Chapter 5 Five

Roman didn't return home until the fifth day. Amy had spent those days drowning in her own tears, exhaustion settling into her bones as she paced the living room, waiting for him. Hoping. But as time passed and the silence stretched, hope turned into a dull ache in her chest.

Their marriage had been crumbling for five years, but she had never felt this level of despair.

Before they got married, they had been inseparable. Roman had once been her everything, her best friend, her safe place. But that changed when she lost the baby. Their child. She had always blamed herself, and so had he. He had warned her to stay away from stress, had told her time and again to be careful, but she hadn't listened. And when the miscarriage happened, his love turned to something else, something distant, cold, and filled with resentment.

At first, he had withdrawn, speaking less, coming home late. Then the irritation started with sharp sighs, dismissive looks, anger simmering beneath every word. That continued until this moment.

After five days of absence, Roman finally returned home. His expression was as hard as a stone. No guilt. No remorse. Just indifference.

Amy shot up from the couch, her eyes swollen and red-rimmed from crying. The moment she saw him, something inside her snapped. She grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him, her voice breaking as she yelled;

"How dare you?!" She growled, "I would never believed you could do this to me. My best friend, Roman? Sara?! How could you do this?" Her voice cracked. "It is enough that you hate me for something I couldn't control, but cheating? Why? Why did you do it?!" The words poured out of her, a storm of pain and disbelief.

She wanted a reason. A desperate, stupid part of her hoping he would tell her it had been a mistake, that he had been drunk or drugged. That it wasn't real. But the way he stared at her unmoved, shattered whatever was left of that hope.

"I learnt from the best," Roman said, his voice dripping with venom. He was disgusted by her facade of acting innocent.

Amy's breath caught. The accusation in his tone was sharp, cutting through her like a blade. Before she could process it, he reached into the bag he was carrying, pulled out a stack of papers, and tossed them at her.

The papers hit her chest and fell to the floor, but she didn't look down. She didn't want to see what they were. Her hands trembled at her sides, her heart pounding erratically.

"What... what is this?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Divorce papers," Roman said flatly. "Sign them. My lawyer will handle the rest." He was done with her.

Amy's breath came in shallow gasp, then she shook her head picking up the papers to confirm, it was indeed divorce papers.

Had it resulted to this?

She snapped her head to him. She doesn't have anywhere else to go. Her initial anger was now replaced with fear, her hands trembled as she stared at him.

"W-What's this, Roman? We can settle..."

"We can't!" He cut in sharply, his voice rising. And then, in the cruelest voice she had ever heard from him, he spat, "I refuse to wake up every damn day with a filthy wh0re polluting my house! Get out and spread your legs for whoever will have you, that's what you're good at, isn't it?!"

Silence.

Amy's mind went blank for a second, as if the words hadn't registered. Then something inside her twisted in anger, heartbreak, disbelief all surging at once when it did.

Her palm connected with his cheek before she even realized she had moved.

A harsh slap.

Roman's jaw clenched, and for a moment, his eyes darkened with something dangerous and terrifying. But he didn't hit her back. He just stood there, anger rolling off him in waves.

"You can call me anything," Amy said in a trembling voice filled with fury and pain, "... but not a wh0re!" She screamed, tears sprang from her eyes.

"You are the first man to ever lay with me. And you know this. I'm no wh0re!" She cried, choked with tears. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Roman. You cheated, and now you're presenting a divorce like I'm the villain?

Roman's nostrils flared, his fists clenched at his sides. He wanted to say something to throw more venom at her, but he didn't. Instead, he grabbed her wrist in a punishing grip.

"Let me go. W-What ar..are you doing..." she gasped, struggling against his hold, but he didn't stop. His face was devoid of any warmth, his grip unyielding as he dragged her forward like she was nothing more than trash he was discarding.

Panic clawed at her throat. This wasn't just another fight. He was serious. He was throwing her out.

Her stomach twisted painfully as the realization set in when he opened the front door. Her entire body trembled as fear sank its cruel claws into her.

"Wait, let's talk things out," she suggested, fighting against his grip as desperation crept into her voice. "I'm not upset anymore, Roman!"

He didn't even falter.

Being abandoned as a baby, she grew up in the orphanage with Sara as her only family. Roman's mother came to do some charity offering, the first time she saw him. Then he continued to revisit.

He had been her salvation, the person who made her believe she belonged somewhere. And on the day she turned eighteen, he had asked her to move in with him, giving her the first real home she had ever known.

And now, he was ripping it away.

Amy's legs weakened as dread overwhelmed her. She wasn't just losing her marriage, she was losing everything. The life she built, and the only place she ever called home.

Roman shoved the gate open and dragged her outside. The cold air hit her like a slap, but it was nothing compared to the agony tightening around her chest.

"Please, don't do this. I'm not mad at you anymore. Hit me back!" Her voice cracked as she gripped his shirt, her pride long forgotten. But he shoved her back without hesitation, his expression void of any emotion.

"You came with nothing," he said icily, his eyes dark and merciless. "... so you'll leave with nothing."

And with that, he slammed the gate in her face. Amy's body trembled as she banged on the gate with weak fists, the divorce papers crumpling in her grip.

"Roman, please! We can fix this!"

But he didn't open the gate.

A choked sob escaped her lips as she pressed her forehead against the gate. "Roman," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Please, I'm sorry..."

For the first time in many years, she wondered if she truly belonged anywhere. Her parents had abandoned her, bullied at the orphanage, and now this.

As the night stretched on, she sat there, clutching the papers with her heart shattering with each second that passed.