Elowen didn’t react. She couldn’t. As she looked at the shredded papers, something inside her shattered.
’One moment, he wanted to divorce me. And the next, he was tearing up the papers. Does he enjoy playing with my feelings?’
A flood of emotion crashed over her, tightening her chest.
"You said you married me to save your family’s reputation. You called me a gold-digger. Seven years, Soren. You blamed me for the crime I didn’t commit."
Tears gathered in her eyes.
"If you had doubts, you could have asked me. You could have demanded an explanation. Instead, you resented me for years, treated me coldly, and neglected me."
A tremor moved through her as the memories of those lonely years surfaced.
"Elowen..." Soren tried to speak.
"I thought this was your nature," she said, silencing him decisively. "I thought you didn’t know how to express your feelings. How foolish I was."
She had seen how gentle he could be with Tahlia. The smile she had wanted to see on his face, he had offered that to another woman. The warmth she had craved had never been hers. She had never gotten an ounce of care from him.
’He knows how to show affection. He simply didn’t want to show it to me.’
"I waited for you every night," she continued. "I waited for the day you would smile at me. I foolishly believed if I tried hard enough, I could win your heart."
His expression faltered. The confidence drained from his face. Something close to shame flickered in his eyes.
"Do you think signing the divorce agreement broke our marriage?" She shook her head. "No. The crack appeared a long time ago."
His face drained of color.
"The first crack appeared when Tahlia returned from abroad," she added. "You took her side every time. You left me again and again just to be with her. You believed her over me."
Tears fell. But she wiped them away.
"I started losing hope in this marriage since then. Yet, I still held on, believing things would get better between us one day. Then you asked for a divorce. The last thread that was holding us together was severed. You cut it yourself."
"No... you can’t say that." His eyes grew heavy with guilt. "I know I didn’t treat you well. I wasn’t there when you needed me. But I am changed now. I’m willing to do anything to make it up to you."
"Are you changed?" She wanted to laugh, feeling absurd. "When? How?"
Her expression was almost disbelieving.
"Just last night, you called our marriage meaningless and told me you wanted out. And now, you are claiming that you have changed and want to make amends with me."
Her eyes searched his face.
For years, she had known every expression on his face. She had been familiar with his cold stare, his impatient silence, and the slight frown he wore whenever he was irritated.
But today, everything was different.
He looked at her as if he had been meeting her after years of separation, as if she were something precious he couldn’t afford to lose.
And that frightened her more than his anger ever had.
"I don’t know what is in your mind. I have no idea why you are saying all this. But you are only hurting me more."
She wiped the last trace of her tears.
"You wanted to end this marriage peacefully. And I accepted it. I told you I’d never bother you again. I gave you your freedom. You can now live happily with the woman you really care about. I won’t stand in the way."
She cocked her head, confusion and pain mixing in her gaze. "So why aren’t you letting me go? Do you want to humiliate me further?"
She wasn’t yelling. Her voice was low. But every word she uttered was sharp and laden with the weight of years of anger and disappointment.
"You are my wife. The woman I married. No one can replace you – no one. You saw I tore the divorce agreement. We are not ending this marriage. I don’t need another woman in my life. I only need you."
Elowen went quiet.
She had once dreamed of hearing those words. She had waited for him to say that she was the woman he wanted. And he finally said that.
Yet nothing happened.
The happiness and thrill she had expected to overwhelm her didn’t arrive. Those words sounded meaningless.
’So this is what happens when love dies.’
"I know you are upset with me," he started again, this time carefully. "And you should be. I hurt you. I am not asking you to forgive me. I am asking you for a chance."
"A chance?" She squinted at him.
"Yes. Three months. I want you to give me three months."
He looked at her, full of anticipation and hope.
"Three months?" She thought it was ridiculous.
’Does he really think three months can erase seven years of pain?’ she scoffed inwardly.
"During this time, I’ll try to be a good husband and a good father," he added sincerely. "Three months later, if you still think I am not good enough, I’ll disappear from your life."
He swallowed, a storm of emotion raging inside him. "You will never find me again."
There was something in his eyes that made her stomach drop. A strange uneasiness clasped her heart.
’Why does he sound like he is leaving forever?’
His arrogance vanished. There was no trace of cold indifference she knew so well.
This was not the man she had seen last night.
That Soren had been cold, distant, and determined to end their marriage. And this one looked almost desperate to keep it.
She couldn’t understand. How could someone change abruptly overnight?
The more he spoke, the stranger he seemed.
Her silence only made him nervous. If she didn’t give him a chance, his rebirth would be pointless.
’No. I couldn’t lose hope.’
"People make mistakes. So did I. I want to make things right. If you don’t want to trust me, that’s okay. But let me try."
Elowen’s heart thudded inside her ribcage.
’He looks serious. It doesn’t look like he is bluffing. Should I trust him?’
After all these years of coldness, she had no strength left to put her faith back in him. She was afraid she would get hurt again.
"Mommy..." Sera’s soft voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
She turned.
Her daughter stood a short distance away, clasping her pink backpack.
"Is everything okay?" Sera asked hesitantly. "I heard you and Daddy arguing."
She lowered her head, as if afraid to meet her father’s eyes.
Elowen’s expression softened.
"No, sweetheart." She hurried over. "We were only talking."
"Sera..." Soren crossed the distance in a few strides. He squatted and pulled the girl into his arms.
Elowen’s breath hitched. Her eyes flew wide open.
She had never seen Soren hugging Sera in six years.
’What on earth has happened to him?’
For the first time, Soren wasn’t scolding Sera, pointing out her mistakes, and demanding that she apologize.
Elowen started to wonder if something had happened to him last night.
’Did he hit his head somewhere while he was drunk? Or has he suddenly developed psychological issues?’
Unlike her, Seraphina didn’t seem troubled. She smiled and hugged him back.
"Daddy."
Soren closed his eyes briefly. It was the first time his daughter wasn’t looking at him with fear.
"Daddy, are you coming with us?"
Soren pulled back. "Where are you going?"
"Mommy said we are going to Grandma’s."
The smile on Soren’s face disappeared. He had almost forgotten.
Elowen had been planning to move out.
His gaze landed on the pink backpack in Seraphina’s hand.
He recognized it. He had seen that same bag at the accident scene—covered with blood, lying beside Seraphina’s motionless body. His hands started shaking.
"No..."
The next moment, he snatched the bag from her and threw it across the room.