The Weight Of Leaving by Riven Kade novel Chapter 17

Chapter 9

I leveled him with a cold stare.

“We’re already divorced. You’re just refusing to face it.”

Ethan shook his head.

“Don’t lie to me. I never signed anything–how could we possibly be divorced?”

Of course he’d forgotten.

I kept my voice steady. “Don’t you remember? Years ago, We signed that divorce agreement–just in case. A

safety net for both of us.”

The realization hit him like a jolt of electricity. His face froze, memories flashing behind his eyes. It was true.

Now, finally, he believed me.

Too rattled to argue, he reached for my hand, trying to make peace.

“There’s nothing going on between me and Zoey, I swear.”

“If it really bothers you, I’ll stay away from her from now on, okay?”

“Jane, we’ve been married for years–we’re family. You’re really going to throw all that away over something

so small?”

We’d both grown up without much of a family.

That’s why, once we built a life together, we clung to it like it was everything But now, the thing we built was falling apart–and he still thought my pain was just a minor inconvenience.

This wasn’t a sudden break. It had been years in the making. I wasn’t leaving on a whim–I’d simply reached

the limit of how much I could endure.

I’d started imagining a different life. One where I could finally breathe.

When I didn’t respond, Ethan pulled me into the bedroom. The table was covered with watches–dozens of

them.

“Everything I said before was out of anger,” he admitted.

“I know you were upset about the watch thing, so I bought all of these… I wanted to surprise you when you

came back.”

“Do you like them?”

Chapter 9

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His eyes were full of hope. I met his gaze and shook my head.

“Let’s end this with some dignity.”

I ignored his begging, packed my things, and walking out.

But Ethan didn’t give up.

He tracked me down at my new company.

On the first day, he sent flowers.

On the second, he brought breakfast.

On the third, he stood downstairs with a banner, declaring his love like it was a grand romance.

My coworkers, unaware of the backstory, swooned over my “handsome admirer.”

Only my own team watched me with furrowed brows.

“Boss, you just escaped that trap–don’t go walking back in,” one said.

“Yeah, I bet he’s only chasing you because he needs something.”

“I heard from people still at the old company. Since we left, their numbers dropped by eighty percent.”

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