Divorce you and marry him novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Nicholas’ heart jolted at her question, and he hurried to argue, “I’m not sacrificing you! I-It’s just a temporary fix! Sammy can’t take it. She really can’t. Katherine, you’re stronger than her. You’ll make it through! And afterward, I’ll make it up to you. I’ll treat you twice as well! You can have anything you want!”

Katherine looked at his desperate, anxious face and suddenly felt exhausted. It was almost laughable.

“If it’s not sacrifice, what is it then?” she asked softly, almost like she was asking herself. “Nicholas, I’ve been married to you for five years. You had Samantha in your heart, and I endured it. You neglected me and ignored me for her, and I endured it. You made me get rid of our baby

and I endured that too…”

for her, and I endured it. You abandoned me at the cliff for hoo

She raised her head and looked at him. For the first time, emotion rippled in her eyes-grief and despair so deep it couldn’t be hidden anymore. “And in the end, what did I get? Is this what you meant when you said next time, between Samantha and me, you’d choose me?”

The despair in her

eyes panicked Nicholas. He opened his mouth, but all the lines he’d prepared suddenly jammed in his throat.

Just then, heavy synchronized footsteps sounded outside the courtyard, along with the sharp noise of police vehicles.

Several men in uniform stepped inside. The leader swept the room with a cold, razor-sharp gaze and asked, “Mr. Padilla, who in this household is responsible for smashing the medal?”

Every eye turned to Nicholas.

His body stiffened, and his fists clenched so tightly the veins on the back of his hand bulged.

He looked at Katherine on the bed-pale, lifeless, eyes dead. And then, in his mind, he saw Samantha again-terrified, crying, shaking in fear,

Time seemed to freeze.

Every second stretched into an entire lifetime.

Finally, Nicholas lifted his hand, painfully slow, like it took everything in him.

He pointed at Katherine and said, “Her.”

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That one word was so light it barely seemed to matter, yet it cut like a razor, slicing through the last faint thread of hope in Katherine’s heart.

She looked at him, and suddenly she smiled.

Her smile was beautiful, but it was hollow and cold, and tears slid silently from the corners of her

eyes.

She didn’t look at him again or say anything.

When the attendant stepped forward, she lifted the blanket herself, got out of bed, and straightened her thin clothing. Then she held her back straight and walked toward those emotionless men in uniform.

As she passed Nicholas, she didn’t slow down even a little, like he was nothing but empty air.

Nicholas instinctively reached out to stop her, but his fingers only brushed the cold, soft edge of her sleeve before it slipped away.

“Katie…” His throat was dry, like sandpaper. He wanted to say something.

But she had already walked out the door and into the freezing night.

One day and one night in prison became the longest darkness she had ever lived through.

The pain dulled into numbness, and her mind was dragged back and forth between waking and blacking out.

She clenched her teeth, never begged, never cried out, only holding onto one thing with brutal clarity-the way he’d pointed at her, and that one weightless word.

The next day, she was dragged out.

Early winter wind slashed across her face like a knife. Her thin clothes were soaked through with blood and frozen stiff, hard as a shell.

Her wrists were locked in iron shackles as they hauled her from the prison and shoved her into a police vehicle.

A huge crowd gathered just to watch, pointing at her and murmuring excitedly.

“That’s Mr. Padilla’s wife?”

“She’s pretty, but how could she be that stupid?”

“She deserves it!”

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Humiliation, pain, and cold all crashed together at once.

Katherine kept her head down. Messy strands of hair hid her face.

With her eyes closed, she shut out every voice, every stare, and every sound.

Her consciousness blurred.

Finally, as the sun sank toward the horizon, she couldn’t hold on anymore. She passed out completely.

***

When she opened her eyes again, she was back in that remote, lonely attic.

Her body felt like it had been shattered and put back together, and not a single place didn’t ache.

A bodyguard she didn’t recognize stood by the bed. Seeing her awake, he bowed. “Mrs. Padilla, you’re awake. Mr. Padilla ordered me to wait here. These…”

to the

He pointed to the jewelry boxes piled on the table. “These are gifts from Mr. Padilla. He wants you to rest and recover. He also said that Ms. Lester was badly frightened, so he’s taking her to the neighboring city for a few days to calm down. When he comes back, he’ll make it up to you.

Katherine stared at the expensive jewelry, glittering with a cold shine in the dim light.

“Make it up to her?” she thought.

Her heart had been dead for a long time. No amount of “compensation” could change that. It was nothing but a few meaningless handfuls of dirt tossed onto a grave.

After the bodyguard left, Katherine forced herself through the pain and slowly lowered herself out of bed.

Brittany blocked her, eyes red and swollen. “Mrs. Padilla! What are you doing? At least wait until you’ve healed a little!”

Katherine gently pushed her hand away. Her voice was hoarse, but her calm was terrifying. “I can’t wait.”

She couldn’t wait any longer.

Today was the end of the month.

It was the day the divorce agreement officially took effect,

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Step by step, enduring stabbing pain, she slipped out through the back door and disappeared into the bleak early-winter streets.

At the courthouse, a thin sheet of paper was placed into her hands.

Katherine took it, her fingertips trembling.

Then she turned and left, flagging down a car.

The driver asked, “Where to?”

Katherine took one last look at the city that had trapped her for five years and the place that held all her love, hate, and despair.

Then she leaned her cheek against the cold window, closed her eyes, and said softly, “Nashville.”

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