QUINN

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

Rainwater slid down my hair and soaked through my clothes, but the cold inside my chest was worse.

Seraphina Jason stood in front of me, smiling like she had finally won.

The anonymous messages, intimate photos and lipstick I once noticed near his collar and convinced myself to ignore. It was her. All along, it was her.

She stepped out of the car and approached me. Her eyes swept over the boxes near my feet.

"You have always been slow, Quinn," she said, "even when it comes to leaving."

Something inside me snapped. Before I knew what I was doing, my hand flew across her face.

Seraphina gasped as her head whipped sideways.

For one full second, silence swallowed everything. Even the servants froze. A sting burned through my palm, but it was beneath the rage shaking through my body.

"You disgusting bitch," I whispered.

Seraphina slowly touched her cheek, disbelief flooding her expression before it twisted instantly into rage.

"How dare you-"

"How long?" My voice cracked violently. "How long have you been sleeping with my husband?"

She smiled proudly, and that hurt even more.

"Oh," she breathed softly, "so you finally figured it out."

My stomach twisted hard. God. No element of remorse from her. Even now, she looked proud of it.

"You sent those messages," my fingers curled tightly at my sides. "You sent those photos."

She tilted her head. "And?"

That single word scattered the last fragile restraint in me. I lunged toward her again.

"Seraphina!"

Jasper's voice thundered across the driveway as he strode out of the estate. His eyes landed first on Seraphina's reddened cheeks, then on me and back to the luggage scattered around the driveway.

His expression hardened. "What the hell is going on?"

Seraphina moved instantly, slipping behind Jasper and clutching his arms possessively.

"Jasper," she cried shakily, "she attacked me."

Before I could stop myself, I crossed the distance between us and slapped him hard across the face.

The entire driveway fell silent again. Jasper's head turned from the impact.

Slowly, he looked back at me, once, then again. Apparently shocked by my reaction.

My chest churned violently.

"You disgusting man!" I yelled. "What is this you have done to me?"

The guards rushed toward me, grabbing my arms before I could move again.

"Ma'am, please stop."

"Let go of me!"

I struggled violently against their grip. My chest burned fiercely.

"Let her go."

Jasper's voice rang through the air. The guards immediately released me. I stumbled slightly before regaining balance.

"How long?" I asked again, quieter this time.

Jasper said nothing.

"After everything I endured for you..." My voice shook despite efforts to control it.

"Your family treated me like I was nothing. Your mother called me barren to my face while you did  nothing."

His jaw tightened faintly.

"I waited for you every night like an idiot," I continued, "I defended you even when everyone else saw what I refused to see."

I reached into my bag and pulled the printed photos. Then threw them directly to his chest.

"They are yours," I said, "take a good look."

The photos scattered slightly before Jasper picked them. The moment he saw them, his expression changed.

His eyes darkened instantly as he turned toward Seraphina.

"What did you do?"

"I-I didn't send those," she said quietly, "someone else must have."

"What did you do?" he yelled again.

Seraphina forced a laugh, "Jasper, it's not a big deal. She already signed the divorce papers-"

"Not a big deal?"

His voice was dangerously sharp. He stepped closer, the photos crumpling in his hands.

"Do you have any idea what happens if this leaks?"

Seraphina frowned. "Why are you reacting like this? You said you were ending things with her anyway."

His eyes snapped towards her. "If you can't control yourself," he said dangerously, "then stay out of my affairs."

For the first time, uncertainty flickered across Seraphina's face.

Jasper shoved the photos into his coat roughly before turning away.

"Handle the media if anything surfaces," he barked toward one of the guards.

His gaze dropped briefly to the suitcase in my hand. Then, to the wedding ring still on my fingers.

He exhaled, "You should leave," he said finally.

The words shouldn't have hurt, but they did more than I expected. I laughed softly under my breath.

"You don't need to worry," I replied, "I finally understand where I stand now."

He took one look at me, then turned away.

Seraphina stepped toward me the second he walked away. "You really are pathetic," she murmured, "still standing here after all this."

By this time, exhaustion had drained almost everything out of me already.

"You won," I said, "but I don't think you understand him nearly as much as you think."

"You really thought he loved you?"

I said nothing.

Seraphina stepped closer. "Tell me, when was the last time he touched you?"

My fingers tightened around the suitcase handle.

"He stayed with me for three nights," she whispered. "He never once tried to leave."

Every word struck.

"You are right," I said quietly.

She blinked, clearly not expecting me to agree that fast.

For the first time in three years, I understood something clearly. There was no place left for me inside the Finn family.  

When the gates of the Finn estate shut behind me, I didn't look back.

The cold night air hit my face as I walked down the empty road, dragging my suitcase behind me.

And for the first time since Jasper asked for a divorce, the full tears finally came.

I paused in the middle of the road. God. I really loved him. That was the most humiliating part of all. 

Even after watching him destroy me, some foolish part of me still wanted him to come after me.

I wiped my face harshly and reached out for my phone. There was only one person I trusted enough to call.

"Quinn?"

Joe sounded shocked.

"Is that really you?"

I closed my eyes briefly at the familiar warmth in his voice. I disappeared for three years after marrying Jasper, but Joe still answered on the first ring.

"Hi, Joe."

Something in my voice must have alarmed him instantly. His tone changed immediately.

"Are you alright?"

I looked back once toward the distant Finn estate glowing against the night sky. 

"Jasper and I divorced."

"What?"

"He's involved with my stepsister."

Joe cursed under his breath.

Jasper was cold, yes. But not impulsive. He calculated everything, which means this had been planned carefully.

His voice sharpened instantly. "What do we do?"

We? God. He still carried my burden! Even after what I did.

"I want to know why Jasper suddenly wanted this divorce now," I said quietly.

"...Quinn," he called hesitantly.

The seriousness in his voice slowed my breathing.

"What?" I asked.

Joe exhaled slowly. "If Jasper suddenly agreed to divorce you right after Morrison returned to the city..."

My grip tightened on the phone.

"...then this might not be about Seraphina alone."

My heartbeat slowed dangerously.

"What does Morrison have to do with this?"

QUINN

Morning didn't feel like morning.

My eyes reopened before I remembered closing them. For a few seconds, I just stared at the ceiling,

By law, my marriage was already over. But my body still hadn't caught up to the loss of it.

My fingers brushed the empty side of the bed, expecting to feel Jasper's muscular body. Cold sheets greeted me instead.

I pushed myself upright. The room I stayed in wasn't mine. It was a hotel suite Joe had insisted I take when I refused to go anywhere familiar.

I didn't want any place or memory that would remind me of him.

I pressed my palm against my forehead, and no tears came anymore. That was the strangest part.

And then there was Morrison.

Just thinking about his name made something uneasy shift inside me. I pushed the thought away immediately.

A soft knock interrupted the silence.

"Miss Quinn?"

A voice from outside spoke.

"Your transport to the courthouse will be ready in twenty minutes."

Right. Yesterday was the ending. Today was the paperwork confirming it. I stood slowly and walked into the bathroom.

The woman staring back at me in the mirror barely looked familiar. All I saw was a pale face, tired eyes, and cracked lips. My hair was tied back loosely, but strands had fallen out.

I stared at myself for a long time, then picked up a comb and carefully dressed my hair.

If my life were going to end in paperwork, I would at least show up as myself. Not broken or pleading.

The courthouse was already awake when I arrived. People moved around with purpose, files in hand. Shoes echoed against the polished floors.

A young court official looked up as I entered.

"Oh, good morning," she said quickly, then softened, "you look elegant."

I didn't even realize she was talking to me until she waved with a pretty smile.

My voice cracked slightly, "Hi!" I waved back, "Thank you."

I almost forgot what kindness sounded like, but that little act uplifted my spirits.

I sat down on the bench outside the courtroom. My fingers tightened around the file in my lap: a divorce agreement.

A door opened across the hallway, and I didn't need to look up to know who it was. The air changed before his footsteps even reached me.

Jasper walked in looking untouched by any of this. Like he was arriving for another business meeting instead of ending a marriage.

Yet, something about him felt unsettled; it wasn't obvious, but I noticed it.

He stopped when his eyes landed on me, then looked away immediately. I was already becoming something finished in his eyes.

When he walked away, I followed him inside.

The courtroom was small, yet convenient, less dramatic and less emotional. Too good for something that would erase my three years of life.

Documents were reviewed, and the judge spoke. Signatures were exchanged and stamps placed. I signed first. My hand didn't hesitate, and that surprised me.

It didn't happen that way because I was too strong, but because I was tired of pretending otherwise.

Jasper signed after me without hesitation or pause. He didn't even glance at me once.

Within minutes, it was over. Three years reduced to signatures and stamped papers.

"By law," the official said calmly, "there is a thirty-day cooling-off period. Either party may revoke the divorce within this time."

I nearly laughed. Thirty days. How generous.

Jasper's voice cut in smoothly. "That will be unnecessary."

I looked at him. "You are confident," I said quietly.

His gaze finally met mine. "You are not the type to change your mind," he said.

Something unreadable passed through his expression. But I knew it had nothing to do with regret.

"You are so sure?"

He avoided eye contact. "Don't make this harder than it already is," he said.

"What is it then?" I asked softly.

He didn't respond. The room hummed with unspoken tension. The official cleared his throat awkwardly and continued processing the documents.

Outside the courtroom, the world continued moving. People laughed. Phones rang. Conversations continued around me. 

The world moved on so easily from things that ruined other people.

Jasper stepped out first, and I followed. The wind outside was colder now. He didn't look back, not for once. Yet, he didn't leave immediately, either.

No one rushed to fill the silence. I held the folder tighter.

"You don't owe me anything now," I said quietly.

He stopped, then turned slowly. "We are past that now," he said.

I hated how much the words affected me, but I pushed them away.

"Okay. Good," I said.

He studied me for a moment longer and then turned. That was when I saw her. Seraphina. Standing near the car and dressed in white.

The atmosphere changed around her. She smiled the moment she saw me.

"Jasper," she called gently. "Can we go now?'

His expression changed instantly with care. "You shouldn't be standing outside," he said to her, "it's cold."

I waited three years to hear that kind of care from him.

Seraphina's eyes slid toward me. "You are still here," she said.

I said nothing. She smiled, then leaned close enough for only me to hear her.

"You really thought he would choose you?"

I exhaled slowly, not reacting. Suddenly, it didn't feel like a question anymore. It felt like something I should have known long ago.

"Honestly, you should be grateful to me," she murmured.

"Without me, you'd still be clinging to a man who never belonged to you."

My grip on the folder tightened.  She smiled when I didn't answer. But before she fully left, she added lightly.

"Funny thing is..." she said softly. "Even while he was with me, he never looked at me the way he used to look at you."

Listening to that, my knees nearly gave out. She smiled wider when she noticed.

Jasper called her name softly, "Come on."

She obeyed. Within seconds, they were gone into thick air. I stood there for a long moment, watching the space they had occupied, then I finally exhaled.

A voice behind me broke the silence.

"Darling?"

I turned automatically before realizing the stranger wasn't speaking to me.

Just then, my phone rang. Joe. I picked almost immediately.

"Hi Joe," I said softly.

"Quinn... this divorce, Jasper didn't act alone."

My heartbeat slowed.  "What are you saying?"

He exhaled. The next words changed everything.

"Seraphina is pregnant."