"I want a divorce," Dylan roared, slamming a bunch of documents on the dining table.
Ava flinched at his loud voice and gawked at the divorce agreement before her, the letters blurring her vision. It was their fifth wedding anniversary, and she had envisioned an evening filled with love and celebration. But her husband had just slapped her with a divorce agreement.
"Why, Dylan?" she choked out.
"Why? Because I never loved you. The marriage between us is nothing but a contract. The term is over, and I want you out of my life."
His sneer twisted her stomach. The dismissive tone in his voice was chilling. He had reduced their entire relationship to a mere transaction.
Ava blinked dazedly at him, her ears ringing. She had loved this man for ten years, and she had been married to him for five years. But her love and devotion for him did not melt his cold heart.
She had planned a surprise dinner tonight and thought of cracking the news of her pregnancy, believing it might bring them closer. Instead, she was met with this devastating blow.
"Dylan, please," she begged. "Give me a chance. I'll become the perfect wife you wanted. I won't demand anything. Just don't leave me, okay?"
She put her hand on his face. But he shoved her away, and she stumbled back, grasping the edge of the dining table to steady herself.
"You make me sick when you beg, Ava," he snapped. "Weren't you once the proud daughter of the Williams? Look at you now—pathetic. Don't you have any shame or self-respect? You disgust me."
Those words pierced her heart. She had taken care of him and helped him sign several valuable projects. Even though he was always cold to her, she kept loving him and helping him, always believing that her love would eventually break through his icy exterior. But all she received in return was hatred and disdain.
"I only have one woman in my heart, and it's Gianna," he proclaimed. "The term of the contract is ended, and I don't need to stay in this meaningless marriage anymore. I am going to marry her."
Ava's lips quivered as she fought back her tears. It had always been Gianna he cared about. Despite knowing the truth, she had made him marry her five years ago, hoping she could make her place in his heart.
How wrong she was!
"We've been together for five long years," she managed to say. "Don't you have any feelings for me? I've given you everything—my love, my attention, even the shares of Williams Holdings. I've worked tirelessly, caring for you. Can't you love me back just a little?"
"No!" he said without hesitation, his shoulders stiff. "I only have pure hatred for you."
He shot her a chilly glare as he took a step toward her. "Your father caused the accident that killed my parents. I lost both of them because of that man. All these years, I've been waiting for the right moment to strike back and take everything from your family."
Ava's heart plummeted, disbelief flooding her senses. She could hardly comprehend his words. "This is not true," she wailed desperately. The foundation of her world seemed to crumble beneath her. "Your father and my father were good friends. How could he hurt your parents? You must be misunderstanding."
"That's what I thought," Dylan shot back, his voice growing louder. "But your father was a cruel man. He wanted the Brooks' fortune and orchestrated the accident."
"No, no… you have misunderstood something. My father was not like that. He was a kind man…"
"Is that so? Then have a look on your own." He shoved a folder to her. "He had been preparing to take over my family business. If I didn't agree to marry you, he said he would take over the company."
Ava realized her mistake. In her desperate desire to marry Dylan, she had demanded her father to help her back then. But she didn't know his father had resorted to this strategy to force Dylan.
She put the folder aside and reached out to hold his hand, "Dylan, I am sorry. Don't blame my father. It's all my fault. I was so much in love with you that I desperately wanted to be your wife. So, I requested him…"
"You were also a part of his plan," he scoffed contemptuously, cutting her short. "I knew it. You are a cunning and manipulative woman. If it were not for you, I would have been married Gianna a long time ago. You schemed with your father to get the property, didn't you?"
There was no warmth in his eyes, not even a trace of nostalgia for all the time they had spent together.
Ava blinked her tears away, a bitter smile curling her lips. All the sacrifices she had made, all the love she had poured into their marriage seemed to have gone in vain. To him, she was just cunning and manipulative. All he could think about was Gianna.
"I invested five years into this marriage, took care of your needs. Don't you feel anything for me? Not even a hint of gratitude?"
"Aren't you tired of begging?" he grumbled, scowling at her deeply. "Despite knowing that I hate you, you still want to be with me! Why can't you just accept the reality?"
He chuckled scornfully. "Since you are so reluctant to leave me, let me tell you one thing. I thought I would never reveal this, but you forced me. Do you know how your father died?"
Ava's eyes widened, chills pricking her back. An ominous feeling settled in her heart. "What do you mean?"
With a menacing sneer, he leaned closer. "I had been slowly poisoning him."
Ava gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
"That poison slowly weakened his heart, and he died from a heart attack."
"You – murdered him! How could you do that to him?" she bellowed, grabbing his collar.
"He deserved it," Dylan roared, shoving her away.
Ava stumbled to her floor. A sharp pain stabbed through her abdomen, almost taking her breath away. She clasped her stomach, clenching her jaw to endure the pain.
"He killed my parents, and I took revenge," Dylan said mercilessly. He didn't notice her suffering. "Now you know the truth. Do you still want to be with me?"
Ava sobbed helplessly, feeling lost. The man she had trusted, the one she had loved so completely, had taken her father's life. Her one mistake had cost her everything. If she had not married him, her father might have been still alive.
"Sign the divorce agreement." He shoved the documents to her.
With tears streaming down her face, she glared at him, her body trembling in pain and anger. "I regret loving you, Dylan. It would be nice if I had never met you."
She took the documents and jotted down her name firmly. She shoved the divorce agreement back into his hand. "You are free to marry your beloved."
Dylan clenched his jaw as he glared down at her. "Leave the house before I am back tomorrow evening. Gianna will be staying here." He turned around and dashed out the door.
Ava broke into sobs, tears streaming down ceaselessly. "I am sorry, papa. I wasn't a good daughter. You suffered because of me."
She lamented for marrying Dylan and wished desperately for a way to turn back time, to rewrite the painful narrative of her life.
Her hand instinctively went to her stomach. "Sorry, baby. I can't bring you to this world. I am tired of living."
With trembling hands, she reached for the knife lying on the dining table. "Dylan, I hate myself for loving you. I wish I won't see you in my next life."
She slit her wrist.