Final Approach to Freedom

Chapter 9

The moment he pushed the door open, the house was engulfed in suffocating silence.

Alexander Hartley stood in the foyer, his fingers fumbling along the wall for the light switch. With a sharp click, blinding white light flooded the living room.

The document on the coffee table stood out like a jagged wound.

His breath hitched. What was that? Why did it feel like a harbinger of disaster?

"Probably just a student's assignment..." he muttered, though the words rang hollow even to himself.

His legs felt like lead as he forced himself forward. When his eyes finally focused on the bold black letters at the top of the page, his world shattered.

Divorce Agreement.

"This has to be a joke—" He snatched up the papers, flipping straight to the last page.

Evelyn Montgomery’s signature stared back at him.

Neat. Unwavering.

"How dare she?" Alexander's voice trembled. "If anyone files for divorce, it should be me!"

Yet his chest caved as if someone had carved out a piece of his heart, the pain so sharp it bent him double.

Hadn’t she loved him? Hadn’t she always stayed by his side?

So why was she the one walking away?

His grip tightened, crumpling the papers in his fist. This was what he’d wanted all along—so why couldn’t he bring himself to sign?

The pen hovered over the line, frozen.

Divorce meant Evelyn would vanish from his life. Permanently.

The realization turned his blood to ice.

Collapsing onto the couch, fragmented memories of her recent behavior flashed through his mind.

When had it started?

The day Sophia Whitaker returned? Or every time he’d abandoned Evelyn for her?

That hesitation in the restaurant—had she been trying to tell him then?

The documents hidden in her bag during his hospital stay—were these the same papers?

And that phone call—

Alexander bolted upright, his face draining of color.

She was really leaving. Not a test. Not a bluff. She’d made up her mind.

Hands shaking, he pulled out his phone. His call log was a relentless scroll of Evelyn Montgomery. But no matter how many times he dialed, the response was the same—

"The number you have reached is currently unavailable..."