A Divorce He Regrets

Chapter 13:

“What’s it going to be, Alexander?” I pressed, folding my arms as I waited. “Are you going to keep making this difficult, or are you going to agree to my terms?”

His jaw clenched, the muscles tightening as if he were forcing down a string of insults. I knew this must feel like betrayal to him, and yet, a part of me savored the moment. Finally, finally, I could feel some sense of justice.

He let out a sigh, an audible sign of surrender.

“Fine,” he bit out, his voice dripping with frustration. “I’ll arrange a visitation agreement for you. You’ll get to see him.”

My chest tightened, though I managed to keep my face calm. This was a victory, however small, however begrudgingly he gave it. Still, there was something about the way he said it, like I was some inconvenience he had to tolerate. Like I was beneath him. And that familiar ache surfaced once more, the reminder of all he’d taken from me. But I didn’t let it show. I’d come too far to let his disdain hurt me now.

After we all signed the documents, Alexander shook hands with Dominic, but when he turned to me, I gave him only the coldest of glances.

“Hurry up,” I said, turning on my heel. “I have other things to attend to.”

The audacity of it, the sharp intake of breath he tried to mask, almost made me laugh. This newfound confidence felt like a balm over old wounds, something I could carry forward.

Dominic caught up with me, whispering, “Are you sure about this?”

I smiled, faint but resolute. “Absolutely.”

Dominic stood casting one last glance my way as if to say he trusted me to handle this on my own. And I did. I knew I could.

When Alexander caught up with me outside, he looked at me with a hint of disdain. “You’ll need to find your own way,” he said, his voice biting, a clear attempt to regain his upper hand. But before I could respond, my driver pulled up to the curb, and I let myself into the car with a serene smile, nodding at him as if he’d been dismissed. “I’ll follow behind,” I said calmly.

The drive was short, yet with each passing moment, I felt my heart begin to race. My hands grew clammy, my mind whirling. Why were we headed this way? It wasn’t until we pulled up to the hospital’s entrance that the fear truly set in, icy and unrelenting.

“What’s the meaning of this?” I demanded, grabbing his arm as he stepped out, my voice a trembling whisper. It felt like betrayal all over again. He met my gaze, a flicker of something mocking glinting in his dark eyes.

𝙍𝙖𝙬 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙤: g𝖺𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⨳ⅽ𝗈𝗺

“You wanted to see him, didn’t you?” His voice was infuriatingly calm, cold, and detached. “Then follow me.”

The sterile smell of antiseptic hit me as soon as we entered the hospital. Each step felt heavier than the last, my heart pounding so loudly it nearly drowned out everything else. I could feel Alexander’s presence beside me, unyielding, unfeeling. How could he be so unaffected?noveldrama

Then we reached the room.

The sight that greeted me shattered whatever resolve I had left. There, lying so small and fragile on the hospital bed, was my son. My beautiful, precious Liam. A machine beeped softly beside him, tubes and wires connecting him to a source of life, and I felt my knees weaken, my heart twisting painfully in my chest.

I took a shaky step forward, tears already blurring my vision, my hand trembling as I reached for him, even though I couldn’t bring myself to touch him. “Liam…”

The whisper left my lips, barely audible, as if saying his name might break the spell and pull him from this nightmare.

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