The courtroom smelled faintly of wood polish and old books, a place where lives were dismantled and rebuilt on paper. My palms were slick against the table, though I forced myself to sit upright, shoulders squared. Across from me, Trevor sat in his pressed navy suit, calm, smug, as though he had already won something I hadn’t yet realized I’d lost.

Henry leaned close, his voice steady. “Stay calm. Today’s procedural. The judge has everything she needs.”

I nodded, though my chest pounded. The proceedings blurred into a haze of voices, documents, and the gavel’s echo. My mind clung only to the words that mattered.

“The court hereby grants the dissolution of marriage between Erin and Trevor Larusso.”

It was done. Just like that, the years I spent trying to save us were reduced to a ruling and a stamp. Trevor didn’t look at me. He stood swiftly, buttoning his jacket with the ease of someone who had been waiting for this day, for my erasure.

Henry gathered our papers and touched my arm lightly—a gesture that steadied me, if only for a second. But the storm wasn’t behind the oak doors. It was waiting outside. Lavinia leaned against the marble column in the courthouse hallway like she belonged there.

Her silk blouse clung to her, her lips painted a victorious shade of red. The sight of her standing there, waiting for me, was almost worse than the judge’s words.

“Congratulations,” she purred as soon as she spotted me. “You’ve officially made me Mrs. Larusso without the boring ceremony.”

I tried to step past her, but she slid into my path, her eyes glittering with malice.

“You gave me your kidney once, Erin. And now—your husband.” She tilted her head, smiling sweetly. “You’re such a giver. How does it feel, watching me live the life you could never hold onto?”

Her words sliced deep, reopening wounds I thought had already scarred.

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” I said quietly, though my voice carried steel. “Because everything Trevor touches eventually falls apart.”

Her expression darkened. Then, before I could brace myself, her hand struck my cheek with a sharp crack. Heat blossomed instantly across my skin, humiliation burning hotter than the sting.

The hallway fell silent, onlookers freezing in shock. And then—her performance shifted.

Lavinia gasped, her hand flying to her stomach.

Her face twisted, pale now instead of triumphant. “Trevor!” she cried, her voice breaking into a sob. “She’s stressing me—my tummy’s rumbling weird. I guess…something’s wrong—”

Her knees buckled, her body folding slightly as if the very weight of her cruelty had turned on her.

Trevor had just emerged from the courtroom, his gaze snapping to the sight of Lavinia clinging to the marble column, trembling.

For a split second, I thought it was another act. A manipulative ploy. But then—

The dark bloom of blood appeared, staining the pale fabric of her skirt. Gasps erupted through the hallway.

“Trevor!” Lavinia’s voice cracked into a scream. “Help me—please—”

My breath caught in my throat. Even in her cruelty, even in her victory, she was still carrying his child.

Trevor’s composure shattered. His face drained of color as he rushed toward her, catching her before she collapsed fully.

Around us, chaos erupted—shouts for help, hurried footsteps, the echo of someone calling for an ambulance.

“If something happens to her and the baby, I swear, I'll never forgive you, Erin!” Trevor hissed as he boarded into the ambulance.

The flashing lights of cameras still haunted me even hours later. Every headline had my name carved into it like a warning label—Homewrecker. Jealous First Wife. Bitter Ex.

And Lavinia knew exactly how to play the part at the press conference. She held her baby bump like it was some fragile crown. She spoke through her tears with the poise of someone trained in manipulation.

“She bullied me,” she told the sea of microphones. “Erin never accepted me, never accepted that Trevor’s heart was mine. I’m carrying his child, yet she made me feel unsafe—unwanted—just because I was his first love.”

First love. The words sliced deeper than I wanted to admit. Rage bait, exactly what the world craved. The audience gasped, social media flared alive, and by sundown, I was trending. Not because of who I was, but because of who I was painted to be.

I didn’t fight back.

The court had already granted the divorce. Legally, I was no one to Trevor anymore. And now, publicly, I was a villainess who dared to exist in the shadow of his mistress-turned-wife. So then, I booked my flight that night.

A one-way ticket.

No return.

No hesitation.

The airport was hushed at dawn. I wheeled my small luggage, wearing oversized sunglasses to shield my swollen eyes. I clutched the passport and boarding pass as though it was the last rope keeping me sane. Henry had begged me to stay, to fight. But I couldn’t hold it anymore. I was done being a punching bag for both Trevor’s betrayal and Lavinia’s cruelty.

I moved quietly, ignoring the stares from strangers who perhaps recognized me from the news.

When I reached the waiting area, my phone buzzed continuously with simultaneous messages.

Trevor: Where are you?

Trevor: Erin, answer me.

Trevor: For once, do the right thing. Apologize to Lavinia publicly. Make this right!

My chest ached, not from longing, but from the finality of it. He wanted me to bend my knees once more to the woman who stole everything.

I stared at the screen until my reflection blurred. Then I powered it off, walked to the nearest trash bin, and dropped it inside without a second thought.

But the SIM card—I slipped it out, pressing it between my fingers. When the plane ascended, I let the small chip fall from my grasp. It tumbled against the window before disappearing into nothingness, like every promise Trevor ever made me.

“You don't deserve my love, Trevor. I’m leaving you for good.” I whispered, wiping the tears in my eyes.

Just when I thought everything was in favor of me... the plane went on a drastic turbulence. And then came a loud crash! In a snap, everything exploded in my very eyes...