Chapter 108. Divorce

***108\. Divorce***

**Third Person's POV**

Sabrina froze, her breath catching in her throat as Travis's words sank in. She blinked rapidly, convinced she had misheard him.

“Nio, tell me you’re joking,” she demanded, her voice trembling.

“I wish I were,” Travis replied, his tone steady but weighted with seriousness. “But I’m not. Sab, I was a mafia leader.”

Sabrina’s heart raced. Her eyes darted to his, searching for any hint of insincerity, any sign that he might be playing a cruel joke. “‘I was?’” she pressed. “Does that mean you’re still… involved?”

“No,” Travis said firmly. “I meant that I was a mafia leader. I left that life behind, but not many people know the truth.”

Relief washed over Sabrina, though it was short-lived. Her mind churned with questions. She crossed her arms, her expression wary. “Explain. I need to know everything.”

Travis hesitated, his gaze softening. “Please don’t judge me for my past,” he said quietly. “I’m not proud of it, but I need you to understand.”

“Nio,” Sabrina said gently, placing a hand on his arm. “I promised you I’d listen to everything before jumping to conclusions. I’ll keep that promise.”

Travis exhaled, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he nodded. “Alright,” he said, his voice heavy with resignation. “Here it is.”

He took a deep breath and began. “Remember when I told you about my mom getting sick?” he asked.

Sabrina nodded. “I do.”

“Well, when that happened, I was desperate. I needed money fast—more than I could ever make working at the bar. I even asked my boss for a loan, but it wasn’t enough. I was running out of options, and that’s when Brandon showed up.”

“Brandon?” Sabrina tilted her head, confusion flickering across her face.

Travis grimaced. “He was… let’s just say he was a guy with connections. He offered me a lot of money—more than I’d ever seen in my life. But there was a catch. I’d have to get involved with his ‘business.’”

Sabrina swallowed hard, sensing where this was going. “And you said yes?”

“I didn’t have a choice,” Travis admitted, his voice cracking. “My mom’s life was on the line. I thought about it, wrestled with it, but in the end… I took the money.”

Sabrina remained silent, her heart aching for the younger version of Travis, cornered by circumstances he couldn’t control.

“Brandon used that moment of desperation to pull me into his world,” Travis continued, his jaw tightening. “At first, it was small things—running errands, handling cash. But it escalated quickly. I found myself caught up in drug deals and other criminal activities. I drew the line at certain things, though—things I couldn’t stomach, like human trafficking or outright murder. But I wasn’t innocent. I hurt people, Sab. I even shot some, though I never killed anyone.”

Sabrina’s breath hitched. “You shot people?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Travis nodded, shame clouding his features. “I didn’t want to, but in that world, it’s kill or be killed. I did what I had to do to survive.”

Sabrina’s hands clenched into fists, but she stayed quiet, letting him continue.

“By the time I had the money for her surgery, it was too late,” Travis said, his voice breaking. “Mom died right after the operation. I lost her despite everything I’d done to save her.”

Tears welled in Sabrina’s eyes as she instinctively reached for him, wrapping her arms around his trembling frame. “I’m so sorry, Nio,” she whispered, her voice full of compassion.

Travis leaned into her embrace for a moment before pulling back to meet her gaze. “After she died, I had nothing left. No reason to go back to school, no reason to face Den or anyone else. All I had was rage, and I let it consume me. That’s when I became… him. The man they call King. The one people feared.”

Sabrina froze, her breath hitching as she processed Travis’s confession. She instinctively pulled back, her eyes locking onto his with a mixture of disbelief and caution.

“Then?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, urging him to continue.

Travis ran a hand through his hair, his face a mask of vulnerability. “I wouldn’t hesitate to punish someone—but only if they deserved it. I was ruthless, yes, but I always drew the line at doing harm to the innocent,” he explained, his voice firm, as though defending himself before a judge.

Sabrina’s shoulders relaxed slightly, her brows furrowing. “Oh… okay,” she murmured, nodding hesitantly, though her mind churned with unanswered questions.

He exhaled, leaning back as if the memories weighed heavily on him. “As I got better at business, people started respecting me—or maybe just fearing me—and I climbed the ranks quickly. Eventually, they declared me the leader. Power and ruthlessness became second nature. To cope, I forced myself to bury my emotions, to forget Den…” He hesitated, his voice cracking. “I was succeeding, Sabrina. But then, one night, I dreamed of my mother. She… she told me how disappointed she was in me, how far I’d strayed from the man she wanted me to be. She said all she ever wanted was for me to find success—not like this.”

His voice trembled, and Sabrina’s heart ached at the raw pain in his eyes. She reached out, placing a comforting hand on his arm.

“I woke up that morning with her words ringing in my ears,” he continued, his gaze distant, lost in the storm of his past. “I decided to change. I went back to college, determined to rebuild my life. That’s when I saw Den again. At first, I avoided her. I couldn’t face her, not after everything I’d become. But eventually, she confronted me, told me she loved me…” He paused, a sad smile touching his lips. “I told her the truth, about my involvement in the mafia. She needed time, but she didn’t walk away completely. She couldn’t. And honestly, I couldn’t let her go either. So, I promised her I’d quit. For her, for myself.”

Sabrina’s eyes softened as she listened, her initial apprehension giving way to a quiet understanding.

“I decided to resign as leader,” Travis explained. “I went to Brandon, told him everything. Thankfully, he didn’t resist. In fact, he encouraged me to start a legitimate business. He even offered to help—on the condition that I pay him back over time. I thought, if this was my way out, why not take it? So, I did. I invested in stocks, built the company from scratch, and married Den.”

He paused, his jaw tightening. “But, as you’ve probably guessed, the past doesn’t let go so easily.”

Sabrina frowned. “What happened?” she asked softly.

Travis sighed, his hands clenching into fists. “I got dragged back once. Stav needed my help—he used to be a detective working undercover in the mafia, and I owed him for all the times he had my back. While helping him, I crossed paths with Rick Oreans. He was Brandon’s protégé, but no one respected him. They didn’t see him as a true leader. Under the rules of the underworld, when a leader steps down, the successor has to be approved by the majority. Rick wasn’t. So, to prevent chaos, I named Shaun as the new King. He was my closest ally and someone everyone trusted.”

Sabrina raised an eyebrow. “And that was supposed to be the end of it?”

Travis let out a bitter laugh. “That’s what I thought. I left everything in Shaun’s hands, thinking I’d tied up all the loose ends. But Rick took my decision as a personal insult. He saw it as me undermining him, and he’s been holding a grudge ever since. He found his opportunity for revenge through Helen.”

Sabrina’s stomach twisted. “Helen?” she echoed.

He nodded, his expression darkening. “They joined forces. Rick and Helen worked together, and three years later, they killed Den. And they had a plan to come for me—and for you—after another three years.”

Sabrina’s breath hitched. “She wanted to kill me?”

Travis nodded gravely. “When I first met Helen, I thought she could help me expand my business, but I had no idea she was plotting against me from the start. She used me, Sab. And now, she’s paying for it.”

Sabrina sat in stunned silence, her mind racing. Travis’s confession painted a picture of a man trapped by his past, desperate to make amends but haunted by the ghosts he couldn’t escape.

"When I caught her cheating on me that day, oddly enough, I didn’t feel any pain,” Travis began, his voice heavy with resignation. “I never had genuine feelings for her. But when I confronted her, she already had evidence against me—evidence I’m sure John provided her with. If she’d exposed that, everything I’d built would’ve crumbled. So, I had to put on an act.”

He paused, his expression darkening. “And before you ask—John is Brandon’s nephew. Brandon was like a ‘senior boss’ in our world. Helen... she was pregnant. But John was the father.”

Sabrina’s eyebrows shot up. “What exactly do you mean by ‘was’?”

Travis exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “She aborted the child because that idiot wasn’t ready to step up as a father,” he explained, his tone laced with disdain.

Sabrina’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh no... How could she be so heartless? To kill her own unborn child before they even had a chance to live...” Her voice trailed off, thick with sorrow. She shuddered at the thought, unable to imagine such a cold act.

“I know it’s hard to comprehend,” Travis said softly, rubbing his temples. “All of this is overwhelming, but that’s the truth. Now you know everything.”

He leaned back, his posture defeated, and waited for her to process the mountain of revelations he’d just unloaded. Deep down, he feared this would be too much for her. If Sabrina chose to leave him, he wouldn’t blame her—his life was a maze of chaos, and somehow, he couldn’t help but feel responsible for Den’s fate.

“Did Den’s parents reject you because of everything that happened?” Sabrina asked, breaking the silence.

“No,” Travis replied. “Her parents were part of a rival mafia family—the same one my group was up against.”

Sabrina’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Wait... what?!”

“Yeah,” he confirmed, nodding grimly. “Den hated her family’s involvement in the mafia. She despised their way of life. That’s why she wanted me to leave, too.”

Her head spun as she tried to make sense of it all. “Oh, I see...” was all she could manage to say.

Travis studied her face, his chest tightening with each passing second.

“Sab, say something,” he urged, his voice cracking. “I know I’m a mess. I know everything that happened to Den was partly my fault. But now... now I’ll leave everything in your hands. Whatever you decide, I’ll respect it. I know I’ve failed you, and I wouldn’t blame you if you chose to walk away.”

Sabrina stayed silent, her thoughts a tangled web of emotions. Travis’s words echoed in her mind, and his vulnerability weighed heavily on her heart.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke. “Nio, if I ask you for something... will you give it to me?”

“Anything,” he replied quickly, his voice filled with hope. “Anything for you, Sabrina.”

She hesitated, fidgeting with her hands, before meeting his gaze. Her eyes were solemn, her expression unreadable.

“Nio...” she began, her voice steady but laced with pain. “I want you to divorce me and end this relationship. I need you to contact a lawyer and get the paperwork started.”

Her words hung in the air like a dagger poised over his chest.

____________________