Chapter 13

It was late afternoon when the sleek black car pulled up outside the quiet house.

Katherine stood at the window, her heart clenching the moment she saw who stepped out.

Kingsley’s mother.

Tall, graceful, dressed in an elegant cream coat, sunglasses shielding her sharp eyes. Two assistants followed behind, one carrying a delicate handbag, the other holding a tablet.

Katherine’s pulse spiked. She hadn’t expected this, not today, not like this.

She hurried to smooth her hair, pressing her hands to her chest to steady her racing heart as the doorbell rang.

Moments later, she opened the door.

“Mrs. Rowe,” Katherine whispered softly.

Kingsley’s mother removed her sunglasses slowly, her perfectly arched brows lifting slightly.

“Katherine.” Her voice was smooth, polite but cool. “May I come in?”

Katherine stepped aside, her throat dry. “Yes, of course.”

Inside, the atmosphere was stiff, uncomfortable.

Kingsley’s mother moved gracefully through the living room, her eyes sweeping over everything ,the modest furniture, the little signs of a once-happy home now filled with tension.

She turned, smiling faintly. “You’ve kept the place tidy.”

Katherine nodded nervously, folding her arms across her stomach. “Thank you.”

There was a long, careful pause.

Then, Kingsley’s mother stepped closer.

“Katherine,” she said gently, “I’m here because I want to talk to you woman to woman.”

Katherine’s heart clenched tighter. She opened her mouth, but no words came.

“You see,” Mrs. Rowe continued, her voice soft, almost sympathetic, “I know this hasn’t been easy for you. I know you must feel hurt, confused… even angry.”

She gave a delicate sigh, shaking her head slightly.

“But you also know,” she went on, her eyes locking onto Katherine’s, “that this… this marriage was never meant to last. You knew it from the start, didn’t you?”

Katherine’s throat tightened.

“I loved him,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I still love him.”

Mrs. Rowe smiled thinly, like a cat smiling at a trembling mouse.

“Oh, sweet girl,” she murmured, “I’m sure you think you do. But love… love isn’t holding someone back when they’ve already moved on. Love isn’t clinging to something that was never meant to last.”

Katherine swallowed hard, her eyes glistening.

“I gave everything to him,” she whispered. “I stood by him when no one else did. I helped him when he was…”

“Yes, yes,” Mrs. Rowe interrupted softly, lifting a hand, “and you’ll be compensated for that. Generously, I assure you. You’ll never have to worry about money again. We’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”

She stepped even closer now, lowering her voice.

“But Katherine,” she said gently, “you need to understand something. This world, our world, it was never yours to claim. Kingsley’s future, his family, his business alliances, his rightful place among the elite, they were never meant to be tangled up in… this.”

Tears pricked at the corners of Katherine’s eyes.

“I’m his wife,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “I’m his wife…”

Mrs. Rowe's eyes softened just slightly, but her mouth stayed firm.

“For now,” she said softly. “But only on paper. And we both know… that paper needs to be signed.”

Katherine’s breath hitched, her hands trembling at her sides.

The older woman reached out, gently brushing a tear from Katherine’s cheek, a gesture that felt more cold than kind.

“I don’t want this to be a fight,” she murmured. “But trust me, Katherine, you don’t want that either.”

She straightened smoothly, slipping her sunglasses back on.

“Think carefully, dear,” she added softly, turning toward the door. “Because soon… you’ll need to decide.”

With that, she glided out, leaving Katherine standing alone in the quiet house, her heart pounding in her chest, her world tilting around her.

Katherine sat on the floor, her back against the wall, fists pressed to her eyes as sobs wracked her body.

She had tried to hold it in, tried to be strong after Kingsley’s mother left, but the moment the door shut, the dam inside her burst.

All the words… “You were never meant for him,” “This world isn’t yours,” “You’re just clinging to the money” echoed in her head, slicing through her heart like glass.

Why did it hurt so much?

Why did it feel like she was drowning in a pain only she could feel?

She hugged her knees tighter, burying her face, tears soaking her skin.

She didn’t even hear the door open.

“Katherine?”

The voice snapped her up.

Kingsley stood at the doorway, his coat still on, his face shadowed.

His eyes flicked quickly around the room — and then froze on her.

She saw his shoulders tense.

She saw something flicker in his eyes.

Something soft.

For a moment, it was like the old Kingsley was back, the man who used to hold her when she cried, who used to call her “my girl,” who used to wipe away her tears before they even fell.

But the moment passed too quickly.

He took a breath, straightened, and stepped in.

“Katherine… why are you crying?” he asked, his voice lower now, guarded.

She looked up, wiping her eyes with shaking fingers.

“Your mother,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “She was here.”

His brow twitched. “What?”

“She came here,” Katherine repeated, her lips trembling. “She asked me to sign the divorce papers. She said things, Kingsley… things that…”

But before she could finish, he cut in sharply.

“So… did you sign them?”

Katherine’s breath hitched.

She stared at him, her eyes wide, her chest rising and falling.

“What?” she whispered.

“Did you sign the papers?” Kingsley repeated, his jaw tight, his arms crossing over his chest.

Katherine slowly rose to her feet, her body shaking.

“I can’t believe you,” she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. “You see me crying, breaking apart here… and all you can think about is if I signed the divorce papers?”

Kingsley frowned. “Katherine, this is what I want. If you had signed, my mother wouldn’t have come here and said those things to you.”

She let out a shaky breath, her hands clenching.

“I’ve always known you to be a girl who doesn’t beg for love,” Kingsley added, his voice harder now. “But look at you, you’re acting desperate. Holding on, clinging. It’s making me wonder if you ever really loved me at all. Maybe you married me for the money.”

Katherine’s face crumpled in shock.

Her mouth fell open, but no words came.

“You’re holding on,” Kingsley continued, “because you don’t want to lose the life. The status. The money. Admit it, Katherine you want to stay the billionaire’s wife. You don’t want to walk away because you don’t want to settle for less.”

Tears streamed down Katherine’s face now, her chest heaving with hurt.

“We’ve been together for years,” she whispered. “I stood by you when you had nothing. I did everything your family asked, everything you asked. How can you stand there and tell me that I married you for money?”

Kingsley’s jaw clenched, but he stayed silent.

“You came to me with divorce papers out of nowhere,” Katherine cried. “You don’t even want to talk about it. You just push and push and pressure me. My head is full of your voice, your mother’s voice, everyone just telling me to sign, to let go, to disappear. Just let me breathe!”

She choked on a sob and turned sharply, starting to walk away.

But Kingsley’s voice shot after her, sharp and loud:

“You’re just a gold digger, Katherine!”

She stopped in her tracks, her whole body trembling.

“You don’t care about me,” Kingsley spat. “You’re just looking for whatever scraps you can get. That’s why you’re holding on so tightly.”

Katherine slowly turned back, her eyes shining with heartbreak.

For a long moment, she just looked at him — the man she had loved, the man she had stood beside through storms.

And then, without a word, she walked to the table, picked up the divorce papers, picked up the pen.

Her hand shook as she signed her name.

Tears dripped onto the paper, smudging the ink slightly.

She took the signed papers, walked over, and handed them to Kingsley with shaking fingers.

“Here,” she whispered, her voice broken. “I hope you’re happy now.”

And without waiting for his reply, she turned and walked away, her heart breaking, her world shattering, leaving Kingsley standing alone in the quiet room, the papers cold and heavy in his hands.