"Sign it."
The man standing across from Elena spoke in a calm, almost indifferent voice.
Three years of marriage reduced to a single word.
Sign.
Elena's fingers tightened around the pen in her hand as she stared at the divorce papers spread across the polished marble table.
The room was silent except for the soft ticking of the wall clock.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Every second felt heavier than the last.
Slowly, she lifted her gaze to the man sitting opposite her.
Adrian Voss.
Her husband.
Or at least… he still was for a few more minutes.
Tall, composed, and impossibly handsome, Adrian looked exactly the same as the day she married him. His expression was unreadable, his icy blue eyes calm as if this moment meant nothing to him.
Elena felt a sharp pain in her chest.
"Adrian," she said quietly. "Do you really want this?"
For a moment, he didn't answer.
He simply adjusted the cuff of his tailored black suit, the movement precise and controlled.
Finally, he spoke.
"It's the most logical decision."
Logical.
That word sliced through Elena's heart like a blade.
A small, bitter laugh escaped her lips.
"Logical?" she repeated softly. "Is that what our marriage was to you? A business transaction?"
Adrian finally looked up at her.
His eyes were cold.
"You knew what this marriage was from the beginning."
Elena froze.
Yes… she knew.
Three years ago, their marriage had been arranged to strengthen a partnership between Adrian's company and her father's failing business.
At the time, she had convinced herself it didn't matter.
She believed that if she tried hard enough… if she loved him enough… he would eventually love her back.
But Adrian had never even tried.
He was always working.
Always distant.
Always cold.
The large mansion they shared had felt more like a luxury prison than a home.
Elena swallowed the lump forming in her throat.
"So that's it?" she asked quietly. "Three years… and you feel nothing?"
Adrian's expression didn't change.
"I never promised love."
Those four words shattered something inside her.
Elena looked down at the divorce papers again.
Her name was already printed neatly on the last page.
All she had to do was sign it.
End of story.
End of marriage.
End of hope.
Her grip on the pen tightened.
"Tell me something honestly," she said.
Adrian didn't respond, but his eyes remained fixed on her.
"Is there someone else?"
For the first time, a flicker of something crossed his face.
Not guilt.
Not regret.
Just mild annoyance.
"That's irrelevant."
Before Elena could respond, the door of the office opened.
High heels clicked against the marble floor.
Elena turned.
A tall woman with long blonde hair stepped into the room confidently, wearing a sleek red dress and a smile that looked far too comfortable.
Victoria Hale.
Elena had seen her name in business magazines before.
Adrian's rumored partner in a major corporate merger.
Victoria stopped beside Adrian's chair as if she belonged there.
"Oh," she said lightly, glancing at Elena. "Am I interrupting something?"
Elena's chest tightened.
Adrian didn't even ask Victoria to leave.
He simply leaned back in his chair.
"It's fine. We're almost done."
Almost done.
Elena suddenly felt foolish.
All this time she had tried to be the perfect wife.
She organized charity events for his company.
She waited for him every night.
She defended him whenever people said he married her for business.
And yet…
Here he was, sitting calmly while another woman stood beside him.
Her hands trembled slightly.
But Elena refused to let them see her break.
Slowly, she bent down and signed her name on the paper.
The sound of the pen scratching against the paper echoed loudly in the quiet room.
Elena Hart.
The name suddenly felt unfamiliar.
She placed the pen down gently.
"There," she said.
Adrian glanced at the signature briefly.
No reaction.
No emotion.
Just business.
"Thank you," he said.
Thank you.
Elena almost laughed again.
Three years of marriage… and this was how it ended.
A thank you.
She stood up from the chair.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The silence stretched between them like a wall.
Elena looked at Adrian one last time.
"Do you know something strange?" she said quietly.
Adrian raised an eyebrow slightly.
"For three years, I kept thinking one day you would look at me and actually see me."
Her voice trembled despite her effort to remain calm.
"But now I realize something."
Adrian remained silent.
"You never even tried."
Victoria shifted awkwardly beside him, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.
But Adrian's expression remained cold.
Emotionless.
Professional.
Elena nodded slowly.
"Don't worry," she continued softly. "I won't bother you again."
She turned toward the door.
Her heels echoed through the room as she walked away.
But just before leaving, she stopped.
Without turning around, she spoke one final sentence.
"One day, Adrian… you might regret letting me go."
The words hung in the air.
For a moment, Adrian said nothing.
Then he replied calmly.
"I doubt that."
Elena's chest tightened.
But she didn't look back.
She walked out of the office.
Out of the building.
Out of Adrian Voss's life.
Outside, the cold evening wind brushed against her face.
For the first time in three years, she felt completely alone.
Her marriage was over.
Her future uncertain.
But deep inside her heart…
Something told her this wasn't truly the end.
Elena placed a hand on her stomach unconsciously.
She didn't know it yet.
But in just a few weeks…
Her entire life would change.
And the man who had just let her walk away…
Would one day discover that he had lost far more than a wife.
He had lost his family.