He Never Loved Me Until the Day I Finally Left Him novel Chapter 133

He didn't answer right away. Instead, his large hand cupped her cheek.

For a fleeting second, Helena almost believed he actually felt sorry for her.

But as the brutal memories of his past cruelty flashed through her mind, she reminded herself not to fall for his cheap illusions.

He held her face, his callused thumb gently brushing against her wound.

His dark, penetrating eyes were fixed entirely on her.

Her heart raced with panic, but she forced herself to maintain a facade of calm silence.

"Let's compromise," he finally said, his voice slow and deliberate. "Name your terms. Tell me what I have to do to make you stay by my side and behave until this baby is born. Let's find some balance."

He was handing the reins over to her, sounding genuinely sincere.

But it didn't put her at ease; if anything, it terrified her.

Once bitten, twice shy.

She couldn't read his true intentions in those bottomless eyes of his.

Steadying her nerves, she reached up and pulled his hand away from her face.

A slight sting radiated from her cut, a sharp reminder not to step into his trap.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke with chilling clarity. "I want a divorce."

"Done. Once you have the baby, I'll let you go." He agreed with surprising ease.

He paused for a beat before adding, "But until then, I don't want any more drama."

He seemed completely sincere; she couldn't find a single trace of deceit in his gaze.

She chose to believe him.

Mostly because she knew she had no other choice.

"If you want me to carry this baby to term without any issues, you stay away from Janetta. And I need to be able to reach you whenever I want. I despise her, and I won't let her provoke me anymore." She laid her boundaries out crystal clear.

...

"Of course, once we're divorced, you can do whatever the hell you want. I won't care."

...

"Also, we're going public with our marriage. I'm sick of the whispers. We have to live together for the next half-year. If I step outside and have the press pointing fingers at me like I'm the other woman, the stress might just be too much for me."

She didn't back down, pushing through until she had laid all her cards on the table.

Her terms were bordering on extortion, and she highly doubted he'd agree.

But for Helena, this was the first time in their seven-year marriage that she had stood her ground like this.

In the wreckage of their relationship, she was finally done backing down.