Chapter: 7

The air in the room was thick with tension.

Alan's voice cut through the silence like ice. “Kaitlin, how could you even suggest divorce as a joke?"

Kaitlin held his gaze with a newfound resolve, and the timid, accommodating woman she had been was nowhere in sight. “Alan, this is no joke. We agreed to a three-year term of marriage. Once that's up, I'll have the divorce papers ready. I want nothing from you-not a single penny. From then on, we go our separate ways."

A deep flush of anger spread across Alan's face, his eyes burning with fury.

"Kaitlin, how dare you!"

His grip tightened around her waist, and with a forceful shove, he pinned her to the bed. His voice was a threatening whisper. “How dare you even mention divorce! Do you think you can manage on your own out there?"

Kaitlin's response was calm and collected. "I'm perfectly healthy and of sound mind. Why wouldn't I make it on my own?"

Alan clenched his teeth, his cold stare fixed on her.

Kaitlin was unfazed, her lips curling into a scornful smile. "Oh, you don't want to split? I'm merely a stand-in. Surely you haven't developed feelings for me. You profess your love for Ashley, yet here you are, using others in her place. Isn't that absurd?"

Alan's hand trembled with rage, the veins popping. “Don't kid yourself!"

“Fine," Kaitlin responded, her smile strained but determined as she fought through her inner turmoil. “I'll contact you about the divorce. And should anything happen to me out there, don't concern yourself."

Alan stood there, chest heaving in rage, his broad shoulders trembling as a dazed expression clouded his face.

Kaitlin's sudden fierceness along with her steely resolve reminded him of someone he once knew.

Ashley had that same sharp, unyielding spirit.

But now, it was Kaitlin who was walking away from him.

How could she even think of such a thing?

“Fine, I'll be waiting," he spat out bitterly.

With a forceful turn, he stormed out, the door slamming shut behind him with a resounding thud.

How could Kaitlin, seemingly a mere amnesiac orphan, manage without him?

He scoffed at the thought, curious to see how long she could endure on her own.

The room fell silent again, leaving Kaitlin alone with her thoughts.

She listened to the fading sound of Alan's footsteps, tears beginning to stream down her face, scorching her skin like fire.

This was the end.

The absurd obsession and playing the part of someone else for three years were over at last.