Alexander lounged on the sofa, a glass of whiskey in hand as he casually glanced at his phone. It had been a few hours since Vanessa had left for her own penthouse, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Emily was supposed to be back from the hospital by now, but there had been no sign of her. He frowned, checking his watch.
"Where the hell is she?" he muttered to himself, annoyance creeping into his voice. He wasn't particularly worried—Emily had a habit of making things dramatic. She'd probably return soon, acting all hurt to get his attention.
He was about to pour himself another drink when the doorbell rang. Alexander lazily walked over and opened the door, expecting to see Emily finally returning. Instead, he was handed an envelope by a courier.
"Mr. Kingsley, these are for you," the courier said, before turning to leave.
Alexander tore open the envelope, expecting some routine paperwork. But as he skimmed the document, his eyes widened in disbelief. It was a divorce agreement. And not just any agreement—Emily had signed away everything. No alimony, no property, nothing.
"What the hell?" Alexander's voice was a low growl of confusion and anger. He flipped through the pages, his mind racing. Why would Emily suddenly want a divorce? And why the hell would she agree to leave with nothing?
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. "This is just another one of her stunts to get my attention," he muttered. "She's probably trying to get me to beg her to stay."
But as he continued reading, a cold sensation crept up his spine. Emily had always been desperate for his approval, but this… this was different. The finality of her decision was unmistakable.
"That woman," Alexander spat, crumpling the papers in his fist. "She's really trying my patience."
Anger coursed through him, and he threw the papers onto the coffee table. "She'll come crawling back," he said aloud, as if trying to convince himself. "She always does."
A few days later, Alexander was in his office, going over some contracts, when his phone rang. It was his lawyer, Mr. Harris.
"Alex, I just received an official notification from the court regarding the divorce proceedings. The agreement Emily submitted is valid, and the court is requesting your signature to finalize it."
Alexander froze, the pen in his hand hovering over the document he was signing. "What the hell are you talking about, Harris? It's a joke. Emily's just playing games."
"I don't think so, Alex," Mr. Harris replied, his tone serious. "The paperwork is solid, and the court is treating this as a legitimate request. If you don't respond, it could be finalized without your input."
Alexander's jaw clenched, a wave of disbelief washing over him. "She's really serious about this?" His voice was tinged with shock.
"It seems so," Harris confirmed. "I suggest you take this seriously, Alex. You could lose a lot more than just your wife if this goes through."
Alexander slammed the phone down, fury coursing through him. He immediately dialed Emily's number, expecting her to pick up within seconds like she always did. But the phone rang, and rang, and rang. No answer.
"Come on, Emily," he growled, redialing her number. Again, no answer.
He tried again. And again. Each time, the result was the same—nothing but the sound of ringing before the call went to voicemail.
"What the hell is going on?" Alexander shouted, throwing the phone across the room in a fit of rage. "She never ignores my calls!"
He grabbed his keys and stormed out of his office, his mind racing. He needed to find her, to figure out what had changed.
Hours later, Alexander found himself outside Emily's favorite café, the place she would go when she needed to clear her mind. He pushed the door open, scanning the room, but she wasn't there. He tried her friends' places, even drove by Clara's apartment, but there was no sign of her anywhere.
His frustration grew with each passing minute, the reality of the situation slowly starting to sink in. Emily wasn't playing a game. She was really leaving him. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut.
Driving back to the penthouse, his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white. The thought of losing her, of her walking out of his life for good, was something he had never seriously considered. Now, it was all he could think about.
When he reached the penthouse, he rushed inside, hoping against hope that she had returned. But the space was empty, cold, and devoid of any warmth. It had never felt more like a place than a home.
He slumped onto the couch, burying his face in his hands. "What have I done?" he muttered to himself, the weight of his actions crashing down on him.
For the first time, the reality of how he had treated Emily became glaringly clear. He had taken her for granted, treated her like she was nothing, all while she had given him everything. And now, she was gone.
He reached for his phone again, dialing her number one last time. But once again, there was no answer. No matter how many times he called, no matter how many messages he left, she never picked up.
Alexander sat there in silence, the empty penthouse echoing with the sounds of his regrets.