Chapter 2
741words
The city lay shrouded beneath heavy, dark clouds.
Raindrops hammered against the glass while leaves twisted and struggled in the downpour.
I remembered our early marriage—broke and living in a tiny basement apartment.
We couldn't afford air conditioning, so we'd huddle together, catching what little heat rose from the floor below, listening to our neighbors argue through paper-thin walls.
Harvey would hold me close, his body cold against mine.
We were poor, but God, we were happy.
But Harvey hated those days.
He'd promised me: "Bella, I'll give you a better life."
And he did. The company grew, and our lives improved.
For my birthday, he bought a downtown penthouse with a breathtaking city view.
Those once-happy memories now only brought sharp pain.
I hugged my knees to my chest, shoulders trembling, eyes welling with tears.
That night I curled up alone on the sofa, sleepless until dawn.
At two a.m., I listened to occasional cars splashing through puddles on the street below.
Harvey returned early the next morning, wrapped in the fruity perfume young women favor.
When Harvey saw the computer, he understood immediately.
He glanced at me. "I've wronged you. Name your price."
I looked up with a bitter smile. "Did you sleep with her?"
Harvey lowered his head in silence.
"Why?" My voice cracked pathetically.
Harvey leaned against the wall, head down. After a moment, he sighed. "Bella, I'm tired."
He looked up at me. "I'm tired of our routine. Tired of you revolving around me constantly."
"Life needs excitement, Bella."
"Besides, that man—"
I froze.
Then I snapped, grabbing the vase from the table and smashing it to the floor.
"How could you do this to me?!"
Harvey paused. "Don't worry. She won't affect your position."
I stared at the stranger before me. Ten years had flown by. His appearance hadn't changed much—just matured—but he'd become someone I didn't recognize.
Harvey pulled out a cigarette, holding it between his fingers.
After a moment: "If you think it's unfair, find someone else. I won't interfere."
After a long silence, I heard my own hollow voice. "You really think she's that special?"
Harvey's lips curled into a smile, his eyes brightening. "Meeting her made me understand what it means to be alive."
"She's kind, adorable, young... full of energy."
I gave a bitter smile.
How strange—my heart was shattering, yet I sat calmly listening to my husband describe falling for another woman.
It felt like my body remained while my soul floated above, coldly observing the scene.
In that moment, I realized the man before me was no longer the boy I'd loved.
The man who'd once held my hand and vowed to love me for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, until death—that man had vanished with time.
I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them. "Let's get a divorce."
Harvey's face darkened as he took a deep drag of his cigarette. "I've already told you, Lucia won't affect you."
"Why can't you just accept her?"
I took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter if you agree or not. I'm filing for divorce. Though if things get messy, it won't look good for you either."
Orange-red flames danced from his cigarette.
Harvey's expression shifted as he leaned back, his demeanor turning sarcastic. "Bella, you're already thirty."
"Don't be childish. Who else would want you?"
My heart felt crushed in a giant fist. I thought I'd reached my limit of pain, but apparently there was further to fall.
Without arguing, I pulled a divorce agreement from the coffee table drawer and placed it before him. "Sign it."
The living room fell deathly quiet.
After a moment, Harvey spoke through gritted teeth. "Don't regret this."
I nodded.
He paused, then sneered. "Fine."
"I've had enough of you hovering around me like a nagging old woman anyway."
"In bed you're just the same boring positions, like a dead fish," he spat.
"Now that you're willing to step aside, I couldn't be happier."
Harvey snatched the agreement, scrawled his signature, and tossed it back.
"Satisfied now?" he asked with a cold laugh.
"Once I've signed this, there's no turning back. Don't come crying to me later."
I grabbed my coat. "Let's go get the certificate now. The office closes soon."
"Sure." He stood, grabbed his jacket, and headed for the door.
His eager stride told me everything I needed to know.
