Chapter 12

Katherine’s hand hovered over the paper, the pen trembling between her fingers.

She stared down at the divorce papers, the final, sharp end to everything they had once built.

Her breath came shaky.

Her chest tightened.

And then…

Her hand froze.

Slowly, she pulled the pen back and let it fall onto the table with a soft clink.

Kingsley’s head shot up from where he sat, his eyes narrowing. “Katherine?”

She pressed her hands hard against her face, letting out a broken, shaky breath.

“I… I can’t,” she whispered.

“What do you mean you can’t?” Kingsley’s voice tightened. “You promised, Katherine. You said if I told you everything, if I answered your questions, you’d sign.”

Katherine let her hands drop, her tear-streaked face lifting to meet his. Her eyes were raw, pained, full of a storm he hadn’t expected.

“Yeah,” she said softly, her voice cracking. “And you promised me forever.”

Kingsley flinched, just slightly.

“You promised me,” Katherine went on, her voice trembling, “that you’d be with me. That we were building something real. That you loved me. That I was the only one.” She laughed bitterly, wiping at her cheeks. “And now you’re standing here handing me papers like I’m nothing. Like all of that, all those promises don’t count anymore.”

Kingsley stood abruptly, tension rippling through his frame. “Katherine, don’t do this. Please. Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

“I am making it harder?” she shot back, rising to her feet. “Kingsley, I gave you everything. I sacrificed so much, I stood by you, I loved you, I believed in us, even when you pulled away, even when you were cold. And now you want me to just… sign it away? Without even a second thought?”

Her voice broke. She pressed her palm to her chest, as if trying to steady the wild beat of her heart.

“I need time,” she said hoarsely. “If I’m going to sign this, if I’m going to end everything we’ve been… I need time to think. To breathe. To understand what I’m about to lose.”

Kingsley raked a hand through his hair, his jaw tightening. “Katherine…”

She held up a hand, stopping him.

“No, Kingsley. You don’t get to rush me through this. You don’t get to decide how fast I break.”

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Finally, Katherine stepped back, shaking her head slowly. “Please. Just give me space.”

Kingsley’s lips parted as if to protest but then he stopped. His shoulders sagged slightly, and he gave a faint, reluctant nod.

Without another word, Katherine turned away, walking toward the window, wrapping her arms around herself.

She needed time.

She needed air.

She needed to figure out how to let go of a love she had never imagined losing.

The room felt suffocating.

Kingsley paced back and forth, hands clenched into fists at his sides. He ran them through his hair, tugging at the roots in frustration.

Why was Katherine making this so hard?

Why couldn’t she just sign the damn papers?

He had been clear.

He had explained everything.

He had given her the truth she asked for.

Why couldn’t she just let him go?

The bedroom door slammed shut behind him as he stormed down the hallway, his footsteps sharp and angry against the marble floors.

Katherine could have her time. Fine.

But he had his own life to get back to the life he wanted, the one waiting for him.

He needed air.

He needed his family.

He pulled out his phone, fingers flying over the screen. Within minutes, a black car pulled up outside the mansion gates. Without a word, Kingsley slipped into the back seat, his jaw set, his eyes burning.

The driver knew where to take him, home.

When Kingsley stepped inside his parents’ grand estate, the air smelled faintly of fresh lilies and expensive perfume.

His mother, poised and elegant as ever, stood near the sitting room, draped in a silk robe, a glass of wine in her hand. She turned when she saw him.

“Kingsley,” she greeted smoothly. “I wasn’t expecting you tonight.”

He exhaled sharply, his hands raking through his hair again. “She’s refusing to sign, Mom.”

His mother’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, refusing?”

“She said she needs time. She’s dragging it out. She’s making this difficult on purpose.” His voice rose, anger bleeding through. “Why can’t she just let me go?”

His mother set her wine glass down with a soft clink. “Why is she standing in the way of this?” she asked coolly. “She knows how important this is for all of us.”

Kingsley shook his head, pacing. “She’s selfish, Mom. She doesn’t even care about what I need. About what’s best for me. She just wants to cling to the past, to some fantasy that’s already dead.”

His mother approached, resting a delicate hand on his arm.

“Darling,” she murmured, her voice low and sharp, “you cannot let her ruin this. You cannot let her stand between you and Beth, between us and Beth family.” Her eyes hardened. “This marriage will elevate everything. Our business, our social standing, our future. You know this.”

Kingsley clenched his jaw, his shoulders tense.

“I know,” he muttered.

Anna turned fully toward him.

Her eyes were sharp, cold, and calculating, fixed on her son’s frustrated face.

“Kingsley,” she said slowly, her voice smooth but edged with steel, “this is exactly why I never wanted you to marry that girl.”

Kingsley exhaled sharply, raking his fingers through his hair. “Mom…”

“No, listen to me.” She stepped closer, her heels clicking faintly on the polished floor. “I warned you. From the beginning, I told you, that girl comes from nothing. Nothing. And people like that… they don’t let go when they see money.”

Kingsley clenched his jaw, shaking his head. “I promised to take care of her, Mom. I told her I’d make sure she was set for life, I even offered her money to…”

“Of course you did,” his mother cut in sharply. “And do you really think that’s enough for her?” She gave a bitter little laugh, folding her arms. “Why would she settle for some payoff when she can keep the whole package? Hmm? When she can stay as Mrs. Kingsley, billionaire wife, with all the perks, all the power, all the spotlight?”

Her lips curled into a tight, cold smile.

“She’s greedy, Kingsley. She’s clinging because she doesn’t love you, she loves the life you’ve given her. That’s what women like her do.”

Kingsley’s face hardened, his fists clenching at his sides.

“I just…” He let out a shaky breath. “I just need her to sign the papers, Mom. I need her to let go.”

His mother reached out, placing her hands on his shoulders gently but her grip was firm, almost possessive.

“That’s why, my darling,” she murmured, “you should have listened to me from the start. I never wanted you to get tangled up with her. I tolerated it because you were young and stubborn and heartbroken, but I always knew it would end like this.”

Her nails pressed faintly into his sleeves.

“And thank God,” she continued smoothly, “that you two were careful. That you kept the marriage hidden. Imagine if the press knew, if the Beth family knew… what a scandal it would be now, with her refusing to let go. It would be a disaster.”

Kingsley’s eyes flickered down. “I know…”

“But don’t worry,” she whispered, her voice low and soothing, though her words were sharp as knives. “I’ll think of something. I’ll go talk to her myself. I’ll make sure she understands that she has to sign those papers. That she has no choice.”

Kingsley looked up slowly, his eyes shadowed.

“You think you can convince her?” he asked quietly.

His mother’s smile widened, predatory and cool.

“Oh, darling,” she murmured, brushing a hand down his arm, “you leave that to me.”

kingsley thought of Katherine sitting alone in that cold room, holding back her tears, clutching onto a love that was already slipping through her fingers.

For a flicker of a second, guilt tried to surface. But he shoved it down. Hard.

He had made his choice.

There was no turning back.