Chapter 17
Damon, Clara, and Selina spent about an hour at lunch. Selina played mediator the whole time, trying to keep the conversation going between Daman and
Clara
Meanwhile, Damon watched Clara focus on her food. He forced himself to swallow all the questions he wanted to ask.
Halfway through, Selina got an urgent call from work and had to leave early.
What started as a casual lunch between a professor and former students quieldy shifted into a standoff between two people on the verge of divorce. The mood turned tense in an instant.
When Clara took the last bite of her steak, Damon handed her a napkin. She didn’t take it. Instead, she got up and grabbed a fresh one.
Her voice was calm, but she got straight to the point. “Whatever you need to say, let’s put it all on the table now,”
Damon’s hand stopped midair as he met her gaze. It had only been a day since they last saw each other, but the person before him felt worlds apart from the gentle, accommodating wife he remembered.
He didn’t know if she had changed–or if he had never really known her at all.
Looking back on their three years of marriage, he realized that aside from the moments they shared in bed, he had rarely paid attention to her face or feelings.
Clara had been like a still, glassy lake–always there, quietly waiting nearby. Over time, he stopped wondering where she had come from or why she had stayed without moving on.
But just when he had gotten used to it, she started to change. She pulled away and rushed toward a place he couldn’t follow.
Darmon barely managed to keep up, only to realize Clara had never been as calm as he had thought. She wasn’t something that would stay put forever while bending to his expectations.
Everything he had believed before had been nothing more than an illusion. This new side of Clara threw him off balance.
But Damon knew she wouldn’t be asking for a divorce unless it had something to do with him. So from the very start, he offered a sincere apology.
“I’m sorry, Clara. For the past three years, I failed as a husband. I never gave you a real home, and I took everything you did for granted. I’m sorry.” Clara knew he meant every word. But it was too late. His apology didn’t move her. She saw it clearly now. She and Damon had never been right for each other. They had been doomed from the start.
How could someone who never loved her commit to a lifetime of marriage? Especially when Damon had never truly let go of Giselle.
Clara filed for divorce because she finally saw how naive and foolish she’d been three years ago, and she just wanted to set things right. It wasn’t about responsibility, family, or anyone’s efforts.
So she simply replied, “I don’t need your apology. Just submit the divorce agreement and send me the decree when it’s done. Cash on delivery is fine.” Darmon froze. On the plane here, he had convinced himself there was still hope He’d spent the whole night thinking of ways to apologize and ways to win Clara back. But now, he finally saw how determined she was.
Her calmness triggered a flash of panic in his eyes, and his voice came out tight. “Do we really have to go through with this? Why?”
Cara met his gaze.
Her words we
anymore. That’s all.”
were sharp and final. “I married you because I loved you. I want a divorce because I don’t have those feelings for you
