Episode 2

Chapter 2: The Interrupted Agreement

By the time it hit me that I'd been sitting in the same chair for hours, the breakfast had gone cold and stale. I finally dragged myself up, asked the kitchen staff to clear the table, and went back upstairs to my room to think.

But before I could gather my thoughts, my phone rang.

"Bella, my assistant will bring the divorce papers over after lunch. Review them and sign, please."

He hung up before I could even respond.

So this was how it was going to be from now on? Cold and transactional, like I was just another subordinate of the great CEO Montgomery?

I knew our marriage had been an arrangement to make his grandmother happy. But where had all the warmth and closeness gone -- everything we'd built over ten years of knowing each other? I'd known Leonardo since I was twelve, and he had never once treated me this way.

The night before our wedding, he'd asked to talk. He told me he'd agreed to the arrangement because he didn't want to go against Grandma Amelia's wishes. He said he'd always been in love with Angela, but she'd gone overseas. And if she ever came back, he would ask for a divorce and fight for that love.

I accepted it, even though his words cut deep. I was foolish enough to believe that living together might change his feelings. That he'd eventually see me differently.

For a year, Leonardo had been the husband any woman would dream of. Attentive, affectionate. He treated me like I was something precious, the most important person in his world. He knew me better than I knew myself, anticipating my needs before I even realized I had them. And I fell deeper in love with him every single day. I thought my feelings were finally being returned.

What a delusion. As my mother, Grace, used to say: "The higher you climb, the harder you fall." And mine was a long way down.

At lunch, I forced myself to eat some salad and roast beef. I had no appetite, but my baby needed the nourishment to grow strong and healthy. Despite the crushing weight on my chest, I couldn't neglect the one person who would now be my only family and companion. I knew Grandma Amelia would never turn her back on me, even after the divorce, but I refused to be a burden to anyone. And despite everything, I wanted Leo to be happy -- even if it wasn't with me. He'd always been respectful and caring toward me. He didn't deserve an ex-wife standing in the way of his happiness.

At one o'clock sharp, the doorbell rang. The staff informed me that Leonardo's assistant was waiting in the living room.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Montgomery. I've brought the papers."

I nodded and took the documents from Oscar's hands. I started reading through them and couldn't help letting out a bitter laugh. So Leo thought he could compensate for my love and devotion over the past year with material things. Houses, cars, and money. It would have been hilarious if every line on that paper wasn't killing me inside.

Eventually, I gave up reading and just signed.

"Here you go, Oscar. Everything in order?"

I handed back the document. He reviewed it, then frowned and told me he'd found a clerical error -- a typo that would invalidate the agreement. He'd have to go back to the office and draft a new one.

Just my luck. But there was nothing I could do about it. He excused himself and left, and I went upstairs to rest. The whole ordeal had left me completely drained.

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