10: Ending The Farce
He scoffed. “Why would I be jealous of you? After all, you‘ re my wife.”
I met his gaze, steady and cold. “I’m only your wife when it comes to family matters. Outside of that, I’m nobody to you.”
I turned to leave, but he grabbed my hand, his grip firm and unyielding.
“Eden,” he said, his voice low and dangerous, “don‘ t act stupid right now. I don’t want to see you near Noah again. If I do, you won’t like the other side of me.”
He let go of my hand, and I stormed out of the room without another word. Outside, I looked at the photo one last time–the picture of me and Noah that had caused all this mess. My heart felt heavy, but I didn’t let it show. I squeezed the photo in my hand, crumpling it, and tossed it into the nearest waste bin.
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The party, which had already felt suffocating, now felt completely unbearable. I needed to get out of there. I slipped away quietly, grabbed a taxi, and went straight home, desperate for some space to breathe.
But when I got home, I froze. Keith was. already there. He stood up the second het saw me, his face tight with anger.
“Are you happy now?” he asked bitterly. “You got what you needed, didn’t you?”
I blinked at him, completely confused.
“What are you talking about? Keith, please spare me. I’m tired, okay? I don’t have. the energy for this.”
His expression darkened even more.
“Grandpa just called,” he said, his voice sharp. “He wants us to have dinner together.”
I stared at him, trying to understand why that was such a big deal. “And that makes you angry because…?”
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“Because,” Keith snapped, his voice. rising, “today is an important day for Georgia. She just got a new apartment, and I was supposed to be at her opening. But no, because of your pathetic life, Grandpa decided to pity you and arrange this dinner. instead.”
I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. “I’m… pathetic?” I asked softly, my voice shaking.
Keith didn’t hesitate. “Oh, you‘ re more than pathetic, Eden. You orchestrated this. whole union. I don‘ t know how you did it, but you somehow convinced my grandfather that I should marry you.”
His words hit me like a slap. My throat tightened, and I struggled to hold back tears. He looked at me like I was nothing,
like I didn’t matter at all.
For a moment, the room was silent except for the sound of my uneven breathing. Then I said it, my voice barely above a whisper.
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“Fine. Let’s divorce.”
Keith’s head snapped up, his expression shifting from anger to shock. “What?” he asked, like he hadn’t heard me properly.
I met his eyes, my voice steady this time.
“I said let’s divorce and go
Our sen? ways. After all, this union isn’t built on love,” I said firmly.
Keith stared at me like I had just said something ridiculous. “You‘ re not serious,” his tone flat, almost dismissive.
I didn‘ t flinch. “I’m completely serious. Tomorrow, I’ll have the divorce papers ready. You just need to sign your part, and we can end this farce.”
He didn’t say anything. He just stood there, silent, like he couldn’t decide. whether to argue or ignore me. I didn‘ t wait for him to respond. Instead, I turned on my heel and went to my bedroom to get ready for Pa Greg’s dinner.
At the dinner table, Keith and Pa Greg were
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deep in conversation. Keith was asking about his grandfather‘ s health, and the two of them seemed relaxed, even cheerful. I sat there quietly, picking at my food, my appetite long gone.
Pa Greg must have noticed because, out of nowhere, he turned to me. “Eden, dear, you’ve been so quiet tonight. How are you doing?”
I forced a small smile and nodded. “I’m fine, Pa Greg.”
But then he dropped the question–the one I wasn’t prepared for.
“When are you going to give me a grandchild, huh?” he teased, smiling as if it was an innocent joke.
The moment he said it, I choked on my food, coughing hard. I grabbed my water and took a sip, my face burning with embarrassment. My gaze instinctively flew to Keith, who was already staring at me. His expression was unreadable.
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If only Pa Greg knew. If only he knew that I had been pregnant once–that I had carried Keith’s child. And that I lost it. My chest tightened painfully, and the ache was so overwhelming I couldn’t bear to sit there anymore.
“Excuse me,” I mumbled, pushing my chair back and standing up. I didn’t wait for anyone to ask questions. I just needed to get out of there.
Outside, the cool night air hit my face as I stepped away from the house. I leaned against the wall, trying to steady my breathing. The memory of what I had lost played on repeat in my head. I thought I could hold it together, but hearing Pa Greg’s words brought it all crashing back.
Then I heard footsteps approaching. I turned to see Keith coming toward me, his face unreadable, as always.
“You left pretty quickly back there,” he said, stopping a few feet away from me.
“The moment Grandpa mentioned giving
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him a grandchild, you bolted.”
His words hung in the air, and for a second, I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. I forced myself to stand up straight, hiding the pain I felt inside.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” I said quietly. I turned to look at him, meeting his gaze without flinching. “After all, by tomorrow, I’ll hand you the divorce papers.”
