Chasing After My Ex-Husband

The pen Lena held trembled in her hands as she sat on the kitchen table, the dim light casted a faint shadow over the dirvoce papers spread out before her.

She found it hard to breath as she weight of her decision pressed down on her chest. She used her free hand to rub her temples as she set down the pen she held earlier.

Lena had spent the last one hour and thirty minutes staring at the dirvoce papers, reading through the jargons stated on it that she barely understood. The only thing she understood was that if she signed it, it would be the end of her marriage. Why now? When she was finally becoming happy with him?

She glanced through the papers again, the words blurry in her eyes. Could she really do this?

Slowly, her eyes drifted to the wall clock. It was almost eight PM and Grayson was yet to come home. He had called her earlier telling her that the restaurant was busier than usual.

She imagined him there, sleeves rolled up, his hands dusted with flour, focused and determined. That image of him was one of the first things she'd fallen for, back when she thought falling wasn't part of her plan.

But the plan had changed.

Her phone buzzed on the table, the screen flashing with a single message:

'You know what's at stake. Don't make me remind you!'

Lena's stomach churned, her hands curling into fists. She locked the phone, shoving it face-down on the table as if that would silence the persistent fear that had followed her for weeks. She couldn't crumble now.

The faint sound of the front door creaking open pulled Lena's attention. Footsteps echoed in the hallway, accompanied by the soft rustle of a bag being placed on the floor.

"Lena?" Grayson called out, warmth evidence in his calm voice.

Her breath hitched. She quickly folded the divorce papers and slid them into a drawer before standing. "I'm in here." she replied lowly but loud enough for him to hear her.

Grayson appeared in the doorway a moment later, his dark hair slightly mussed, his shirt wrinkled from a long day. He looked tired but still managed a small smile when his eyes landed on her.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, dropping his keys onto the counter. "Things got crazy tonight." He said giving her a quick kiss on her forehead.

"It's okay," Lena replied, her voice quieter than she intended.

He stepped closer, his brow furrowing as he studied her face. "You've been waiting up for me, haven't you?" He asked with raised brows.

"No," she quickly lied.

Grayson looked like he didn't believe her but he decided not to push the situation any further.

"You look like something's on your mind. What's going on?" He asked quietly as he leaned against the counter.

Lena swallowed hard, fiddling with her hands. She wanted to tell him everything, to finally unburden herself of the truth. But the words wouldn't come. She forced herself to look away, her gaze landing on the darkened window instead.

"Nothing. Just tired," she lied again.

Grayson frowned. "You've been saying that a lot lately. Did something happen?" He asked moving closer towards her and holding her hands.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm fine." she said, stylishly removing her hands from his which Grayson didn't fail to notice.

"I'll be going to bed now." Lena said, making her way out of the kitchen.

Grayson nodded slowly as he stared at her retreating figure wondering what the problem might be. Was there a problem in her company? What could be bothering her? He thought.

Reaching the room they shared, Lena laid down on the edge of the bed and faced the wall. She couldn't bring herself to sleep as different thoughts ran through her mind.

Telling Grayson would only put him in more danger, maybe this was for the best. When she heard the sound of the room door creaking open, she quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

When she knew that Grayson had entered the bathroom, she slowly opened her eyes and turned to glance at the bathroom door. She sighed, turning back to her former position.

Who would she run to for help right now? Was her decision the best? She was clouded in her thoughts that she didn't notice when Grayson came out of the bathroom till he laid down beside her.

Lena stiffened for a moment as she knew what his next actions would be. As if on cue, Grayson held her by her waist and pulled her closer to him, till he was now hugging her.

He leaned closer into her neck as he sniffed in her scent. Lena wasn't surprised, Grayson had been doing so since they got married. On a normal day, Lena would have turned around and hugged him, but now, she couldn't stop the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks.

Soon, she felt his soft breath on her skin. He must have been so tired to have fallen asleep so easily, Lena thought.

She tried to move away from his hold, but his hands were firm against her waist as if he was scared that she'd run away. Lena sighed quietly, knowing that if she tried anymore that he'd wake up from his sleep, and she didn't want that.

Lena turned around on the bed to face Grayson, careful not to wake him up. She stared at his handsome face and her eyes slowly moved down to his lips that looked inviting, she was tempted to kiss his lips, but she didn't, she just kept staring at his face.

Her heart clenched in hurt at her thoughts. Was she really going to be making this wrong decision? Yes, she knew that it was a wrong decision, but what choice did she have? It was the final straw, she couldn't take it anymore!

NEXT MORNING

As Grayson walked into the kitchen, the scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air. Lena sat by the counter, gripping her mug tightly. She was dressed in a brown sweater and a white skirt with some flower prints on it, and her hair was tied in a tight bun.

"Good morning." Grayson greeted softly, sitting down on a chair beside where she stood. He stared up at her face, studying her carefully, his eyes clouded with concern.

"Morning." Lena replied slowly without bothering to glance at him, her voice cold.

Grayson leaned forward, as he drummed his fingers against the table.

"We didn't exactly finish our conversation last night." Grayson stated.

Lena took a sip of her coffee with an unreasonable expression on her face. "There is nothing to talk about." She replied.

"There is everything to talk about." He countered, his voice steady and firm.

"You're shutting me out these days, Lena. I can feel it, I just don't know why. What did I do wrong?" He asked calmly, his eyes fixed on her.

Lena let out a heavy sigh as she placed the mug down a little louder and harder than she intended.

"Grayson, not now. Please."

"Not now?" He frowned, frustration creeping into his tone. "That's all you've been saying for weeks. I'm your husband, Lena. I deserve to know what's going on."

Her hand curled into a fist at her side, but she forced herself to remain calm. "Can't you just let it go? For once?"

Grayson's lips pressed into a thin line, and he looked away, clearly hurt by her words and actions.

EVENING

Lena sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the floor, as she gave second thoughts to the choice she was about to make.

The door opened and Grayson stepped inside, a warm hopeful smile plastered across his face. He carried a very small neatly wrapped box in his hands which Lena failed to notice.

"Hey," he said gently, approaching her.

Lena glanced up, her expression guarded. "What is it?"

Grayson sat beside her, holding out the box. "I wanted to show you something. It's for our anniversary in two weeks."

Lena stiffened. "Anniversary?" She asked.

"Yeah," he said, his voice laced with a quietly.

"Three years. I thought we could do something special. Maybe go back to the place where we had our first date? Or..." He trailed off, watching her closely.

"Grayson," Lena interrupted, her tone cold and detached.

He blinked, surprised by the sharpness in her voice. "What?"

"I'm not interested," she said bluntly, standing and turning away from him.

His heart sank. "Not interested? Lena, it's our anniversary. We've always celebrated it." He stated.

She crossed her arms, refusing to meet his gaze. "Not this year. I have too much going on."

Grayson's shoulders sagged, the small box in his hand feeling heavier than before. "Lena, is this about us? About something I did?"

"It's not about you," she said flatly, walking toward the closet. "I just don't want to celebrate, okay?"

His grip tightened around the box. "You don't even care anymore, do you?"

She froze for a moment but didn't respond. Instead, she turned back to face him, her expression hard. "We have a business dinner tonight with a client. Be ready by seven."

Grayson stood, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "That's it? A business dinner? No explanation, no conversation, just another cold dismissal?" He asked.

Lena looked at him, her eyes unreadable. "You said you wanted to talk? Fine. Let's talk later. But tonight, we focus on the client."

"Right," he said bitterly, slipping the box into his pocket. "Because that's what we do best, isn't it? Focus on business and ignore everything else."

She didn't reply, instead walking past him toward the bathroom. Grayson stared after her, his heart heavy with questions he wasn't sure he wanted the answers to anymore.

NIGHT: BLUE VIEW RESTAURANT

"Thank you, it's a pleasure working with you Mr. James." Lena said as she shook hands with the middle aged man.

"You too." He nodded.

"Bye Lena, bye Grayson." Mrs James said as she stood up from her chair to leave with her husband.

"That went well." Lena said as soon as they left, a genuine smile plastered across her face.

Grayson glanced at her without saying a word. He wasn't surprised that her business made her so happy, after all that was one of the main reasons she got married to him; to be able to claim her family's business.

"I'm going to the rest room." Lena said, getting up from where she sat beside Grayson.

"Alright. I'll be waiting here." Grayson muttered as he watched her leave.

When Lena was done in the rest room, she washed her hands then proceeded to leave, just as she pushed the door open, she came face to face with a man and she immediately froze on her spot as she dared not to look him in the eye.

Grayson glanced at the time on his wrist watch, Lena was staying longer than she normally did in the restroom. Just as he stood up to go look for her, he saw her approaching him with a hard look, but she quickly smiled as soon as she saw him, and Grayson did not fail to notice that.

"I was just about to come find you." He said as she stood before him.

Lena replied with a small nod, but her next actions shocked Grayson as he wasn't expecting it.

She kissed him quickly on his lips before engulfing him in a hug. Grayson froze for a moment, but relaxed and hugged her back.

Grayson held her tightly, as though sensing her desire to leave, Lena bit her lip to suppress a sob. This was the last time she'd let herself feel this close to him. Tonight, it would all be over.

The sky rumbled loudly as rain battered against the windows, echoing through the house like a warning.

Grayson sat on the white couch, his hair still damp from the shower he just had. He raised his head to see Lena walking into the living room with a file in her hands.

"Grayson, we need to talk." Lena said as she approached him.

Grayson nodded his head. "Go ahead, I'm listening." He replied.

Lena dropped the file on the coffee table in front of Grayson. He glanced at the file and his eyes widened in shock at what he saw 'Divorce Agreement'

"Lena," Grayson called, his voice edged with desperation as he stood up from the couch, his hair sticking to his forehead. "What is this? Why are you doing this?"

Lena took a step closer towards him, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her face void of any emotions.

"I thought it was obvious," she said, her voice chillingly calm. "I want a divorce."

Grayson's breath hitched. He clenched his fists, trying to steady himself. "You don't mean that. You can't mean that." He stated.

"I do." She replied, stepping closer, her eyes meeting his with an icy resolve. "Sign the papers, Grayson. It's over."

"Over?" he repeated, his voice rising. "How can you say that? After everything we've been through, after everything we've built..."

"There's nothing left to build!" she cut in sharply. Her words hit him like a slap.

His jaw tightened, and he moved closer, his voice trembling. "Why, Lena? What changed? What did I do wrong?" He asked, his voice pleading with her.

Lena averted her gaze, swallowing hard, her resolve wavering for the briefest moment. But then she steeled herself, forcing her voice to remain steady. "This isn't about you, Grayson. It's about me. I've made my decision." She stated seriously.

Grayson's chest rose and fell rapidly as he fought to contain the storm brewing inside him. "No," he said firmly. "You don't just decide to throw away a marriage without a reason. What are you not telling me?" He questioned desperately.

Lena's fingers curled into fists at her sides. "I don't owe you an explanation," she snapped.

"You're my wife!" he thundered, the veins in his neck tightening. "You owe me that much, at least."

"I was never your wife in the way that mattered," she spat, her voice cold and cutting.

The words hung in the air like poison. Grayson staggered back as though she'd struck him with a knife. "What... what are you saying?" He asked, confused for a split of second.

Lena took a shaky breath and forced herself to say the words that would destroy him. "I never loved you, Grayson. I married you because it was convenient, because it made sense for my business. That's all."

Grayson stared at her, his face pale, his eyes filled with disbelief. "You don't mean that," he whispered.

"I do," she lied, her voice hardening. "And there's someone else. Someone I actually love." She said, a small smile gracing her lips.

The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the pounding rain against the windows. Grayson's hands trembled as he ran them through his hair, his mind racing.

"You're lying," he said finally, his voice breaking. "You're lying, Lena. I know you are."

She didn't respond. She couldn't. The pain in his eyes was unbearable, but she forced herself to hold her ground.

Grayson let out a bitter laugh, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "So that's it, then? All of this was just... nothing to you?" He asked, feeling defeated.

"It's over, Grayson," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No," he said, his tone fierce. "I won't let you do this. I won't sign those papers."

Lena's eyes darkened. She grabbed the documents and thrust them towards him. "You will, or I'll make this even harder for you! Sign them and leave, Grayson."

"Leave?" he asked incredulously. "It's pouring outside, Lena. Where do you expect me to go?"

"I don't care," she said coldly, crossing her arms. "You're not staying here tonight." She stated.

Grayson's chest tightened as he realized she meant every word. He took a step back, his face a mix of anger and heartbreak. "You're really doing this? Kicking me out of the home we built together? After everything we've been through?"

Lena didn't reply, her silence cutting deeper than any words could.

Grayson stood frozen for a moment, his breathing ragged. Finally, he grabbed the pen from the table and signed the papers with shaking hands. The sound of the pen scratching against the paper felt like the final nail in the coffin of their love.

"There," he said, throwing the pen down. "Are you happy now?"

Lena avoided his gaze as he turned and stormed toward the door. He stopped briefly, glancing back at her one last time. "I hope this is worth it," he said quietly, his voice filled with pain.

And then he was gone, stepping out into the pouring rain.

***

The rain poured down heavily, soaking Grayson who stood in the driveway. He had no coat, no umbrella, just his phone that was in his Pocket.

He took a deep breath, his chest tightening in pain as he tried to process all that had just happened. His footsteps echoed in the empty street as he walked down from the house he once called home, the rain washing away the tears that fell from his eyes. This was the first time he was crying in twenty years!

Behind the closed door, Lena stood with her back against the wall, she was staring at nothing in particular her face cold as ice. She seemed lost in thoughts, as if thinking about her previous actions.

She took a step away from the wall and soon burst into ripples of laughter, but her laughter soon turned to tears.