Chapter 75
Nick
Will and I took the time to organize everything and verify the company and inheritance documents I had to sign before I had to ask for a divorce from the woman I loved. I had been putting this moment off for hours. I hadn’t eaten anything. “Seven days,” I repeated to myself, trying to get my mind right.
I got up from the table where Will was reviewing everything on his laptop and took the cursed divorce papers. This had to look as real as possible, the thought bringing a pain to my chest.
I walked slowly towards our apartment, one I planned to replace with a house befitting my wife as soon as this was over. I opened the door, and she greeted me excitedly. I swallowed the urge to hug and kiss her, but this was for us and for my father. The only thing that could matter to me now was her and my father. When all this was in my name in a few days, we could be together. She would be my wife in the eyes of everyone, and Killian could go straight to hell.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. She knew very well when something was not right.
“We need to talk.” I clenched my jaw, not wanting to continue. I inhaled. “Seven days.” I walked into the living room and sat down on one of the pieces of furniture. My chest hurt. I breathed and composed myself to say: “I want a divorce,” I pronounced, as my heartbeat slowed and her face made me want to give up on this.
“Wh…what?” She took a step back.
“This, us, it has to end today,” I assured her, burning inside.
“I don’t understand,” she denied slowly, shaking her head.
“My life is going to change from now on, and there’s no room for you in it. Our relationship lasted as long as it had to last. Our worlds don’t belong together.” Bullshit! I didn’t give a damn about all that. I stood up and walked towards her, taking out the damn divorce document.
“It was good, I won’t deny it, you’re… good p>
Damn it, Alaia, don’t ask any more questions.
Forgive me for being a jerk. I lowered my gaze, feeling that those words hurt me more than they hurt her, but this had to seem real. For now, she had to hate me; that was the only way she would stay away from this while I got out of this dark pit Killian had gotten me into.
“Your love was a lie, nothing was real,” she said, and I clenched my fists. I couldn’t love her more, but we needed to be free, and nothing could fail. This apartment would be in her name, however, I would buy a house for us, and I understood when she refused to accept it. With a tense body, I watched her sign the divorce papers and swallowed a lump of emotions in my throat. Alaia hit my chest with the papers. “Just seven days,” I repeated in my mind like a mantra, so as not to run to her and stop her, to tell her that I loved her and to send this plan to hell.
She left the room with a couple of things that belonged to her. She stopped when she saw me in the living room. I wanted to see her as much as I could before we had to separate, before I would run to her to explain everything. I noticed she was carrying a box in her hand, which made me curious. I would ask her about it as soon as this was all over. I closed my eyes when the door slammed shut and covered my face.
“Forgive me, my love,” I spoke to no one, knowing that I would ask her forgiveness soon.
I left the apartment and went for my car. I saw two vans, which told me they were watching the apartment, but not Alaia anymore. I drove to Killian’s house. When I arrived, a butler let me in.
“Son,” said Killian’s voice, and I prepared to act sympathetically towards him, though all I could feel was deep hatred.
“Grandfather,” I said and followed him to his study.
“Good work, I’m pleased to know you’re acting properly now.” He smiled, and I looked up. “The poor girl, she was devastated, she’ll understand.” He replayed something on his tablet. It was the conversation I had just had with Alaia in the apartment. I took a deep breath as I heard again how harsh I had been with her. I couldn’t have made a wrong move, and now Killian trusted me. I had to continue with my plan.
“I did what you asked,” I said with my best poker face. I put the divorce papers on the desk, and he paused the audio.
“Good, the wedding is still to come, Nick. After you marry one of the women I select for you, we will sign the transfer papers. Until that happens, your father will not be safe,” he said, and I ran my hand through my hair in frustration.
“I will marry Barbara Wright. She belongs to our circle, and I have known her for a long time,” I said, reflecting a calmness I didn’t feel, thinking of Alaia. Killian typed something on his computer and read for a few minutes.
“She’s not the woman I wanted for you, but she’s acceptable. She’s from a very good family,” he commented. “You will get married this Friday, everything is already organized, I advise you to stay in sight, for your father’s sake.” I understood what he meant. It was a threat to my father. I exhaled forcefully. “After the wedding, everything will be yours, and Dominic will be in your hands,” he said encouragingly, the damn old man.
“Perfect,” I said with a dismissive gesture, which he didn’t notice because he was looking at something on his computer.
“See? It was easy.” I knew he was referring to following his orders, the cynical bastard.
“It was,” I lied and left the study, not wanting to see his face any longer.
During the remaining days before the wedding, I focused on making my plan work, making the fake wedding look real to Killian. I made sure that all the fortune was in my hands, taking away any power he might have over me in the future. When he would find out the truth, he wouldn’t be happy, but it would be too late.
I kept Alaia’s social media open on my computer to see her pictures, our pictures. While I worked, I solved the matter that kept us apart and that had my father between life and death, thanks to an unscrupulous bastard.
“A few days apart, to have an eternity together.” I caressed her smiling face in one of the pictures.
hadn’t tried to locate her. I didn’t know how much Killian could trust me right now, nor did I want to put her in his sights again.
The wedding day arrived, and I just stared at her picture on the screen. “One day,” I said to her image before leaving the room to reach the garden, feeling the suit suffocating me. I found that there were several people from the country’s elite. When had he contacted them? I wondered, greeting everyone with false kindness.
“Nick.” My grandfather approached me, and I feigned a smile. “You did a good job.” I looked at the garden, ready for the wedding. “All the best to my grandson and his lovely wife.” He smiled that way I didn’t like. I nodded, trying to smile, but it came out as a grimace. I took my position in front of the judge, the same one I had hired to make the wedding invalid. The music announced the bride’s entrance. I smiled, imagining that it was my wife who entered and not Barbara. The fake wedding ended, and the celebration began, but I wasn’t interested. I needed the transfer papers signed.
“Welcome to the family.” Killian approached Barbara.
“Thank you, Mr. Garnett,” Barbara replied, and he kissed her hand. They talked for a bit. I saw the judge leave and take the wedding papers. I gestured to him. I tensed up when my grandfather stopped him. The judge looked at me and reassured me with his eyes.
“Your grandfather is being kind,” said Barbara with a smile, and I looked at her sideways.
“He’s a son of a b***h,” I snorted.