Three Years Paralyzed, Watching Him Love Her

Chapter 6

As expected, Ruslan fell into silence, not a single word coming from him.

It was exactly what I'd anticipated.

Maybe he could walk away from Thea, but the child she was carrying? Ruslan would never be able to let go of that.

That's why I'd said those words in the first place, to test him. I knew he couldn't follow through. That's why I spoke so confidently.

When the silence dragged on, I lost interest in the conversation completely.

"If you can't do it, just hang up and stop wasting my time," I snapped.

Before he could protest, I ended the call with a firm press of the button.

But, of course, Ruslan wasn't one to back down. His messages started flooding my phone almost instantly.

"But we're still legally married! You can't just leave me!"

His words hit me like a punch. I had completely forgotten about the marriage certificate in my rush to escape.

Without a second thought, I shot back a reply.

"I'll send you the divorce papers. Just sign them and send them back."

That was the last I said. Without waiting for a response, I blocked his number and muted his messages, cutting off all contact without hesitation.

Once the call ended, I didn't waste a minute. I reached out to a top divorce lawyer back home, instructing them to prepare the papers. Once they were ready, I sent them straight to Ruslan.

With everything finally behind me, I embraced a new ###Chapter in my life. I joined a prestigious international fashion company.

Fyang, the HR representative who'd reached out to me earlier, was practically glowing when I arrived. She wrapped me in a tight hug.

"I can't believe it! When I first invited you, you kept saying no. I asked again on a whim, and now you're here! I'm so glad you changed your mind!"

Back home, I was already well-known in the design world, with international fashion brands eager to bring me on board.

But when Ruslan found out, the storm he unleashed was beyond anything I could've imagined.

"That would mean a long-distance relationship!" he raged. "I won't even agree to you working in another city, let alone another country. Aurelle, if you truly love me, you'll stay by my side. I'll give you everything you need."

At the time, his fury and dominating presence wore me down, and I gave in.

But his controlling nature only grew stronger. Even when a young colleague at my local fashion company, unaware of my marriage, confessed his feelings for me, I would politely decline with a smile.

Yet, when Ruslan found out, he stormed to the guy's house and beat him senseless.

Then disaster struck. We were in a car accident, and I threw myself in front of him to shield him from the impact. He walked away without a scratch, but I was left paralyzed.

Afterward, he personally went to my company and handed in my resignation. When he came back, he comforted me with a cold smile, saying, "Since you can't move anymore, just stay home and be a full-time housewife."

In that moment, I felt defeated, completely crushed. The paralysis took everything from me, and I didn't even fight back. I just accepted it.

Fyang's voice snapped me back to reality. "Aurelle, what made you decide to come work here after all this time?"

I paused, letting the weight of the question settle before answering with a calm smile.

"Because I've finally realized I'm ready for a fresh start."

I left Fyang looking puzzled as I walked away, feeling a new sense of purpose.

The work environment abroad was everything I had hoped for, and more. The atmosphere was clean, organized, and the workload, though heavy, was manageable.

But the competition was fierce. I quickly found myself caught up in the whirlwind.

Every day, I was up at six in the morning, diving into work, often staying late into the night to finish up overtime.

It wasn't just my routine, it was the rhythm everyone here followed.

In time, I adjusted to the pace, almost as if I had always lived this way.

After all, I had spent seven years with Ruslan.

To say there were no lingering feelings after all that would have been a lie.