Chapter 55

Silver’s POV

I never thought that at a young age, I would be requesting a divorce from my husband. I had to explain to Marco that this was a contract marriage and he asked for a copy of the contract to see if there was any clause that prevented me from divorcing him.

Luckily, Elliot hadn’t thought about me leaving him and there wasn’t anything listed that said anything about it. It only listed what each of us would get out of this agreement. Once he went through the contract, he pulled out his computer from his briefcase and started on the divorce agreement. My heart was in shambles the entire time and I could hardly even lift my head to look at either of them.

“What do you want from this divorce?” Marco asked, his eyes never leaving his computer.

“Peace,” I told him, almost sleepily.

He smirked and finally glanced up to look at me.

“I meant money,” he said. “How much money and what materials do you want? Do you want a house? Maybe a boat? Both? You could get a nice chunk of land and maybe half his assets. Obviously, you’ll get to keep everything he’s ever bought you and—”

“I don’t want anything,” I blurted, mortified that he even thought that I would.

Marco raised his brows, confused.

“What?” He asked, clearly shocked.

“I don’t want any of his things or his money. I want to leave with the clothes I had when I got here and with nothing else,’ I told him with finality.

He glanced at his cousin who only shrugged one shoulder.

“I tried to tell her earlier that she could get a lot out of this divorce,” Rebecca chimed in. “But she was adamant about not wanting anything.”

Marco shook his head and laughed under his breath as he continued with the agreement.

“Shortest agreement ever,” he muttered. “He’s filthy rich; you should be getting something out of this.”

“A life lesson,” I muttered in return.

Rebecca chuckled and hugged me from the side, resting her head on my shoulder, she sighed.

“It’s going to be okay, girl,” she breathed. “I’m here and I’m not letting you get hurt like this again.”

Tears formed in my eyes as I thought about Elliot. Once, he had told me that he would tell me when he wanted to divorce. It was only a matter of time before he did. However, he also told me he’d tell me if he found his fated mate, and he had yet to do that. How long had he known that Shirley was his mate? Why hadn’t he just told me the truth; I would have stepped away from him. I wouldn’t have been sitting here and waiting for him like an idiot for all these weeks.

I had money from my job at the gallery to get my own place and make a comfortable life for myself. I could find a nice apartment and settle in within a month. But the thought of leaving Elliot still left me feeling uncomfortable.

Would he be upset when he returned to see that I was no longer here? J

Marco’s portable printer came to life and soon, it was printing the divorce agreements. It stated that I was leaving with nothing per my wishes and this marriage would end on the given date. All I had to do was sign along the dotted line and file it at the courthouse and it would be all set.

“And if we refuse to sign the papers, we can sue him,” Marco explained, bringing me back to the present moment. I blinked at the tears that were in my eyes.

“What?” I asked him, my voice breathing.

“We can sue him for a divorce. It won’t be easy because he comes from money, and he has connections. But they force you to stay in this marriage Silver. The only way you would be stuck with him is if you were marked by him. Seeming you are unmarked; you can get away and start a new life away from him.

“He’ll sign the papers,” I said, biting my lower lip. “He has to if he wants to mate and marry Shirley.”

Marco gave me a sympathetic look.

“All you need to do is sign along the dotted line,” he said, pointing at the second page where the signature should go. Beneath my signature line would be where Elliot needed to sign.

I took a deep breath and grabbed the pen from him. I didn’t realize how badly my hands were shaking until I went to sign along the line. This was harder than I thought; with each new step towards this divorce, my heart cracked a little more. My lower lip started to tremble, and tears blurred my vision. I hated myself for being this weak; I hated that I couldn’t keep myself together even for a little bit.

My heart hurt so badly that I wanted to curl up in a ball and just cry my eyes out. Rebecca wrapped her arms around me and held me close to her. She rubbed my back with the palm of my hand, trying to soothe me and provide me with some sort of warmth. I was shivering like I was freezing.

I felt so empty at this moment, and I finally allowed a sob to escape my lips. My marriage was ending, my heart had been detonated, and the man I thought I was falling in love with was mating another woman.

How had this become my life?

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Marco asked, his voice soft and understanding as he watched me.

I let myself grieve for a moment longer; I let my body shake and quiver as I sobbed. But now it was time to become stronger and a better version of myself. I straightened myself and forced a smile on my lips as I nodded my head.

“Yes,” I answered, more confidently than I felt. “I just needed a moment. I’m ready.”

He pushed the divorce agreement across the coffee table and towards me; his eyes showing nothing but sympathy. I took a deep breath and with a shaky hand, I managed to sign along the dotted line.

Once the deed was done, I dropped the pen and sobbed into my hands.

….

Elliot’s POV

“There isn’t a probable reason why her leg isn’t healing, Alpha,” the doctor said, his face pale after I confronted him about Shirley’s condition. “Her wolf is Alpha and very healthy. She should have been healed a couple of hours ago.”

“Well, something is wrong because she’s feeling severe pain still. Run more tests and find out why she isn’t healing properly,” I said through my teeth.

“Yes, sir,” he said, walking away quickly.

I walked back into the hospital room where Shirley sat. She immediately straightened her posture and gave me a soft smile.

“Elliot, you’ve returned,” she said batting her lashes. “Have you spoken to Silver? Is she well?”

I ran my fingers through my hair. I hadn’t spoken to Silver since a few hours ago when she was here. I was planning on driving her home, but something happened with Shirley, and I got a bit distracted. By the time I returned to Silver, I was told that Gamma Erik had already taken her home.

I tried to call her a couple of times, but it went straight to voicemail. I was assuming her phone was probably dead, or maybe she lost it when she was taken. The thought of anything happening to her sent a pain in my chest. I’m not one to scare easily, but it was terrifying when Erik told me she had been taken by my rogues.

I was beyond grateful to Shirley for saving my wife’s life. I owed her more than I could pay. I owed it to Shirley to make sure she at least recovered after getting hurt in this battle. But I also didn’t like the fact that Silver was out of my sight.

“I’m going to return home so I can see her,” I informed both Shirley and my Beta. “Will you stay here with Shirley?” I asked Beta Leo.

“Yeah, of course,” Leo said, nodding his head.

“What?!” Shirley gasped. “You’re leaving?? But…”

“I need to see my wife,” I said, my eyes blazing. My wolf was in perfect agreement that we needed to return home to Silver and spend some time with her. We needed to know for sure that she was actually okay. I needed to touch and feel her; I needed to smell her. Most importantly, I needed to taste her.

My wolf practically purred at the thought.

“But I’m hurt,” Shirley pouted. “I got hurt saving your wife. Shouldn’t you be tending to me?”

“Miss Shirley, I’ll be there to—”

“It’s Alpha Shirley,” she snapped at Leo.

“I apologize, Alpha,” Leo said, lowering his gaze.

I stepped between them before anyone got hurt and I put my hands on her shoulders.

“I will be back in the morning; I promise,” I assured her. “But I need to see my wife. She’s been through a lot too.”

Shirley sniffled but then nodded.

I smiled and looked at Leo. He gave me a head nod, understanding that I didn’t want him to leave the hospital until I returned tomorrow. On that note, I left the hospital and called one of my drivers to bring me home.

It didn’t take long for me to get home, but as soon as I walked into the palace, something felt off. Silver’s scent was faint, like she was once here, but now she’s not. The atmosphere had changed as well; it almost seemed dark and gloomy around here when it was otherwise filled with light, laughter, and love.

Love.

That word again.

Why did I associate that word with Silver so often? Could I truly be falling in love with my wife?

I walked into the parlor, and I froze when I saw a familiar face sitting on the couch. Mariah was standing at the entrance of the kitchen, and it was clear she’d been crying.

“Marco?” I asked the lawyer, who also happens to be a good friend from a different pack. He noticed me for the first time and stood up, giving me a sheepish smile as he shoved his hands in his pocket.

“Hey, man,” he said, almost awkwardly.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked, not meaning to sound rude, but it made me nervous that a fucking lawyer was sitting in my palace and my chef was crying in the corner.

“We need to talk. You should sit down….”