Aethelgard's Divorce

Aethelgard's Divorce

Gavin

5.0
Comment(s)
390
View
11
Chapters

The divorce papers felt heavy in my hands, a final weight after three years. I had sacrificed everything to be the perfect wife to Liam Hayes, a genius in game design but a recluse crippled by anxiety. I was his shield, his planner, his entire support system, ensuring every detail of his life was seamless so he could create. But at the launch party for his groundbreaking new game, "Aethelgard's Echo," he took the stage and thanked his "muse," Olivia, the graphic designer. He beamed at her, she blew him a kiss, and I, his wife, stood frozen in the wings, my name never mentioned. Three years of sleepless nights, managing his panic attacks, and organizing his entire life were erased in that single spotlight. He didn't just forget me; he publicly replaced me, reducing me to nothing more than hired help. My face burned with a fresh wave of humiliation as whispers and pitying glances followed me. I walked out, and no one, especially not Liam, even noticed I was gone. I had become Eleanor Hayes, the wife of a genius, but I had lost Eleanor Vance, the architect, the person I was supposed to be. My decision was made: I needed to be free. Yet, when I presented Liam with the divorce papers, expecting relief, he refused to sign. He looked at me with raw, pure panic, not love or affection, but the desperate fear of losing his unpaid, live-in assistant, his "system." My anger snapped, but even as he violently punched a wall, breaking his hand, my conditioned reflex was to care for him. The final, brutal blow came later when I saw him treat Olivia's tiny paper cut with more care and tenderness than he had ever shown my own shattered heart. That was it. The last chord of hope, the final flicker of duty, snapped. No longer would I be his punching bag; no longer would I be invisible. I packed the single, worn suitcase I had arrived with three years ago. I was leaving, and this time, I wasn't coming back.

Introduction

The divorce papers felt heavy in my hands, a final weight after three years.

I had sacrificed everything to be the perfect wife to Liam Hayes, a genius in game design but a recluse crippled by anxiety.

I was his shield, his planner, his entire support system, ensuring every detail of his life was seamless so he could create.

But at the launch party for his groundbreaking new game, "Aethelgard's Echo," he took the stage and thanked his "muse," Olivia, the graphic designer.

He beamed at her, she blew him a kiss, and I, his wife, stood frozen in the wings, my name never mentioned.

Three years of sleepless nights, managing his panic attacks, and organizing his entire life were erased in that single spotlight.

He didn't just forget me; he publicly replaced me, reducing me to nothing more than hired help.

My face burned with a fresh wave of humiliation as whispers and pitying glances followed me.

I walked out, and no one, especially not Liam, even noticed I was gone.

I had become Eleanor Hayes, the wife of a genius, but I had lost Eleanor Vance, the architect, the person I was supposed to be.

My decision was made: I needed to be free.

Yet, when I presented Liam with the divorce papers, expecting relief, he refused to sign.

He looked at me with raw, pure panic, not love or affection, but the desperate fear of losing his unpaid, live-in assistant, his "system."

My anger snapped, but even as he violently punched a wall, breaking his hand, my conditioned reflex was to care for him.

The final, brutal blow came later when I saw him treat Olivia's tiny paper cut with more care and tenderness than he had ever shown my own shattered heart.

That was it.

The last chord of hope, the final flicker of duty, snapped.

No longer would I be his punching bag; no longer would I be invisible.

I packed the single, worn suitcase I had arrived with three years ago.

I was leaving, and this time, I wasn't coming back.

Continue Reading

Other books by Gavin

More
When Love Turns to Ash

When Love Turns to Ash

Short stories

4.4

My world revolved around Jax Harding, my older brother's captivating rockstar friend. From sixteen, I adored him; at eighteen, I clung to his casual promise: "When you're 22, maybe I'll settle down." That offhand comment became my life's beacon, guiding every choice, meticulously planning my twenty-second birthday as our destiny. But on that pivotal day in a Lower East Side bar, clutching my gift, my dream exploded. I overheard Jax' s cold voice: "Can't believe Savvy's showing up. She' s still hung up on that stupid thing I said." Then the crushing plot: "We' re gonna tell Savvy I' m engaged to Chloe, maybe even hint she' s pregnant. That should scare her off." My gift, my future, slipped from my numb fingers. I fled into the cold New York rain, devastated by betrayal. Later, Jax introduced Chloe as his "fiancée" while his bandmates mocked my "adorable crush"-he did nothing. As an art installation fell, he saved Chloe, abandoning me to severe injury. In the hospital, he came for "damage control," then shockingly shoved me into a fountain, leaving me to bleed, calling me a "jealous psycho." How could the man I loved, who once saved me, become this cruel and publicly humiliate me? Why was my devotion seen as an annoyance to be brutally extinguished with lies and assault? Was I just a problem, my loyalty met with hatred? I would not be his victim. Injured and betrayed, I made an unshakeable vow: I was done. I blocked his number and everyone connected to him, severing ties. This was not an escape; this was my rebirth. Florence awaited, a new life on my terms, unburdened by broken promises.

You'll also like

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book