When Theodore came looking for me, I was about to leave.
He stopped me in front of the building, his face grim. "Theodora, when did we divorce?"
I paused for a moment before telling him the truth. "Theodore, I lied to you. The house I told you I sold back home wasn't actually sold. The contract was fake, and inside it was the divorce agreement."
Theodore froze, his expression one of momentary shock.
I paused, then continued, "But don't worry, I didn't take your money. I only took my own property from before we got married. I didn't take a single penny from what you earned after we were married."
Theodore's chest rose and fell with anger, his eyes filled with frustration. "Theodora, how dare you make such decisions without my consent? A matter this big—did you even ask me first?"
"When you were having a child with Jimena, did you ask for my consent?" I replied calmly.
Theodore Sinclair was momentarily stunned. "So this is because of that?"
He grabbed my wrist, urgency in his voice. "Theodora, Jimena lost the baby. I promise I'll sever ties with her, I won't see any other woman. Please, let's stop this drama. Come back home, will you?"
I shook his hand off.
"Theodore, what do you take me for? Why should I forgive you just because you've betrayed me?"
Theodore's expression darkened, his eyes filled with weakness. "Then what do you want me to do?"
"Nothing. Theodore, we're divorced now. Don't come looking for me again. Our paths are separate from now on. We have nothing to do with each other anymore!"
Theodore's face grew darker with rage. "After all we've been through, how can you just say we're done like that?"
I looked at him coldly, giving him a bitter smile. "You were willing to throw away all those years for another woman, so what exactly do I have left to hold onto?"
Theodore opened his mouth but found no words.
After a long pause, he finally managed to say, "Theodora, I was wrong. I apologize. But I still love you. Please forgive me just this once."
"No."
What use was a belated apology? I ignored him, walked around him, and left without looking back.
...
Theodore returned home, his heart heavy and lost. As he stood in the empty house, an overwhelming sense of loneliness settled over him.
He had grown so accustomed to my caring presence over the years that without me, the house felt unsettlingly empty.
He couldn't understand. After all, he had only made the mistake that every man could make. Why had I made the decision to divorce him so decisively?
Even though our relationship had long been on the rocks, he had never once considered divorce.
Theodore became more and more restless as the days passed.
He had no interest in going to work, and he couldn't bring himself to care for Jimena in the hospital either.
He locked himself in the house and drank heavily for two days, drowning his frustrations in alcohol, barely conscious.
On the third day, Jimena came knocking at his door.
She was still pale, her health not fully restored, and walked unsteadily toward Theodore, her red-rimmed eyes filled with desperation. "Theodore, why haven't you come to the hospital these past two days? You didn't answer your calls—are you just going to abandon me?"
Theodore glanced at her coldly. "Jimena, don't come looking for me again. It's over between us."
Jimena looked at him in disbelief, her voice trembling. "Theodore, I sacrificed my womb for you, almost lost my life, and this is how you treat me?"
Theodore's face turned cold, a sneer forming at the corner of his lips. "I always saw you as nothing but a breeding tool. Now that you can't have children, what good are you to me?"
"THEODORE!" Jimena's emotions broke, and she screamed hysterically, "Was everything we shared just a lie?"
"Of course it was a lie," Theodore sneered. "We were just playing a game. How long have we known each other? How could it compare to the ten years I spent with Theodora?"
Jimena couldn't bear it anymore. Her sobs were heart-wrenching.
She lunged at Theodore, grabbing his collar, and began pounding on his chest in fury. "You bastard! You ruined me like this, and now you just walk away so easily?!"
"That's enough!" Theodore shouted, shoving her away.
In her emotional turmoil, Jimena started bleeding again, her blood dripping to the floor. Theodore's patience snapped. Irritated, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the house.
"Dammit, don't dirty my floors."
With that, he slammed the door shut behind her.
Outside, the rain began to pour down in torrents. Jimena, defeated and broken, collapsed to the ground, her blood mixing with the rainwater, staining the earth beneath her.
She cried so hoarsely that her voice seemed to crack, her fury and resentment like flames, threatening to consume her.
Gritting her teeth, she glared with fiery eyes. "Theodore Sinclair, just wait. I won't let you off so easily!"
