Page 114 of Something Forever

She shakes her head, gesturing towards the papers again. I glance down and when I see the words shining up at me, I rub my forehead, my anger and confusion growing.

“What is this? I told you already that I don’t want you sticking your nose into my relationship.”

“They’re not from me,” she says with a frown. “They’re from him.” Reaching across the counter, she flips to the last page, where my eyes are drawn to the bottom.

To the two dotted lines, side-by-side.

To Liam’s signature staring up at me.

Blinking, I swallow the lump growing in my throat, only to glance to my right and see a bronze ring next to the stack of papers.

Liam’s ring. The ring I gave him.

No.

No, no, no, no.

“What?” I croak out. “When?”

“Just now.”

“You talked to him?” I manage. “What did he say?”

She purses her lips. “Just that this was for the best, and that he was sorry. He thought it was better this way, easier to make it a clean break.”

A clean break? Is that what this sharp pain inside me is?

He’s gone.

Is it because I didn’t say it back? My hands shake, tremors working their way up my arms and rocking through my whole body. I manage to blink back tears, pressing my hand to my chest in an effort to stay calm. To think this through.

He left you.

No, that can’t be right. Because he said he loved me. Loves me. He wouldn’t… he wouldn’t just leave. Not without talking to me. Not without fighting for me. For us.

But he did. He left.

I shake my head, not believing her. “He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t.”

Hands shaking, I grab my phone and find his contact frantically, anxiety churning in my gut. If I can just hear his voice, if I can just talk to him, everything will be okay.

I press call.

It rings.

And rings and rings and rings.

I try again, but this time it rings only once before I get sent to voicemail. I stare down at my phone in disbelief. The tears that I’ve been holding back suddenly break through, rolling down my face in steady, painful streams. I stare down at my phone, shaking my head, still not quite comprehending this new reality. That my husband has left. That my husband has signed divorce papers.

He doesn’t want you.

I stumble towards the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before I drop to my knees and hurl up the contents of my stomach. I press my forehead to the cool ceramic of the toilet bowl, tears streaming down my face.

He left you. He told you he loved you, and then he left. Just like you knew he would.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Vaguely, I register the feeling of Caroline’s hands rubbing soft circles on my back. The gesture should be comforting, but all I can think about is Liam’s hands, holding me, keeping me safe, protecting me.

“It’s all for the best. You’ll see,” my mom says in a low voice.

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