the divorce papers at your door. Just remember to sign them.”
Nick’s expression changed in an instant. “How long are you going to stay mad at me?” he snapped. “What did we ever do to deserve this kind of hate from you?
Sure, they never let me go without. I had a roof over my head, a closet full of clothes and food on the table. They gave me everything- except the things that actually mattered. My feelings? Ignored. My opinions? Unheard. My existence? Only acknowledged when they needed something. I was invisible unless I was useful
“I’m not angry. Nick” I said with a tired sigh. “I just want a divorce.”
He stared at me, lips slightly parted, as if the words didn’t quite register. Then he murmured, “Why?”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. Not because I didn’t know why–but because saying it all out loud wouldn’t change anything. And oddly enough, Nick had spoken more in the past five minutes than he had in the last five years combined. But it was too late.
I picked up my suitcase and turned toward the door.
“Aria, if you walk out that door, don’t bother coming back“&
Behind me, his voice came again–louder, sharper
I paused, hand on the doorknob.
“But if you stay, Valentina will help take care of Jayden. You won’t have to do it all alone anymore. I know these years haven’t been easy for you.” His tone was clipped, forced, like he was trying to convince himself. “You won’t need to handle his food, his schooling–she’ll handle it all. You’ll just need to play the part of his mother. And my wife. That’s it.”
There was a reason behind that offer, of course. Not emotion. Not love. Obligation.
The Ambrose had an unspoken rule: only one marriage per lifetime. Divorce wasn’t just frowned upon–it was disgraceful, Unless one of us died, the mariage had to stay intact, no matter how broken It was.
No one in their family had ever divorced. Not once, It simply wasn’t done.
And now I, the woman from nowhere, was about to be the first to break that rule.
For a man like Nick–proud, polished and obsessed with reputation–this wasn’t just a personal blow. It was humiliation.
And that he could never forgive.
Nick’s pride wouldn’t survive the scandal of me walking away
