Chapter 6
I opened the door to find Cedric standing at my office, looking completely worn out. “Astrid! I finally found you!”
His face lit up with surprise and relief when he saw me. However, I couldn’t help but notice how disheveled he looked-
scruffy beard and wrinkled clothes. I frowned and took a step back.
“Have you signed the divorce papers?” I asked, my voice steady.
“Astrid, please, don’t do this! I don’t want a divorce. I know I messed up with Anya, but I’m trying to change! Just give me another chance! I’ve let her go, and I’ve cleaned up the house. I swear it’ll be different!”
He rushed through his words, desperation in his eyes, pleading for me to reconsider. If this were any other time, I might have felt that old pull to run into his arms and forget everything.
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But that love? It was gone.
“None of that matters to me anymore. I just want a divorce,” I replied, my tone firm.
I could see the sadness wash over him, confusion clouding his face. “Astrid, how can you just throw away eight years together? You used to love me! What changed?”
I pulled out a couple of papers–my pregnancy test results and the miscarriage report. I explained, “I wanted to have a baby with you. I was so excited to surprise you, but then I fell down the stairs. I called you, hoping you’d come.”
I paused, watching his face drain of color. “But you didn’t come. Instead, you drove over 300 miles just to get a cake for your first love.”
His hands trembled as he held the papers, his lips moving without sound.
“That’s when I realized–I didn’t want my child to grow up without a father,” I said.
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“And from that moment on, I was done hoping for you.”
I looked at him with a mix of pity and indifference, feeling almost numb. Seeing him like this stirred nothing in me
anymore.
Tears gradually streamed down his cheeks. “Astrid, why didn’t you tell me sooner? Oh, babe, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to…”
I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “And if I had? Would you have believed me?”
He fell silent for a moment.
Then, he said, “I won’t divorce you, Astrid. I’m begging you, please don’t do this to me. These past few months, all I could think about was you. I regret everything. You’re still the one I love. Please, don’t… don’t
leave…”
His voice cracked, but I just shook my head softly.
“We can’t go back to how things used to be,
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Cedric,” I replied. “If you don’t agree to the divorce, I’ll take this to court. I have
evidence of your cheating from the school district house’s security. Let’s not drag this out and keep it civil.”
I sighed, feeling the weight of the situation.
Cedric stared at me in disbelief. He then let out a pained laugh, shaking his head slowly.
Clutching the papers tightly, he walked away without another word.
Watching him retreat, I felt like a hollow shell, empty inside.
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