16

Valeria’s lips parted, but no words came out. The lump in her throat grew tighter as she stared at him, her mind racing. She wanted to deny it, to tell him he was wrong, but the truth hung heavy between them, undeniable and suffocating.

Markus sighed, leaning back in his chair again. “Look, I’m not blaming you,” he said, his tone softening slightly. “I didn’t exactly marry you out of love either. This was my mother’s doing, her grand plan to secure some ideal version of a family legacy. But that doesn’t mean we have to live like this—trapped, miserable, pretending this is something it’s not.”

Valeria’s hands trembled as she looked down at her lap, her vision blurring with unshed tears. “What are you saying?” she asked, her voice shaky.

“I’m saying you don’t have to do this anymore,” Markus said firmly. “You don’t have to stay in this marriage out of obligation to my mother or anyone else. If you want out, say the word, and I’ll make it happen. I’ll sign the papers, give you whatever you want—freedom, money, anything. You don’t have to keep punishing yourself by staying here.”

Valeria stared at him, her heart pounding. She had imagined this moment before—an escape, a way out of the suffocating situation she found herself in. But now that it was here, it didn’t feel like relief. It felt like a knife twisting in her chest.

“I…” she began, her voice breaking. “It’s not that simple.”

Markus frowned, his dark brows drawing together. “Why not? What’s holding you back?”

Valeria hesitated, her hand instinctively moving to rest over her stomach. She couldn’t tell him—not yet, not like this. The truth about the child growing inside her would only complicate things further.

“I just need time,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “Please, Markus, just… give me some time to figure things out.”

Markus studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he nodded, though the tension in his jaw betrayed his frustration. “Fine. Time is the one thing I can give you,” he said curtly. “But that is not what I want from you.”

As Valeria stepped toward the door, her hand barely brushing the handle, Markus’s voice stopped her cold.

“Wait,” he said, his tone sharp and commanding.

She froze, turning back slowly to see him pulling open a drawer from his desk. Her heart sank as he retrieved a small stack of papers, their crisp edges catching the sunlight filtering in through the window. Markus placed them deliberately on the desk in front of him, the sound of the paper hitting the surface louder than it should have been.

“Come here,” he said, his voice low but resolute.

Valeria hesitated, her fingers tightening around the edge of her dress. The weight of the moment pressed down on her chest, suffocating and unbearable. She didn’t move until Markus looked up, his dark eyes piercing into hers with an intensity that made her feel small.

Reluctantly, she stepped closer, her legs shaky beneath her. When she reached the desk, her gaze fell on the papers. Her breath hitched as the word at the top leaped out at her in bold, unforgiving letters: Divorce Agreement.

She stared blankly at the documents, her chest tightening as if someone had gripped her heart in their hands. The room suddenly felt too small, the air too thick.

“I can’t give you the rights of my wife, Valeria,” Markus said, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. He leaned back in his chair, his expression cold and detached. “I thought I could try, that maybe with time, things would change. But they haven’t. And they won’t.”

Valeria’s lips parted, but no words came out. Her throat was dry, and her mind was spinning, unable to process what was happening.

Markus leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk as he looked her straight in the eyes. “I don’t love you,” he said bluntly, his voice unwavering. “I never have, and I never will. I married you because my mother pushed for it, but it was a mistake—a mistake I don’t want to keep living with. You shouldn’t have to live with it either.”

Tears welled in Valeria’s eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she fought to hold herself together. “You…” she began, her voice trembling. “You could have at least tried, Markus. You didn’t even give us a chance.”

Markus’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t look away. “It wouldn’t have mattered. My heart belongs to someone else.”

At his words, Valeria felt as though the ground had been ripped out from under her. She took a step back, her hand instinctively moving to her stomach. “Someone else…” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes,” Markus said, his tone softening for the first time. “Her name is Bella. She’s the woman I love, the woman I’ll always love. That’s why this—us—will never work. It’s not fair to you or to me to keep pretending otherwise.”

Valeria’s tears finally broke free, streaming down her cheeks as she looked at the man she had once believed she could build a life with. She wanted to scream at him, to tell him how cruel he was being, but the words caught in her throat.

Markus pushed the papers toward her, the sharp scrape of them against the desk making her flinch. “I’ve made arrangements for you,” he said. “You’ll have everything you need—alimony, the house, anything you want. All you have to do is sign.”

Valeria stared at the papers, her vision blurred by tears. The man who sat before her, so composed and detached, felt like a stranger. She wanted to argue, to beg for a chance, but deep down, she knew it was pointless.

After a long moment, she straightened her back and wiped her tears away with trembling fingers. “You’ve already made up your mind,” she said, her voice barely steady. “Haven’t you?”

Markus didn’t respond, but the silence was answer enough. Valeria nodded, her heart breaking into pieces. “Fine,” she whispered. “I’ll sign them.” Without another word, she turned and walked out of the study with an unclear head.