Chapter 3

ELORA

I had to have misheard that, right?

If anyone should be jumping for joy at the news of a divorce, it should be Cedric. Especially since I wasn't even asking for alimony. He didn't even have to pay to get rid of me.

So why the hell was he looking at me like that?

"I believe I just told you we're getting a divorce."

"And I heard you," he said as he dropped the sheet of paper on his desk. "But it's not happening."

I frowned at his face, inching closer to his six-foot frame.

"This is not a joke, Cedric. My lawyer has already filed the copies."

"Then tell him to un-file them."

I scoffed. This was just unbelievable.

"Besides, Grandpa just died, Elora. The grass on his grave hasn't even started sprouting."

I actually smiled at that, though it was more like me baring my teeth.

"That's exactly why it's time we divorced."

I had been putting up with this nonsense for one reason and one reason only. Arthur. Cedric was only in this for his inheritance, but my anchor was the old man. I was his nurse first. That was the only real thing I had in this suffocating house.

Arthur had really believed he planned the matchmaking of the century. He died a month ago without ever knowing about Vanessa or Jamie. I knew how devastated he would have been to see what our daily lives actually looked like, so I kept my mouth shut.

I hated Cedric for trying to play the Arthur card on me now. I really did.

This divorce was the one thing I'd been looking forward to for so long. Not that I was waiting for Arthur to die, but I always knew I'd eventually summon the courage to leave one day.

But if I was also being very honest with myself, I couldn't blame all my hesitation on Arthur. There was also this very stupid, tiny part of me that kept hoping things might change.

My childhood at the orphanage was to blame for that. They always fed those silly motivational speeches down our throats every single day.

'No matter how bad it gets, it can always get better.' That nonsense.

They overdosed me with that toxic optimism.

Well, Arthur never got better, there's that.

I'd hoped he would recover enough so his heart could take the news when I finally told him I didn't want the marriage anymore. He was gone now.

"You should be thrilled," I told Cedric.

My vision suddenly blurred, much to my own annoyance. I held back the tears, shoving the paper back at his chest.

"I was forced on you, so sign it."

He didn't take it. "We cannot get divorced."

"Why?!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Why the fuck shouldn't I be free of this now?"

Cedric sighed slowly and then paced a tight line down his office, running a hand back through his hair. He looked agitated. How dare he even try to look like he was having a hard time with this?

While I stared at the back of his head, a pathetic thought slid into my mind. I imagined he'd turn back around right then and say he was refusing the divorce because he wasn't suffocated by me anymore. Maybe he was about to tell me he wanted to make things right with us.

Not that my decision would change if he actually said that to me. But I just couldn't think of what this refusal could possibly be about.

"Our marriage is a secret to the public. I kept to our agreement on that. If it's about your image, you have nothing to lose. No one in this family wanted this marriage enough that they'd willingly run to the press to proclaim it later."

He stopped pacing and then looked at me, his jaw clenched.

"I signed an agreement with Grandpa."

I frowned. "What?"

"Half of my inheritance was put into a trust," Cedric said flatly and completely devoid of the romantic confession I'd stupidly braced for.

"I don't get it unless our marriage reaches at least six years. This is just four years and eleven months," he said.

My stomach bottomed out.

"What trust? How come I'm just hearing about this now? Arthur didn't tell me anything."

"It was a secret condition he proposed before he died, and I wasn't supposed to tell you."

At the end of the day, all this man still cared about was his money. I knew he was enduring this marriage for his inheritance, I just didn't know there was an ultimatum attached.

"So you're telling me you signed it."

He nodded affirmatively.

It felt like my life was flashing before my eyes.

So I still had to endure this for one more year when I had already set my mind on it being over today?

One year and a month.

"Fine," I said. "Have your one year. But I'm leaving this house now. When your clock is up, call me. Then we'll end this once and for all."

I then stormed out of the study.

There was so much heaviness in my chest. It felt like a boulder was crushing my lungs.

Vanessa was standing by the landing of the staircase when I started bringing my things down. Zero effort to hide her triumphant sneer. This was exactly what she and Victoria had been dreaming of.

I stopped at the door and glanced around the massive space. Four years I'd slept under this roof, walked these halls, eaten at that ridiculously long dining table. As much as I hated to admit it, it still felt like I was leaving home. A prison home.

I dragged my luggage down the stone path wrapping around the east wing, and stopped at the gates of Arthur's memorial garden.

The air inside the garden smelled of wet mulch and jasmine.

I parked my suitcase on the grass and walked past the flowerbeds. Arthur's plaque was almost fully smothered by the white rose petals.

I sighed heavily, looking down at his name like I could still see him lying in his bed, his face always lighting up whenever he looked at me.

"You gave me a seat at a table that was never meant for me, Arthur."

I wondered if he was watching me right now. From the other world the dead were said to migrate to.

"God knows I tried. I really did." My voice broke. I quickly swallowed it all down.

"Thank you so much for everything."

I broke a pale stem from the nearest bush and rested the bloom over the engraved letters.

"I'm leaving now."

From there, I walked away, never to return.

Forty minutes later, I pulled into the driveway of an apartment building.

My best friend, Chloe, was already waiting outside with a chunky knit cardigan wrapped around her shoulders.

She rushed over and pulled me into a tight hug as soon as I got out of the car. I simply let out a long exhale against her shoulders without a word.

"Come on." She grabbed the handle of my heaviest bag.

I followed her into the elevator and up to the eleventh floor.

The second Chloe pushed her front door open, a warm wave of citrus-scented air greeted me. The tension locking my spine was almost gone in an instant, and I broke into a bright smile.

"Mommy!"

I dropped to my knees right at the door, opening my arms wide in time for my little angel to fling herself against my chest.