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Didn’t think that was possible.
I left him, so a clean break was what I should want, but I felt like I’d made the biggest mistake of my life. The man of my dreams had been at my fingertips, but now he was out of reach. The loss was so inconsolable I wasn’t sure why I’d left in the first place. I felt guilty, like I’d made the wrong decision, like I was in the wrong.
A knock sounded on my door.
My eyes immediately flicked to the door and stared at the wood, taking a moment to realize that someone wanted to speak to me. It wasn’t Axel. He hadn’t come to my doorstep to apologize forhis ruthless words. If he were going to ask for my forgiveness, he wouldn’t have waited so long.
I left the armchair and slowly walked to the front door, taking so long that whoever was there had probably already moved on. Without checking the peephole, I opened it, indifferent to whoever was on the other side.
It was a man I didn’t know.
Wordlessly, he held up the heavy envelope that must be stuffed with a hundred papers. “You’ve been served.” He held it out for me to take.
I stared at the manila envelope, knowing the contents without opening the flap.
When I didn’t take it, he tossed it at my feet. “Have a good day.”
I cried for the rest of the day. Cried to the point that I gave myself a migraine and had to pop a couple pills and force myself to sleep it off. When I woke up, it was dark, and a glance at the clock on the nightstand told me it was almost eight in the evening.
I’d slept a long time—but not enough.
The packet of papers was still in the living room, unopened. I didn’t know what a divorce looked like, but I knew it would be ugly. He hadn’t asked me to sign any prenuptial agreements before our wedding day, so I was entitled to half his assets. But I would forfeit everything.
Because I only wanted him—not his money.
I collected my things and got in the car, driving to the only sanctuary left to me. I pulled through the gates, ignored the guards with heavy guns on the property, and then walked through the front doors.
The sound of voices was immediately audible, along with the uproarious laughter of two men.
My father must have company.
His butler appeared from the other room, slightly flustered because he clearly hadn’t expected another guest. “Good evening, Scarlett. Is your father expecting you?”
“No.” I’d come all the way here to find comfort in his arms, but he had other arrangements. “I should have called first. Let me him know I stopped by.” I started to turn away.
“Your father has never hesitated to drop whatever he’s doing for you, so let me speak with him.” He moved in front of the doorway to cut me off, something he’d never done before. He was always distant and withdrawn, knowing his place as the help. “Please stay here. I’ll be right back.” He eyed me hesitantly, like he could see the devastation all over my face. I always wore makeup, but I hadn’t worn it in weeks. My clothes were wrinkled too, because I didn’t bother to hang them up anymore. Just tossed them on the floor to be retrieved at a later time.
Once he realized I wouldn’t walk off, he left the room to speak to my father.
It took less than two minutes for my father to rush into the room, his footsteps quick like he was on the brink of a sprint. His eyes found mine, and a blanket of sadness covered his face. He moved to me, empathy bright in his eyes like Christmas lights. “Sweetheart, what’s happened?”
“I didn’t know you had company.”
“Doesn’t matter if I have company. You’re all that matters.” He gripped me by the arm then pulled me into him, securing his arms around me in a warm hug. His chin went to the top of my head. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
I held my silence, letting his warmth dull the pain until it wore off. “Axel served me divorce papers today.” I stepped away and presented the packet of papers from my purse before I set it down.
My father hesitated before he took them. He bent the metal prongs straight to open the flap, and then he pulled out the papers so he could read the first few sentences. His eyes shifted back and forth as he read, and then he gave a sigh when he’d read enough. “Goddammit.” He shoved the papers back inside before he tossed the envelope on the table. He took a few steps away, his fingers dragging across his jawline in annoyance. He gave another frustrated sigh.
“I didn’t expect this to happen so quickly.” I’d expected Axel to apologize for the way he’d ripped into me and left me to bleed. He had such a good heart and an award-winning smile. He simply wasn’t the kind of man that was even capable of such savagery. I’d hoped he’d just spoken out of anger, but he clearly hadn’t…or he was still that angry.
“Nor did I.” He sat on the couch, his elbows on his knees.
I sat across from him, unsure what I expected my father to do. He’d always fixed my problems, always knew what to do in any situation. His counsel and advice had always been gold to me. But I knew this was something he couldn’t fix. “Maybe you could talk to him.” It was futile, but this was not how I wanted ourmarriage to end. I didn’t want to be another regret. I didn’t want to be compared toher.
My father lifted his chin and looked at me. “I already have.”
What little hope I had left slowly tumbled down into the pit of my stomach. I swallowed and gave a nod.
