CHAPTER THREE- I WANT A DIVORCE!

Ella's POV

I stumbled through the front door of my house, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst. The events of last night kept playing in my mind like a broken record. Collins. My husband’s uncle. How did I let it happen? I didn’t sleep a wink. My face burned with shame as I heard Dave’s voice from the living room.

“You’re finally back.” His tone was cold, his eyes narrowing when he saw me. “Where were you all night, Ella?”

My stomach twisted. I couldn’t answer. I didn’t know how to. My hands clenched the strap of my bag tightly as I avoided his stare.

“I could ask you the same thing,” I snapped, my voice louder than I intended. “Where were you too? Don’t even try to deny it, Dave. I saw everything.”

His face stiffened, and for a moment, I thought he was going to lie again. He opened his mouth, then shut it, clearly searching for something to say. When he finally spoke, his voice was sharp.

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb with me!” I yelled, my emotions boiling over. Tears streamed down my face as I pointed at him. “I saw you with her, Dave. I saw you on the bed with her. Don’t you dare tell me it wasn’t you.”

He stepped closer, his eyes flashing with anger. “Ella, listen to me. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I know exactly what I’m talking about,” I said, my voice shaking. “Do you think I’m blind? Do you think I’m stupid?”

He didn’t answer, but the way his jaw tightened told me he was caught.

“You’re unbelievable,” I whispered, taking a step back. “I gave you everything, Dave. Everything. And this is how you repay me?”

“You think I’m the bad guy here?” he snapped suddenly, his voice rising. “Where were you last night, Ella? Huh? Who were you with?”

My chest tightened, and I could feel the blood drain from my face. He stepped closer, his eyes boring into mine.

“That’s what I thought,” he said bitterly. “You’re not so innocent yourself.”

I froze, guilt and anger battling inside me. “Don’t you dare try to twist this, Dave. You cheated first. You broke us first!”

The tension in the room was suffocating. I could see the rage building in his eyes, the way his fists clenched at his sides.

“I’m done, Dave,” I said firmly, my voice trembling but steady. “I want a divorce.”

His reaction was immediate. His face contorted with fury, and he grabbed my arm tightly. “You’re not going anywhere,” he said through gritted teeth. “You’re my wife, Ella. You belong to me.”

I yanked my arm away, fear creeping up my spine. “Let go of me,” I warned, my voice shaking.

“You think you can just walk away?” he growled, his eyes wild. “You think you can leave me? Not without a fight, Ella. Not without giving me what I want.”

His words sent chills down my spine. Before I could react, he grabbed me again, this time pinning me against the wall.

“Dave, stop!” I shouted, panic setting in.

He leaned closer, his grip tightening. “You’ll stay,” he hissed, his voice low and menacing. “You’ll stay, and you’ll give me a child. Then you won’t be able to leave.”

My heart raced, and I could feel tears streaming down my face. I gathered every ounce of strength I had and pushed him away as hard as I could.

“Get away from me!” I screamed, my voice cracking.

He stumbled back, his face twisted with rage. I didn’t hesitate. My hand flew up, and I slapped him hard across the face. The sound echoed in the room, and for a moment, everything went still.

Dave touched his cheek, his expression unreadable. Then, without another word, he stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind me 

Where was he going to now!

I also needed to leave to clear my head, I was the one that's supposed to be mad, but he was the one getting mad.

I grabbed my phone and dialed Lily’s number with shaky hands.

“Ella?” she answered, her voice groggy. “What’s wrong?”

“Can I come over?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

“Of course,” she said without hesitation. “What happened?”

“I’ll explain when I get there,” I said quickly before hanging up.

And immediately I stopped a cab which took me to lily's house.

I knocked on getting to her house and Lily opened the door the moment I arrived. Her face was full of concern as she pulled me into a hug.

“Ella, what happened again, what happened last night?” she asked softly, handing a wipe to me, and I used it to wipe my tears.

I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. “I can’t… I can’t do this anymore, Lily.”

She led me inside and sat me down on the couch. “Take your time,” she said gently.

I tried to explain, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead, I buried my face in my hands and sobbed.

“I'll let you have a rest, when you're ready, I'm here.” She said with a smile leading me to the guest room.

Hours passed, and I found myself sitting alone in the guest room. The weight of everything pressed down on me like a ton of bricks. My mind wandered back to last night. Collins. His face flashed in my mind, and I felt a wave of shame and confusion.

I picked up my phone and hesitated before typing out a message to him.

Collins, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.

I stared at the screen, my thumb hovering over the send button. My heart was pounding as I finally pressed it.

But there was no reply. Minutes turned into hours, and still, nothing.

I put the phone down and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. My thoughts were a tangled mess of guilt, anger, and regret.

As exhaustion took over, my eyes grew heavy, and I drifted off to sleep, my mind still racing.

What would happen next? I didn’t know. But one thing was certain—my life would never be the same again.