I stood in the living room of our villa, holding a warm cup of soup in my hands. The clock on the wall showed seven in the evening. This was the time Adrian usually came home.
The soup was his favorite. I had learned to cook it during our first year of marriage. Back then, he once said it tasted good. Just once. That single sentence stayed with me for three years.
The front door opened.
My heart jumped.
I turned around quickly, a small smile forming on my lips.
"You are back."
Adrian Blake walked in with a cold face. He was tall and handsome, wearing a black suit that looked expensive even without trying. His tie was neat. His hair was perfect.
He did not look at the soup in my hands. He did not look at me either.
He loosened his tie and walked straight to the sofa.
"We need to talk."
Those four words made my fingers tighten around the bowl.
I nodded.
"Let me put the soup down first. You must be tired. You did not eat lunch again, right?"
He finally looked at me then. His eyes were calm. Too calm.
"No need."
He took a brown envelope from his briefcase and placed it on the table.
The sound it made was soft, but it felt loud in my ears.
I looked at the envelope. My heart started to beat fast.
"What is that" I asked quietly.
He leaned back on the sofa, his posture relaxed.
"Divorce papers."
The word divorce hit me like cold water.
For a moment, I could not breathe.
I stood there, frozen, the soup slowly cooling in my hands.
I had imagined many things in this marriage. I imagined him coming home earlier. I imagined him smiling at me. I imagined us having a child one day.
But I never imagined this.
"Why" I asked.
My voice sounded strange, like it did not belong to me.
Adrian crossed his legs.
"This marriage has no meaning anymore."
I laughed softly, without humor.
"Did it ever have meaning to you"
He frowned slightly.
"Do not make this difficult."
Those words hurt more than I expected.
For three years, I had tried my best to be a good wife. I woke up early every day to prepare breakfast even though he never ate at home. I waited for him late at night even though he rarely came back before midnight. I endured his silence, his distance, his cold eyes.
I told myself he was just busy.
I told myself love could grow with time.
But now he was telling me our marriage had no meaning.
I walked slowly to the table and put the soup down. My hands were shaking.
"Is it because of her" I asked.
His eyes darkened for a second.
That was enough.
I smiled bitterly.
So it was true.
Everyone in the city knew Adrian Blake had a white moonlight in his heart. Her name was Sophia. She was his first love. The woman he could never forget.
She had returned three months ago.
After that, Adrian started coming home even less.
"She is sick," he said suddenly. "She needs rest. I cannot let her be disturbed by rumors."
I looked at him in disbelief.
"So you divorce me to protect her reputation" I asked.
"This is the best solution," he replied calmly. "You will get compensation."
He pushed the envelope toward me.
"There is a house and money. It is enough for you to live well."
I stared at the envelope.
So this was what our three year marriage was worth.
I sat down slowly on the chair opposite him.
"Adrian," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Do you remember why we got married"
He did not answer.
I continued, even though my chest felt tight.
"Your grandmother liked me. She said I was gentle and suitable to be a Blake wife. You needed a wife. I needed a place to stay. It was a deal."
"Yes," he said. "That is why we should end it now."
I nodded slowly.
Yes. It was a deal.
So why did my heart hurt like this
I picked up the divorce papers and flipped through them. Every word was clear and clean
He had prepared everything.
He must have thought about this for a long time.
"When do you want it done" I asked.
"Tomorrow."
''Tomorrow? So fast'' l asked then smiled faintly
"Alright."
That single word made him look at me.
He studied my face, as if he was surprised.
"You agree?"
"Yes," I said. "I agree."
For a moment, there was silence between us.
Maybe he expected me to cry, beg or ask him to reconsider.
But I did none of that.
I was tired.
So tired.
"I will sign it," I continued. "But I have one condition."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"What condition"
"After the divorce," I said softly, "we will have nothing to do with each other. If we meet again in the future, we will be strangers."
He stared at me for a long time.
Then he nodded.
"Fine."
I picked up the pen on the table.
As I signed my name, memories flashed through my mind.
The day we got married.
The empty wedding room.
The nights I waited alone.
The mornings I woke up to silence.
When I finished signing, my hand felt numb.
I pushed the papers back to him.
"Done."
He took them and stood up.
"I will have my assistant contact you tomorrow," he said.
He walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, he stopped.
"You can stay in the villa for tonight."
Then he left.
The door closed softly behind him.
The sound echoed in the quiet house.
I sat there for a long time.
The soup on the table had gone cold.
I looked at it and suddenly laughed.
Tears fell into the bowl.
I covered my mouth, afraid of making a sound.
I had loved Adrian Blake.
Even though he never loved me back.
That night, I packed my things.
I did not take much. Just clothes, documents, and a small box from the bottom of the drawer.
Inside the box was a certificate.
A medical license.
I touched it gently.
Three years ago, I gave up my career for this marriage.
Three years later, I was leaving with nothing.
Tears gently rolled down from my eyes
I looked around the villa one last time.
"This is goodbye," I whispered.
The next morning, the divorce was finalized.
By afternoon, I was gone.
Adrian did not know.
He did not know that the woman he divorced that day was no longer the same woman he once ignored.
And he definitely did not know that one day, he would regret signing those papers more than anything else in his life.
But that was a story for later.
For now, I walked out of the civil office alone, holding the divorce certificate in my hand.
The sun was bright.
I lifted my head and smiled.
Behind me, a black car stopped slowly.
Adrian stepped out.
When he looked up and saw me smiling, something strange stirred in his chest.
For the first time, he felt it.
A feeling he did not understand.
And he did not know yet that this was the moment his regret began.