Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Max’s Point of View

The silence in my office was deafening, broken only by the faint hum of the air conditioning. I sat at my desk, staring blankly at the stack of files I should have been working through. But my mind wasn’t in the room it hadn’t been for days. It hadn’t been for weeks, to be honest. Every time I tried to focus, my thoughts drifted back to Eva her betrayal, her coldness, the way she’d stabbed me in the back with her lies. And yet, I couldn't shake the weight of what she’d done to me.

A sharp knock at the door jolted me out of my thoughts. Before I could respond, my secretary stepped in, her expression uneasy as she held a brown envelope.

“Mr. Grave, this just arrived. It’s marked urgent.”

I nodded, motioning for her to leave it on the desk. She placed it down carefully, lingering for a moment as if debating whether to say more.

“That’ll be all,” I said curtly, not in the mood for small talk.

Once the door clicked shut, I reached for the envelope, tearing it open with more force than necessary. The contents slid out, and my heart sank the moment I saw the header.

Divorce Papers.

The words blazed across the top of the page like a brand, searing into my mind. My chest tightened as I flipped through the pages, my pulse hammering in my ears. Each word felt like a dagger, every clause and signature space a cold reminder of what Eva was trying to do cut me out of her life for good.

I clenched the papers in my hand, my knuckles turning white. She thought she could end this with a few signatures? That she could erase everything she had done to me, no matter how twisted and broken, with ink on a page?

Not a chance.

I had my own plan, and signing these papers was not part of it. No, Eva wanted to get rid of me, to erase me from her life like a stain she could scrub away. But she was wrong. This wasn’t over until I said it was.

The door to my office flew open without warning, slamming against the wall. I looked up, my mood darkening further as Sara strode in, her heels clicking against the polished floor.

“Max!” she snapped, her voice grating as always. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through today? That stupid brand dropped me.. me! Do you know how embarrassing it is to lose an endorsement because of some ridiculous rumor? You promised me....”

Her rant came to an abrupt halt as her gaze landed on the divorce papers sprawled across my desk. For a moment, she was silent, her eyes widening with what could only be described as glee.

“Are those what I think they are?” she asked, her tone suddenly dripping with fake sweetness. She reached for the papers, but I snatched them away before she could lay a finger on them.

“Yes, they’re divorce papers,” I said flatly, my voice cold.

Sara’s face lit up with a smile so smug it made my stomach turn. “Finally! I knew she’d come to her senses eventually. Honestly, Max, you should have ended things with her ages ago. She’s nothing but a.....”

“Shut up, Sara.”

My words were quiet but sharp, cutting through the air like a knife. Her smile faltered, and for once, she actually looked taken aback.

“What?” she said, blinking in confusion.

I stood, rounding the desk so that I was towering over her. “I’m not signing them,” I said, my voice steady, resolute.

Sara’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. “What do you mean you’re not signing them? Max, this is your chance to be free of her! You can finally.....”

“I said I’m not signing them,” I repeated, each word deliberate, final. “This marriage isn’t over. Not until I say it is.”

Her shock morphed into anger, her face reddening as she planted her hands on her hips. “Are you insane? She doesn’t want you, Max! She’s been trying to get away from you for years. Why would you....”

“You don’t get to question my decisions,” I snapped, cutting her off. “This is between Eva and me. Not you.”

Sara flinched, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re making a mistake,” she said bitterly. “She’s not worth it, Max. She’s never been worth it.”

I laughed, a bitter sound that held no humor. “And you think you are?”

Her face twisted in outrage, but I didn’t care. I was done listening to her, done letting her poison my thoughts. I turned my back on her, picking up the divorce papers and crumpling them in my fist.

“Get out, Sara,” I said without looking at her.

She hesitated, but the coldness in my tone must have warned her not to push further. I heard her heels click against the floor as she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Alone again, I stared at the mangled papers in my hand. My jaw tightened as I smoothed them out on the desk, my mind racing.

Eva wanted to end this, to walk away and leave me in the rubble of our past. But I wasn’t going to let her. Not because I was possessive, not because I didn’t want her to be happy but because I couldn’t accept that this was how our story ended.

She had killed my grandfather. She was responsible, no matter how she tried to deny it. And now she thought she could just walk away from me, leave me behind like an afterthought? No. Not while I still had something to hold over her.

If she thought she could write me off so easily, she was wrong.

I wasn’t signing the papers.

Not now.

Not ever.

Not until she paid.

My fingers hovered over the divorce papers once more, my eyes scanning the familiar text, the phrases that would have severed the last thread of my connection to her. But I knew what I had to do. I’d use this. Every word, every signature line. I would make her suffer.

She had taken everything from me, my grandfather, my peace of mind. And now, she wanted to take my freedom as well? No. Not if I had anything to say about it.

I would make sure she regretted this. Every second of it.

I stood up abruptly, pacing the room. It wasn’t about love it never had been. I wasn’t the kind of man who believed in love, not in the way she had wanted. But this... this was about control. Power. And the undeniable need to make her understand the depth of her mistake.

I was done being the victim.

She would learn what it meant to cross me.

Because I wasn’t going to let her walk away. Not until she felt the full weight of what she had done.

This marriage wasn’t over not by a long shot.

And as for the divorce papers? They would remain right where they were, waiting for her to come back to me.

On my terms.