A Divorce He Regrets

Chapter 26:

“Will you shut up?” he snapped, his tone sharp and cold. “You’re giving me a goddamn headache.”

My heart plummeted, and every instinct told me to fight, to scream harder, but I forced myself to stay calm. This was my chance; maybe I could reason with him. Swallowing down my pride, I looked up at him, trying to keep my voice steady, though I could feel it tremble.

“Please,” I whispered, each word feeling like it was carved from glass. “I’ll do anything. If it’s money you want, you’ll have it. Take whatever you need—just let me go. My son… he’s dying. I need to get to him before it’s too late.” I could feel my face crumple, the cracks in my composure starting to show. But I couldn’t afford to fall apart now.

The man scoffed, his expression hardening, amusement dancing in his cold, flat eyes. “Money, huh?” He let out a harsh laugh, as if he was enjoying some private joke at my expense. “What makes you think I need anything from you, lady?”

I searched his face, clinging to any scrap of humanity I could find. “If you… if you have children, then you have to understand.” My voice broke, and I felt my breath hitch. “Please, he’s just a little boy. I have to save him.”

At this, his face twisted with disgust, and he let out a dark, ugly laugh. “Kids?” He spat the word as if it were poison. “Fuck no. Those little creatures are pure evil. Last thing I’d want is some snot-nosed brat ruining my life.”

I felt my hope crack, splintering under his cold stare. But I wasn’t giving up. Not yet. “Then… just tell me what you want.” I leaned forward, hands shaking against the ropes binding me to the chair. “Just name your price. Dominic would pay you anything you want. Just let me go.”

For a moment, his gaze sharpened, his eyes shifting as though he were actually considering it. The silence stretched out, my heart hammering with the slightest glimmer of hope.

But then he shook his head, his lips curling into a mocking smile. “As tempting as that is, sweetheart, I’m afraid that’s not an option.” His voice was stone-cold, final, and it echoed through the empty room, crushing the last ounce of hope I had clung to.

My heart sank. “Is this… is this because of Eliza?” I managed to ask, barely daring to breathe. “Did she put you up to this? Did she ask you to… kill me?” The last word barely made it out of my mouth. The memory of Eliza’s calculating gaze sent shivers down my spine. The image of her reaching to shut off Liam’s machine… I couldn’t stop it from replaying in my mind.

gⱯ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀.𝗰𝓸𝗺, original website

The man’s laughter broke through my horror, bitter and humorless. “All I know,” he said, “is if you’d stayed away, your kid might still be alive. But no, you had to come back, didn’t you?” His words stung, cold and sharp. How did he know about Liam?

He turned on his heel and left, leaving me alone in the silence. The door clicked shut behind him, trapping me with my fears and regrets. I couldn’t let this end here, tied to a chair while my son lay dying, while that woman gloated over her twisted victory. I wrestled against the binds, but they only dug deeper into my skin. My frustration finally broke through, turning to a sob that wracked my body, and for a moment, all I could do was cry. But crying wouldn’t save Liam. It wouldn’t save me.noveldrama

A fierce determination lit inside me, and I took a deep breath, steadying myself. I had to find a way out. I had to be stronger than this.

The door swung open again, and the man stormed in, looking even more irritated than before. He held a bottle in his hand, and before I could react, he came closer, the smug smirk on his face widening.

“Shut up already!” he snarled, swinging his lofty palm toward my face. My body jerked as I instinctively kicked out at him, throwing my bound legs with as much force as I could.

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