The days stretched like broken glass — sharp, cold, cutting into me with every passing hour. Keifer hadn’t left my mind since the fever night, but my resolve was firm: I wouldn’t forgive him. Not this time.
He had crossed a line that could never be erased.
And so, when the lawyer came to the house, I wasn’t surprised. I had asked for it. My father was against the idea at first, my sister begged me to reconsider, but my decision had been made.
The lawyer, a stern middle-aged man with glasses and papers stacked neatly in his case, laid everything out on the dining table. The sound of his pen scratching across the documents felt like nails dragging down my heart.
“You’ll both need to sign,” he said matter-of-factly, pushing two forms forward. “These papers initiate the proceedings. Custody, properties, financial settlements will be discussed in court if there’s disagreement.”
Keifer was there, sitting opposite me. He looked nothing like the man who had stood tall and ruthless in front of the world. His eyes were bloodshot, his hands trembling slightly as they hovered over the paper. He hadn’t touched the pen yet.
“Jay,” he whispered, breaking the silence. His voice was raw, cracking. “Please. Don’t do this. I can’t lose you. I said horrible things that night, but I swear on everything I have — I didn’t mean them. You’re not convenience, you’re…” He broke off, lowering his gaze, his shoulders slumping. “You’re everything.”
Tears burned in my eyes, but I forced myself to look away. “If I mattered, Keifer, you wouldn’t have destroyed me with your words. You wouldn’t have reduced our marriage to a… a transaction.”
He leaned forward desperately. “I’ll do anything. Anything to make it right. Just don’t sign.”
The lawyer cleared his throat awkwardly. “If you both need time—”
“No,” I interrupted sharply. My hand gripped the pen, shaking but determined. “I want this done.”
And that’s when it happened.
A sharp wave of nausea crashed over me. My stomach twisted, my body rebelling against my own will. I pushed the papers aside and rushed to the bathroom, my sister hurrying behind me.
The sound of me retching echoed down the hall. Everyone heard it.
When I came back, pale and trembling, Keifer stood frozen, confusion and dread warring in his face. My sister’s hand was on my back, her eyes wide with the truth she’d pieced together before I had the courage to say it aloud.
“She’s pregnant,” she whispered.
The room fell into stunned silence.
My father’s brows shot up, the lawyer blinked rapidly as if he’d walked into a storm he hadn’t been paid for, and Keifer… Keifer just stared at me like the world had stopped spinning.
“Jay,” his voice cracked. “You’re—”
“Yes.” My voice trembled, but I lifted my chin. “I’m pregnant.”
The lawyer shuffled his papers nervously. “Well, in that case, the matter of custody will—”
“I don’t want custody discussions.” I cut him off, my voice hard but breaking. “I’ve already decided. I’ll raise the child alone.”
Keifer’s head snapped toward me, his entire body stiffening as if I’d stabbed him. “What? No. No, Jay. Don’t say that. That’s our child.”
“My child,” I corrected, the tears slipping free now. “I don’t need you. Not anymore.”
He pushed back his chair violently, standing, his voice rising with desperation. “You can’t do this! You can’t just erase me from his life—”
“From her life,” I snapped, hugging my stomach instinctively. “And yes, I can. Because you erased me first, Keifer. That night, with those words. You told me I was nothing more than a shield, a convenience. If you couldn’t see me as your wife, how can I trust you to be a father?”
The lawyer looked between us uncomfortably, my father rubbing his temples in silence. My sister whispered, “Ate…” but I shook my head.
Keifer’s voice cracked, softer now. “Jay, please. Don’t take this away from me. Don’t take them away from me. I’ll change. I’ll prove myself. I’ll—”
But I couldn’t listen. My tears blurred everything, my heart racing as I whispered the truth I had carved into my soul.
“I don’t want a husband who breaks me. And I don’t want my child to grow up seeing me shattered. If you love us, Keifer… let us go.”
The papers sat untouched on the table, heavy with their silence.
Keifer sank back into his chair, his face buried in his hands. And for the first time, I realized — the man who always looked ruthless, unshakable, untouchable in front of the world — was crumbling before me.
But I didn’t move.
Because I had made my choice.
---
YOU ARE READING
Bound By Shadows
FanfictionA forced marriage ties a quiet, ambitious college student to a cold, ruthless businessman who hides a dangerous secret - he's the head of a powerful mafia empire. To the world, he's untouchable and merciless; to her, he's protective, tender, and wil...
