Chapter 4

Kelsey Reyes POV:

His laughter echoed in the silent apartment. It was a sound that shattered the last fragile fragments of hope I might have held.

"Games?" I asked, my voice trembling now, not with sadness, but with a searing rage. "You think this is a game, Elias?"

I reached into my bag. I pulled out the neatly folded divorce papers. They rustled softly in the quiet room.

"Fine," I said, my voice as cold as the winter wind. "Let's play your game, Elias. Or rather, let's end it." I held out the papers. "Sign them. Now."

His eyes, still red-rimmed from his fit of rage, widened as he saw the documents. The laughter died in his throat. His face drained of all color.

"Divorce papers?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Kelsey, what is this? You can't be serious! What about our child? You' re pregnant!"

"The child is gone, Elias," I said, my voice flat. "And you made that decision for us when you chose her over our family, over our company, over everything."

Dayami, who had been sitting up, wide-eyed, suddenly tried to interject. "Elias, don't listen to her! She's just trying to trick you!"

Elias, surprisingly, cut her off. "Dayami, wait outside. Please." His voice was strained.

Dayami' s expression turned from feigned sympathy to outright fury. She shot me a venomous look, then stomped out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

Now alone, Elias' s demeanor shifted. He dropped the enraged act, his shoulders slumping. He looked genuinely distraught.

"Kelsey, please," he began, his voice hoarse. "Don't do this. I know I messed up. I know I... I went too far. But Dayami, she's just a junior employee. Nothing more. A distraction. A mistake."

He reached for my hand. I pulled it away.

"A mistake that cost us everything, Elias," I said.

"No! Please! I swear, Kelsey, I' ll fire her. I' ll never see her again. She means nothing to me. You' re my wife. You' re the mother of our child." He swallowed hard. "You' re everything."

"You don't love me, Elias," I stated, not as a question, but as a cold, hard fact. "If you did, you wouldn't have done any of this. I'm letting you go. Be with her. Be happy."

He recoiled as if I had struck him. "That's not true! I do love you! How can you say that?"

Just then, his phone vibrated loudly on the coffee table. A distinctive, chirpy ringtone. It was the same personalized ringtone Dayami had for her phone. Elias had programmed it for her calls. And it was playing now.

His eyes darted to the phone, then back to my impassive face. He looked trapped.

He picked it up, his hand shaking slightly. He glanced at the caller ID. It was Dayami.

"Elias, I have to go," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Dayami... she needs me. It' s important."

I didn' t say a word. I just watched him.

He took a step towards me, his hand reaching out. He tried to kiss me, a desperate, fumbling attempt.

I turned my head. His lips brushed my cheek, cold and lifeless.

"I'll fix this, Kelsey," he promised, his voice full of false hope. "I'll keep my distance from her. I swear."

He grabbed his keys and rushed out the door.

I watched him go. Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, I picked up my phone. I opened my contacts. Found his name. Deleted. Blocked. I did the same for Dayami.

The next morning, eight o' clock. He wasn' t there.

My parents were. My father, Jerome, held my hand tightly. My mother stroked my hair.

We walked into the hospital. It felt sterile, cold. The white walls, the smell of antiseptic.

I lay on the table. The nurses were kind, their faces etched with a quiet sympathy.

"Just a little prick, dear," one said, as she inserted the IV. "You' ll feel sleepy soon."

The world began to blur. Darkness enveloped me.

When I woke, my mother was holding my hand. My father was by the window, his back to me.

"Are you in pain, sweetheart?" my mother whispered, her eyes full of concern.

I smiled faintly. "No, Mom. Not anymore."

My father turned around. His face was grim. "We're divorcing him, Kelsey. It's time."

I nodded. A single tear escaped my eye, but it wasn't for the past. It was for the future.

The next few days passed in a haze. My mother stayed with me, nursing me back to health. Slowly, physically, I recovered.

One afternoon, my parents stepped out for a moment, to grab lunch. I decided to take a walk down the hospital corridor. The quiet rhythmic beeping of machines was a strange lullaby.

I turned a corner.

And froze.

Elias. And Dayami.

They were in the waiting area, a few feet away. Dayami looked pale, her arm in a sling. Elias was fussing over her, his hand gently stroking her hair.

They saw me. Their faces, at first concerned, twisted into shock. Elias' s hand fell from Dayami's hair.

"Kelsey?" Elias stammered out, his eyes wide. "What are you doing here? Are you... are you okay?"

He looked at Dayami's sling, then back at me. "Dayami just had a little accident. Nothing serious." He tried to offer a reassuring smile, but it looked forced. "What about you? What did the doctor say? About the baby?"

I turned to walk away. I couldn't breathe.

"Kelsey, wait!" Elias grabbed my wrist. His grip was surprisingly strong. "Tell me! What happened to our baby?!"