Divorce with Him Chapter 2

"Please, Lily. Just sign," he begged, clutching at my legs, refusing to let me leave.

His mother was beside herself, on the verge of fainting as she shrieked at him to get up.

In all our years together, through all our fights, no matter how vicious, he had never knelt before. They say a man’s pride is in his knees, and here Collin was, sacrificing his for a child who wasn't even ours.

Collin, do you really want her that badly?

I glanced over at the girl, now hiding in Pathy’s arms.

So beautiful. So adorable.

So much like her.

A dark, humorless laugh bubbled up inside me. I bent down and, one by one, pried his fingers from my leg. "Don't make a scene."

My coldness finally broke him. His eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face.

I looked around the room.

The well-behaved child. The furious mother-in-law. The silent onlookers.

And my kneeling husband.

Somehow, I had become the villain in this story. The monster who would destroy a three-year marriage over a pea-sized birthmark.

"My answer is the same," I said, my voice steady. "Divorce."

Then, without a backward glance, I walked out.

I went home alone and called my lawyer to draft the papers. It was late when the rest of the family finally returned, their arms laden with shopping bags filled with gifts, their voices echoing with laughter.

Rosie was in the center of it all, the star of the show, being ushered in like a princess.

The moment Collin walked in and saw me sitting in the living room, the smile vanished from his face.

"Honey," he started, treading carefully. "The director said Rosie could stay with us for a few days. I know you don't like her, so don't worry, I'll take her back soon."

I avoided his gaze. "No need. Let her stay."

His face lit up. "Really? You've changed your mind?"

I slapped the divorce papers down on the coffee table with a resounding thud. "Sign them."

He shook his head, his expression crumpling into one of pure desperation. "Lily, I'm sorry. If you don't want to adopt, we won't. Please, just don't divorce me. I can't live without you. Why, Lily? Why are you doing this?"

His mother pulled him back. "Are you cheating on him? Is this your scheme to leave my son with no heir?" she shrieked. "Since you married into this family, have I ever mistreated you? When you couldn't get pregnant, I never said a word, afraid I'd upset you. I'm an old woman now! All I want is a grandchild to hold, someone to call me Grandma. Is that so wrong?"

She grew more and more agitated, tears streaming down her face as she accused me.

Just then, Pathy, holding Rosie, walked over and suddenly knelt before me.

"Lily, I know we were lucky when you married into our family," she said, her voice trembling pitifully. "You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, a true princess, and we're just an ordinary family. You've never known what it's like to be homeless, but I have. I know what it feels like to not have a family. It's so painful, I even thought about killing myself."

She continued, her performance worthy of an Oscar. "I just can't bear to see her go through the same thing. I know you look down on unwanted children like us. And I know you've told my brother many times that you don't like me. If you'll just take her in, I'll leave this house right now and never come back."

Her words were so pathetic, so heart-wrenching.

I snapped. I swung my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

"Don't you know exactly why I don't want this child?" I seethed.

Collin shot to his feet. Before I could process it, the back of his hand cracked across my face. The force sent me tumbling off the sofa, my head smacking against the sharp corner of the coffee table. The world spun, a dizzying blur, and then I felt something warm and wet trickle past my eye.

"Lily, I'm so sorry," he stammered, staring at his own hand in horror. "I didn't... I didn't mean to."

He rushed to my side, trying to press his hand against the wound.

I shoved him away, grabbed my purse, and headed for the door.

My father-in-law's voice boomed behind me. "You walk out that door, you're never welcome back in this house! You'll leave this marriage with nothing!"