Petty

Declan's gaze turned as cold as shattered ice. A sharp, cutting glint flared in his dark eyes, piercing through the tense atmosphere of the hospital room. "Serena, don't regret divorcing me," he warned, his voice a deep, frigid rumble that reverberated against the sterile walls.

Her eyelashes trembled, just once, but she locked her jaw to keep her chin high. "Go ahead," she urged, her tone unwavering. "Sign it."

A bitter scoff echoed in her mind. *Regret?* What was there left to regret? Was she supposed to spend the rest of her life waiting up every single night, staring at the front door, wondering when her husband would return from the arms of another woman and her child? She had never been the forgiving type. Push her too far, and she could be petty and ruthless. She had swallowed her pride and endured this miserable arrangement for two agonizing years, all because she loved him. She had laid her devotion at his feet, time and time again, trying to prove she was enough.

Instead, Declan had stepped all over her devotion, discarding it like common trash. She was done. She refused to waste another ounce of her heart on a man who couldn't offer her basic loyalty.

She watched his hand. His long, sharp fingers gripped the pen, his knuckles turning white under the strain. He pressed the tip to the paper and scribbled his signature in swift, angry strokes.

The moment the ink settled, Serena stepped forward. She yanked the divorce agreement right out of his grasp, holding the crisp pages like a shield.

"See you at the courthouse tomorrow," she said, her voice stripped of all warmth. "Don't be late."

Without offering him a second glance, she spun on her heel and walked out the door, leaving the suffocating ward behind.

Back in the stifling quiet of the room, Leo continued to sniffle. His round eyes shone wet with tears, his small shoulders shaking under the thin blanket. Declan looked down at the shivering boy, his rough, angry demeanor softening into something protective.

"Shh, Leo. Be brave," Declan coaxed, rubbing his large hand over the boy's back. "You can be brave enough to beat the bad wolf."

Leo swallowed his sobs. Tears pooled on his lower lashes, but he nodded shakily. "I wanna be a real man. I'll beat the bad wolf."

"That's my boy," Declan murmured. A faint smile curled the corners of his lips, but the expression died before it reached his eyes. His gaze remained hollow, staring at the empty doorway Serena had just walked through.

Lyla hovered nearby, her face twisted in a picture-perfect display of guilt. She wrung her hands together, biting her lip. "This is all my fault. I panicked when Leo got sick, and now Serena is leaving you. Declan, you should go after her. I'll stay here and take care of Leo."

"No," Declan replied, his voice dropping to a heavy baritone. He shook his head, pushing the thought away. "She's being childish. Throwing a fit over nothing. She never knows when to quit. Maybe this will finally teach her a lesson."

Lyla stepped closer, her brow furrowed in deep concern. "But she seemed so serious about divorcing you."

"She won't do it," Declan declared. He sounded confident, waving off the very idea as if it were a bad joke. "Lyla, go home. I'll stay here with Leo tonight."

Lyla shook her head, tears brimming in her own eyes. "No way. I'm Leo's mom. I can't just walk out on him."

Declan didn't push the matter. He lowered his gaze to the hospital bed, his posture stiff. Despite his outward confidence, a sudden gnawing unease began to twist in his gut. Serena had thrown tantrums over Leo before. She had gotten upset, raised her voice, and given him the cold shoulder. But he had always managed to smooth things over with a few gentle words and a bit of patience. Not once had she ever brought up the word divorce.

Until tonight.

He frowned, his mind racing. *Is she escalating things? What does she actually want this time?*

Miles away, Serena stepped into the quiet, dark hallway of their marital home. Her fingers traced the rigid edges of the signed documents in her hands. A profound, empowering liberation washed over her. The crushing weight that had pressed down on her chest for two long years finally lifted.

She headed straight for the kitchen, her footsteps echoing in the empty house. She pulled a bottle of red wine from the rack, popped the cork, and poured a heavy glass. Then another. She drank until the bottle sat empty on the cool marble counter. The alcohol numbed the lingering sting in her chest, allowing her to drag herself to bed and fall into a deep, heavy sleep.

Morning sunlight pierced through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. Serena stirred, her senses coming back online. A heavy, muscular arm was locked tight around her waist. The familiar, clean, masculine scent of cedar and mint filled her nose. A broad, warm chest pressed flush against her back, trapping her in the center of the mattress.

Serena went rigid. A jarring sense of violation spiked through her veins, chasing away the remnants of sleep.

She turned her head and saw Declan lying beside her. His eyes were closed, his breathing even and relaxed. She had no idea when he had come home. He held her close, their bodies tangled under the sheets as if nothing had changed. As if he hadn't just signed their marriage away hours prior.

She bit the inside of her cheek, staring at his sleeping face. He looked as handsome as the day she met him. The memories crashed over her like a tidal wave. She remembered pulling him from the rubble after the earthquake, the dirt and blood streaked across his skin. She remembered crossing paths with him again at university. He had looked her in the eye and confessed he wanted to be with her forever.

She had laughed at him. *Who talks about forever when you've only just started dating?* she had teased back then.

But she had fallen for him anyway. They dated through college, graduated side by side, and exchanged rings. She had believed their forever was real.

A deep, melancholic nostalgia squeezed her throat, followed instantly by renewed heartbreak. That forever didn't belong to her anymore. His heart had been hollowed out and refilled by Lyla and Leo. Declan expected to just sweep last night under the rug, to wake up and pretend her breaking point was just another tantrum.

But she would never share her husband with anyone else. Since he loved someone else more, she would set him free.