As Samantha turned to walk away, Oliver reached out, desperate to hold her back, his emotions threatening to boil over.
"Samantha, please—" he began, his voice cracking with a mix of frustration and hurt.
But she quickly swatted his hand away, her face contorting in anger.
"Don't touch me!" she snapped, her words sharp and cruel. "You're poor, useless, and a joke. I've wasted my time with you. Being with you was just a way to pass the time, nothing more. You'll never be good enough."
Oliver stood frozen, his heart shattering with every word. He tried to speak, to defend himself, but the words stuck in his throat. His mouth opened, but only stuttering sounds escaped.
"I... I... I love you... so much..." he stammered, his emotions choking him. He couldn't form a coherent sentence, couldn't make sense of what he was feeling.
"Please... you... you have to remember... how long we've been together..." His voice trembled, the weight of his pain pushing him to the edge.
Samantha let out a scoff, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"That's the problem," she sneered. "All you do is talk, talk, talk. Empty promises, no action. You say you love me, but where's the proof? Where's the effort? I've never enjoyed this marriage for even a single day. It's all been one big lie, and I've been enduring it just to keep up appearances. But I'm tired now, Oliver. I'm so damn tired."
Samantha's anger only grew as she stormed over to the drawers, pulling out a stack of papers. She waved them in front of Oliver with a triumphant sneer. "You want to talk about love?" she scoffed.
"This is what love looks like." She threw the divorce papers on the table with a loud thud. "Here," she said, her voice dripping with disdain, "these are the divorce papers. I've already signed mine. All that's left is for you to sign, and it's over. No more wasted time, no more pretending."
Oliver stood frozen, his mind reeling. He stared at the papers as if they were a death sentence. His hands trembled as he looked at her, pleading. "What have I done wrong, Samantha?"
His voice cracked, a mix of disbelief and desperation. "You're the one who cheated! You're the one who destroyed us! And now you're giving me divorce papers?" His words felt like a punch to his gut.
Samantha didn't flinch. She didn't even seem fazed by his pain. "I've made up my mind, Oliver. It's done. You've had your chance, and you blew it," she said coldly, pushing the papers closer to him. "Just sign, and it'll be final. It's over."
Oliver shook his head, his heart aching. "No. I'm not signing. We can work through this. I still believe we can fix it, Samantha. I love you. Please don't end it like this."
The man in the corner, still watching the scene unfold, couldn't hold back his laughter. He stood up, adjusting his suit as he looked at Oliver with clear disdain. "Look at you," he mocked, his tone dripping with superiority.
"Still trying to hold on to something that's clearly over. You're just a poor man, pretending you have something worth saving. You'll never be good enough for her. You're nothing."
His words cut through Oliver like a knife, and the mockery was too much to bear.
Oliver's anger took over as he rushed toward the man, but before he could even get close, Samantha stepped in front of him, blocking his path again.
"Move!" he shouted, his voice trembling with rage. But she didn't budge, her face cold and distant.
The man just laughed, pulling out his phone. "You really think you can come in here and do whatever you want?" He dialed a number, a smug grin on his face. "You're going to regret this."
A few minutes later, two big guys appeared. They didn't say a word, just walked in and grabbed Oliver. He barely had time to react before one of them slammed him into the wall. His breath left him with a sharp pain in his chest.
"Sign the papers," the man ordered, shoving the divorce documents in his face.
Oliver could barely catch his breath, but the punches kept coming. His face was bruised, and blood was dripping from his lip. All he could do was lie there, helpless, as they kept hitting him. They weren't stopping until he signed those papers.
"Sign it, loser," the man repeated.
Oliver's hand trembled as he reached for the pen. He felt like his soul was leaving his body with every mark he made on the paper. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to let her go. But what choice did he have?
Finally, after what felt like forever, he managed to sign his name. The man stepped back with a satisfied look. The two guys laughed, mocking him. "Pathetic," one of them sneered. "What a joke."
Samantha didn't even look at him. She just turned her back and walked away, like he wasn't even there. "Love doesn't pay the bills, Oliver," she said coldly. "You couldn't give me what I wanted. He can."
Oliver felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. His whole world was crumbling. "I loved you, Samantha," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I tried so hard."
She didn't even turn around. "I don't need your love," she said. "I need someone who can give me a real life. Someone who can actually take care of me."
Mark turned to face Oliver, a smirk playing on his lips. "It's clear, Oliver," he said with a sneer. "She's chosen me over you. She's made her decision."
He looked at Samantha, who stood beside him, and wrapped his arm around her waist. The moment felt like a dagger to Oliver's chest.
Oliver's heart pounded in his ears as he struggled to hold back the tears.
"Please, Samantha, you can't be serious. I—I loved you so much. Everything I did, I did for the love I have for you. You can't just throw that away for money!" His voice cracked with emotion, desperate for her to understand.
Mark laughed, his words dripping with disdain. "Save it. She's already made her choice, and that choice isn't you, Oliver. You can't offer her the life she wants, and it's that simple." He stepped closer to Samantha, pulling her even tighter against him, almost as if to prove his point.
Oliver's breath hitched, his mind racing. "Please, don't do this. We've been through so much together. You know what we've shared... the good and the bad."
He reached out toward Samantha, his eyes pleading. "We can fix this. We can make it work. Please, I'm begging you."
But Samantha didn't respond. She just looked at him, and it was enough to break Oliver even more. He could see in her eyes that she was already lost to him.
Mark, seeing Oliver's emotional collapse, stepped closer to him, almost taunting him. "You really think she's going to change her mind after everything? Forget it, man. She's moved on."
His tone was condescending as he shoved Oliver aside, then turned back to Samantha. "You've wasted enough of my time. Let's not drag this out any longer."
With that, he reached for her again, pulling her toward him, his hand resting possessively on her back. "Now, about that unfinished business..." Mark said, his voice low and filled with a mocking confidence.
He looked at Oliver one last time, knowing that his presence only hurt him more. "Shall we proceed?" he asked, glancing down at Samantha, a wicked smile tugging at his lips.
Samantha, her face cold and indifferent, nodded. "Yes," she replied, her voice flat.