Chapter 3

Aria''s POV

Just as I was about to speak, Victor straightened up and held his hand out to cut me off. "Aria, I think you need to apologize to Shane and my mother," he said flatly.

Are you kidding me? So that''s it? Just when I thought he might actually care about me for once, all he wants is for me to say sorry for something I didn''t even do.

"I told you, it wasn''t my fault. Shane grabbed me and tried to make me fall." God, this sounds so pathetic. Why would he ever believe me?

Sure enough, the second I finished talking, he waved his hand dismissively, like he was swatting away a fly.

"Can you stop acting like a child? Why are you always going after Shane? Can''t you learn something from her for once?"

And there it is. Here we go again with the Shane comparisons.

He kept talking, but my mind wandered. What have I actually gotten out of these five years of marriage?

Nothing but contempt, hands rough as sandpaper from doing all the housework, and a husband who can''t stand me. Nobody thinks I deserve to be Victor''s wife.

The whole thing is a joke, really. I''d been wrestling with whether to tell Victor about the baby—he is the father, after all. But looking at that cold expression, listening to his words, I realized none of it mattered anymore. I just wanted out.

"Victor," I cut him off, my voice steadier than I felt inside, "I want a divorce."

The moment those words left my mouth, I felt this huge weight lift off my shoulders. The look of shock on Victor''s face told me he never saw this coming. Not in a million years.

But then his expression shifted to annoyed disbelief, and he actually laughed. "Aria, quit being dramatic. Is saying sorry really that hard?"

I just stared at him, completely blown away by how dismissive he was being. He thought I was joking. He was still hung up on that stupid apology!

I took a deep breath. "I''m not kidding, Victor. I want a divorce. I want out of this marriage."

His eyes went cold, irritation replacing the shock. "Is this another one of your little episodes? It''s not cute anymore, Aria. This isn''t like you."

"Episodes?" I could hear my voice getting louder. "I don''t have episodes. I''m dead serious, Victor. I''ve been thinking about this for months. I can''t keep living like this."

There. I''d said it. Never thought I''d have the guts, but I guess I finally hit my limit.

"What exactly do you want from me? Haven''t I been good enough to you? I''m swamped every day—I don''t have time for these games," Victor snapped, his voice ice-cold.

Is he serious right now? Does he actually think he''s been good to me? I wanted to explode, to let out all the anger and hurt I''d been bottling up for years. I took a breath, ready to lay out exactly how he and his family had treated me.

But right as I opened my mouth, his phone rang. And of course, he answered it. I couldn''t make out the conversation, but I could see him getting more tense and impatient by the second.

When he hung up, he looked at me like I was some annoying kid throwing a tantrum. "Look, I''m swamped. I have to go. Just apologize to my mother and Shane, okay? We''ll forget you ever mentioned divorce."

He didn''t even wait for me to respond. Just turned around and walked out, the door slamming shut behind him. I stood there like an idiot, watching him leave. My chest felt like someone had punched a hole right through it.

I can''t believe this. Here I am, trying to have a serious conversation about our marriage, and he just brushes me off like I''m some annoying fly.

I''d been thinking about this for months, turning it over in my head, imagining every possible scenario. I''d finally worked up the courage to tell him the truth—that I wanted out.

And to him? It was just a joke. Some minor inconvenience he could wave away.

Who am I kidding? I never mattered to him. This just proves it.

I felt tears starting to form, but I refused to let them fall.

Everything from the past few years came flooding back.

Before we got married, I was crazy about him. I chased after him like I was trying to catch soap bubbles—completely mesmerized and determined to hold on, no matter how impossible it seemed. My parents knew how head-over-heels I was, which is why my dad helped fund Victor''s company in the first place.

I thought our wedding would be the start of this amazing life together. I''d always dreamed about the perfect marriage, true love, all that fairy tale stuff.

After we got married, I tried everything to get his attention. But all he did was ignore me and spend more time with Shane.

This isn''t over, I thought, blinking back tears. He might think he can just dismiss me, but I know what I want. I know what I deserve.

Does he really think I''ll just roll over like I always do? Not anymore. Me and this baby deserve better than this, and I''m getting out of this marriage no matter what it takes.