Chapter Four

He growled, his words full of anger. "I should have seen it at the beginning. But I didn't. I was blind. Blinded by your...charms."

His words hurt me, but something inside me snapped. "How dare you?" I said. "If you didn't want me, why did you ask for my parents blessings to marry me?”

Tyler let out a dry laughter. “Blessings?" he spat, his lip twisting in disgust. "You think I was happy with this arranged marriage either? I did it for the sake of our families, for the sake of tradition. And what did I get in return? A wife who can't even keep her legs closed."

My eyes narrowed, rage scorching through my veins. "Don't attempt to twist this around, Tyler. You were the one who agreed to marry me, who made all those promises. And now you're blaming me for your own mistakes?"

"Mistakes?” Tyler asked, his brows furrowed.

"Yes, mistakes," I yelled, my voice rising with wrath. "You married me because you thought it was the right thing to do," I said. "But now it is clear. You never really loved me. So tell me, Tyler, why did you marry me? Was it only to feed your ego?”

The calm attitude he had been trying to project had fallen off Tyler's face as he twisted in anger. "You want the truth?”

“Yes!” I yelled, “Let me know what is happening, Tyler. What is 'really happening here'?”

“Fine, here's the truth, Samantha.” He began, “You were nothing more than a means to an end. I married you because I needed to secure my position, to deepen my relationships with your family. And now since your father went and abandoned you and your mother, rest her soul, I don't need you anymore.. in other words, I'm done with you.”

His words caused my heart to break into a million pieces.. I could feel it.

I felt like I was drowning in his betrayal as my heart sank. I felt like there was nothing strong for me to clutch and I was falling into a chilly, desolate space.

Tears filled my eyes but I blinked them away, didn't want him to see how much he had hurt me..how much I was breaking.

I used the back of a chair as support, and the intensity of my hold turned my fingers white. All of my dreams had been destroyed by the man who stood in front of me.. a man I had loved and trusted.

"You... you used me," I said in a voice that was hardly heard due to shock and sadness. The words seemed strange and heavy on my tongue, as though speaking them out would intensify the terror. "You wed me for power and ease. I was merely a pawn in your game the entire time."

Tyler's face stayed icy and unchanging. In his eyes, there was not a trace of regret or sadness. It was as though he had abandoned all pretense of compassion, exposing the real depth of his brutality.

Saying, "Don't act so surprised," he spoke with a voice that sliced through the atmosphere. "Business, not love, has always been the goal here. It was stupid of you to believe differently.

My rage surged, cutting through the mist of sadness and shock. "Naive?" My voice shaking with rage, I spat. "I thought you had a heart, but that was stupid. naive to believe that you were a nice person.

He crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed. "Samantha, spare me the lesson. Do you feel like the victim in this situation? Simply put, you're upset that your idyllic little ideal didn't match the truth. This marriage was never going to work, let's face it."

A cry rose to my mouth, but I forced myself to swallow it so I wouldn't please him. With a crack in my voice, I replied, "Maybe you're right.. maybe this marriage was doomed from the start. But I at least tried to make it work. I gave you my heart, my trust, and you threw it all away. But now... now I'm done, too.”

Tyler's face remained deadpan, his look undisturbed by my words. But I saw the flare of something in his eyes, a glimpse of sorrow or guilt maybe.. just maybe.

For a moment, I allowed myself to think that he might break, perhaps show me some trace of compassion, of empathy.

But then, just as soon, the moment was gone, gobbled up by the searing anger between us.

I turned to go, the test result crumpled in my hand.

Just as my hand stretched for the doorknob, Tyler's voice pierced the silence.

"Oh, it's not that simple young lady." His words were like icy shards, shattering my weak heart. “Let's get a divorce."

I paused abruptly.

The word 'divorce' made me feel very cold. It sent chills down my spine and made me feel cold to the bone.

My mind whirled, the shock and pain rushing into me like waves striking a rough coastline.

I couldn't speak, couldn't move.

“Divorce?... you want a divorce?" I managed to mumble, my voice barely a whisper. The test result in my hand crumpled as I gripped it tighter without meaning to.

Tyler's face remained hard. His blue eyes were cold and showed no regret.

"Yes, Samantha." He gestured towards the desk, where a stack of papers lay waiting. "It's over. The divorce papers are right there. I want you out of my life.”

I felt a wave of nausea. I stumbled back and sought support by grabbing the desk's edge.

No. He was going to abandon me, abandon our unborn child.

I wasn't sure if to go ahead and tell him about the pregnancy or just hold back. Would I change anything?

I tried to breathe, the room swirling around me.

"Tyler..." I muttered, my voice breaking. "You..You can't do this to me," I said, my voice shaky. "We promised each other... we made vows."

Tyler's expression stiffened. "Those promises mean nothing now. Samantha, you already know the truth. I want that you to leave," Tyler said, his voice cold. "Pack your things and be gone by morning."

His words snapped me back to reality.

The tears stopped, replaced by a burning resolve. I wouldn't allow him watch me break any farther.

I wouldn't give him the satisfaction

I lifted my gaze, meeting Tyler's frigid look with a blazing attitude.

"Tomorrow morning, you say?" I spat, my voice dripping with scorn. "You think I'm going to hang around here for another minute?"

I laughed, a harsh, humorless laughter that rang off the walls, but Tyler's countenance remained frigid, undisturbed by my pain.

"I won't wait until morning," I stated, the words cutting as glass. "I'm leaving now, Tyler, and I won't be back."

Tyler's expression remained impassive, He simply nodded, as if he couldn't care less about the storm of emotions inside me.

Turning sharply, I walked towards the desk where the divorce papers lay waiting.

My hand was shaku a little bit as I picked up the pen, but I took a deep breath and signed on each page. I didn’t want him to see how nervous I was.

"There," I said, my voice steely. "It's done. You got what you wanted.”

Without waiting for a response, I opened the door and walked out, feeling the tears finally spill over.