Chapter 3
"Yeah. The divorce papers were delivered today. I'll have her sign them tonight," Kevin said.
Bella stopped cold. Ice spread from her chest to the tips of her fingers. A tear escaped before she felt it coming.
'Three months?' Bella thought bitterly. 'Alina has been pregnant for three months.
'And Kevin… he's really planning to divorce me? On the day he proposed, he swore that he'd never leave me, not in this lifetime.'
"Really? Then I'll have to give you a reward tonight, huh?" Alina said, her voice sweet and teasing.
"But remember what we agreed: after the baby's born, we divorce. Bella is, and always will be my only legal wife. I owe her that," Kevin said, his tone firm.
"I know. As long as I get to marry you eventually, I don't care how long I have to wait."
Bella heard nothing after that.
She walked back to the bedroom like a sleepwalker. As she stood before their wedding bed, a sudden, bitter laugh escaped her lips.
But laughing turned into crying, sharp and unrestrained.
On the bed lay a pair of champagne-colored lace panties that didn't belong to her.
In the trash can sat a used condom.
On the vanity, makeup that wasn't hers.
The whole room smelled of Alina.
Bella's strength buckled. She crouched to the floor, sobbing until her throat was raw.
'Why? Why would Kevin do this to me?' Bella thought, her heart shattering.
She didn't know how long she cried before Kevin pushed open the door.
Seeing her barefoot on the cold floor, eyes swollen, he softened his voice. "Bella, why are you sitting on the ground? You'll get sick."
He scooped her up, but when he tried to lay her on the bed, she pushed against him.
"I don't like this room anymore. Or this bed. Can I move to the guest room?" she asked.
He stiffened. "Why? This is our wedding bed. We picked it out together. You loved it."
Bella let out a sarcastic laugh. 'So he remembers.' she thought, her heart aching. 'If he remembers, how could he bring another woman into this bed?'
Disgust surged through her, thick and choking.
"Forget it," Kevin said quietly. "Do whatever you want."
He didn't argue. He simply carried her to the guest room.
A few minutes later, he returned with a stack of papers.
"Bella, I bought you a house on the outskirts of the city. You always said you liked it out there, so I wanted to surprise you. This is the contract. Once you sign, the place is yours," Kevin said, trying to sound gentle.
He placed the papers in front of her and handed her a pen.
Bella could just make out the large printed title: Divorce Agreement.
He had the nerve to pretend it was a property deed. He thought she was blind, so he could crush her heart without consequence.
She lifted her face toward him. "Kevin… you're sure you want me to sign this?"
His silence stretched long. Finally he nodded. "Yeah. Sign it, Bella."
"Alright." Without hesitation, she signed.
Her name appeared beside his, and suddenly she was back in high school, where their grades had always been side by side on the rankings.
He was always number one, and she was always number two.
One above. One below. Always together.
Just like now.
But this would be the last time.
She handed the papers to him. "I'm tired. I want to sleep."
"Okay. Rest. I still have work to finish," Kevin replied.
"Go ahead."
She didn't expose him. She just watched his back as he left, her eyes dimming like the last glow of a dying ember.
Rain drummed against the windows all night. Bella couldn't sleep. A memory surfaced—photos she'd taken with Kevin long ago.
She would be leaving this villa soon. Leaving Kevin. Those photos had no place in her life anymore.
She got up and headed toward the master bedroom, wanting to burn them.
But at the doorway, she froze. Two bodies tangled together on the bed.
"Baby, it feels so good. I can't wait to marry you," Alina said, her voice bubbling with excitement.
"That excited?" Kevin teased, a playful note in his voice.
"Of course. We've been sneaking around for three years. I can finally stand beside you in the open."
'Three years?' Bella's breath caught.