Chapter 38: Her Pain
Ethan’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"A peaceful divorce," she continued, her voice eerily calm. "Or I’ll file for an annulment. I don’t want alimony, I don’t want anything from you."
"Mara, no. Baby, we can fix this," Ethan begged, reaching for her. "I don’t know how, but I will. I swear—"
Mara stepped back. "A peaceful divorce means we had something real. Something beautiful that ended. But if you fight me, I’ll file for an annulment. And that means this never happened. We never happened."
Ethan felt his chest tighten.
Ethan froze, his chest tight, his breath shallow. He stared at Mara, her words slicing through him. "Mara, please," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Don’t do this. We can fix this. I’ll do anything."
Mara’s face was stone, her eyes cold. "You can’t fix this, Ethan. You loved her. You loved my best friend. That’s not something you just fix." Her voice trembled, but she held it together, refusing to let him see her break.
"I didn’t mean for it to happen," Ethan said, his hands shaking. "It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I love you. You’re my wife. She was just... I don’t know. A mistake. A moment of weakness."
"A moment?" Mara snapped, her calm cracking. "You kissed her. You loved her. How many moments does it take to fall in love, Ethan? How many moments did you steal from us?"
Ethan couldn’t answer. He looked down, his throat burning. "I’m sorry," he choked out. "I’m so sorry."
"Sorry doesn’t change anything," Mara said, her voice low and steady now. "You made your choice. And now I’m making mine. Get out."