He growled, his words full of anger. "I should have seen it at the beginning. But I didn't. I was blind. Blinded by your...charms."
His words hurt me, but something inside me snapped. "How dare you?" I said. "If you didn't want me, why did you ask for my parents blessings to marry me?”
Tyler let out a dry laughter. “Blessings?" he spat, his lip twisting in disgust. "You think I was happy with this arranged marriage either? I did it for the sake of our families, for the sake of tradition. And what did I get in return? A wife who can't even keep her legs closed."
My eyes narrowed, rage scorching through my veins. "Don't attempt to twist this around, Tyler. You were the one who agreed to marry me, who made all those promises. And now you're blaming me for your own mistakes?"
"Mistakes?” Tyler asked, his brows furrowed.
"Yes, mistakes," I yelled, my voice rising with wrath. "You married me because you thought it was the right thing to do," I said. "But now it is clear. You never really loved me. So tell me, Tyler, why did you marry me? Was it only to feed your ego?”
The calm attitude he had been trying to project had fallen off Tyler's face as he twisted in anger. "You want the truth?”
“Yes!” I yelled, “Let me know what is happening, Tyler. What is 'really happening here'?”
“Fine, here's the truth, Samantha.” He began, “You were nothing more than a means to an end. I married you because I needed to secure my position, to deepen my relationships with your family. And now since your father went and abandoned you and your mother, rest her soul, I don't need you anymore.. in other words, I'm done with you.”
I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces at his words.
My chest tightened, and I struggled to breathe, the weight of his betrayal suffocating me. It felt as though the ground had vanished beneath my feet, leaving me suspended in a cold, empty void.
Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision, but I blinked them away, refusing to let him see how much he had broken me.
I gripped the back of a chair to steady myself, my knuckles white with the force of my hold. The man who stood before me, the man I had trusted and loved, had just ripped apart every illusion I had held dear.
"You... you used me," I whispered, my voice barely audible, choked with disbelief and sorrow. The words felt foreign, heavy on my tongue, as if saying them out loud would make this nightmare all the more real. "You married me for convenience, for power. All this time, I was just a pawn in your game."
Tyler's expression remained cold, unyielding. There was no remorse, no bit of regret in his eyes. It was as if he had shed any pretense of caring, revealing the true extent of his cruelty.
"Don't act so surprised," he said, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. "This was always about business, not love. You were naive to think otherwise."
My anger flared, burning through the fog of shock and grief. "Naive?" I spat, my voice shaking with fury. "I was naive to believe you had a heart. Naive to think you were capable of love.”
He scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Spare me the lecture, Samantha. You think you're the victim here? You're just upset because the truth didn't fit your perfect little fantasy. Face it, this marriage was never going to work."
A sob caught in my throat, but I swallowed it down, refusing to give him the satisfaction. "Maybe you're right," I said, my voice cracking. "Maybe this marriage was doomed from the start. But I at least tried to make it work. I gave you my heart, my trust, and you threw it all away. But now... now I'm done, too.”
Tyler's face remained deadpan, his look undisturbed by my words. But I saw the flare of something in his eyes, a glimpse of sorrow or guilt maybe.. just maybe.
For a moment, I allowed myself to think that he might break, perhaps show me some trace of compassion, of empathy.
But then, just as soon, the moment was gone, gobbled up by the searing anger between us.
I turned to go, the test result crumpled in my hand.
Just as my hand stretched for the doorknob, Tyler's voice pierced the silence.
"Oh, it's not that simple young lady." His words were like icy shards, shattering my weak heart. “Let's get a divorce."
I paused abruptly.
The word 'divorce' made me feel very cold. It sent chills down my spine and made me feel cold to the bone.
My mind whirled, the shock and pain rushing into me like waves striking a rough coastline.
I couldn't speak, couldn't move.
“Divorce?... you want a divorce?" I managed to mumble, my voice barely a whisper. The test result in my hand crumpled as I gripped it tighter without meaning to.
Tyler's face remained hard. His blue eyes were cold and showed no regret.
"Yes, Samantha." He gestured towards the desk, where a stack of papers lay waiting. "It's over. The divorce papers are right there. I want you out of my life.”
I felt a wave of nausea. I stumbled back and sought support by grabbing the desk's edge.
No. He was going to abandon me, abandon our unborn child.
I wasn't sure if to go ahead and tell him about the pregnancy or just hold back. Would I change anything?
I tried to breathe, the room swirling around me.
"Tyler..." I muttered, my voice breaking. "You..You can't do this to me," I said, my voice shaky. "We promised each other... we made vows."
Tyler's expression stiffened. "Those promises mean nothing now. Samantha, you already know the truth. I want that you to leave," Tyler said, his voice cold. "Pack your things and be gone by morning."
His words snapped me back to reality.
The tears stopped, replaced by a burning resolve. I wouldn't allow him watch me break any farther.
I wouldn't give him the satisfaction
I lifted my gaze, meeting Tyler's frigid look with a blazing attitude.
"Tomorrow morning, you say?" I spat, my voice dripping with scorn. "You think I'm going to hang around here for another minute?"
I laughed, a harsh, humorless laughter that rang off the walls, but Tyler's countenance remained frigid, undisturbed by my pain.
"I won't wait until morning," I stated, the words cutting as glass. "I'm leaving now, Tyler, and I won't be back."
Tyler's expression remained impassive, He simply nodded, as if he couldn't care less about the storm of emotions inside me.
Turning sharply, I walked towards the desk where the divorce papers lay waiting.
My fingers trembled slightly as I picked up the pen, but I steadied myself, refusing to show any weakness. With a firm hand, I scrawled my signature on each page.
"There," I said, my voice steely. "It's done. You got what you wanted.”
Without waiting for a response, I opened the door and walked out, feeling the tears finally spill over.