Chapter 3

Serene’s POV

I wiped the tears that flowed from my eyes and took the blanket. I wrapped it around my body and weakly walked closer to him.

“Do you love her?” I asked with a smile, even though the truth of that was killing me little by little every second.

He stared at me blankly, and I couldn’t read any emotion in his green eyes. “Answer me.”

“I want a child from her,” he replied plainly.

I laughed. I had expected that, but I wanted him to answer my question. I needed to know because I felt like I had nothing left to lose.

“D-do you love her? Is there really no hope? Am I really not Theo anymore? Are you really going to throw away everything we shared?” I stammered.

I wanted to give myself a pat on the back because I had finally said those words to him. I wiped my tears from my eyes, but he just kept staring at me with no trace of emotion.

“Yes,” he replied with that simple word, and my world collapsed. The tears I had been trying to hold back fell.

“Is there no hope?” I sobbed.

He didn’t answer; he just kept staring at me with no emotion.

“T-Theo… You were the first man I gave my whole being to. You were the first man I trusted. Remember that day we swore an oath?” I paused, my voice trembling. “You promised me that we would be together in sadness and happiness, hardships and comforts. But it’s funny that I seem to be the one who fulfilled your promises… You looked for my shortcomings in others. Yes, I’m hurt because I can’t give you the child we’ve been dreaming of for so long. I’m a woman, and if you’re hurt, I’m hurt even more.”

“It came to the point where I measured my worth as a wife based on my inability to give you a child because of my condition. I endured all your pain, hurtful words, and treatment, but do you see that I don’t look for someone else? You cheated on me right in front of my eyes, but I endured it, forced myself to believe it wasn’t true because I believed you loved me,” I paused for a moment, feeling out of breath.

“I love you, Theo,” I whispered. The pain I felt was somewhat relieved because he finally heard the pain that had been stored in my chest, and abundant tears continued to flow from my eyes. Weren’t they tired of spilling out because I was so tired?

We stared at each other for a long time until I finally decided to turn my back and leave him there. I couldn’t fight the urge to look at him, though. My knees felt weak, and it was hard to breathe. I felt sorry for myself. I poured my entire being into him, and there was nothing left in me. What sin did I commit to deserve this? God, help me.

I leaned against the door, sliding down due to weakness. Constant sobbing echoed in the four corners of my room. I got up to go to the bathroom for a shower. I kept crying while soaping myself. I felt like a child, numb under the running water.

After an hour of being lost in thought in the bathroom, I came out wearing a robe, my eyes swollen from crying for so long. I found Theo sitting on my bed, staring emotionlessly at our wedding picture. He turned to look at me when he heard the bathroom door open. Why was he here?

I noticed he was holding a brown envelope, and my chest heaved when I saw it. No… NO!

“Sign this and leave. I don’t want to see your face,” he said coldly.

I was still a bit surprised, and I immediately approached him, reaching out to hold his arm and beg. “Theo, no! No, I won’t agree. Please, let me stay. You can bring your wife and your child here, but please don’t divorce me.”

I cried and pleaded, feeling the pain intensify. I thought it hurt when he admitted he had a woman and got her pregnant, but it hurt even more that he wanted to divorce me to build his new family, slowly killing me.

“I don’t need you in my life, so better forget what happened last night and sign this fucking annulment and leave,” he shouted, pushing me away.

When he said that, he immediately turned away, leaving me lying on the floor, unable to process it. He really meant that he would divorce me. Was this truly what he wanted?

Well, I would give it to him in the name of his pleasure. I would put him first.

“I’m going to release you, Theo. It hurts to love you,” I muttered.

He just stared at me with no emotion. I eventually got up and went to the closet to pack. He really wanted me to disappear and be erased from his life, throwing away all the happy times we had shared just because I couldn’t give him a child.

I looked at my stomach, smiling sadly. This would have been the first home for our future child. But because of my cervical condition, I couldn’t give him a child, the child we had dreamed of for so long.

My eyes fell on the brown envelope. I opened it, and I was dumbfounded by the contents for a long time until I realized and signed it. “You’re now free, Theo,” I said quietly, placing the paper on the table. I knew he would see it, and I was sure he would be happy about it while I was dying inside.

I emptied my closet, packing all my clothes into a large suitcase. I didn’t have many clothes, so it didn’t take long. As I was about to close the suitcase, I heard my cell phone ringing. I immediately went to get it, smiling when I saw my friend Aliyah’s name. Aliyah had been my best friend since elementary school, so she knew me very well. She also knew what my husband had been doing to hurt me. In truth, she had always advised me to leave him, but I had been stubborn because I loved Theo so much.

I chuckled at that — now my dear husband was kicking me out.