I Sent Him Divorce Papers and Said Yes to His Brother

“Congratulations, Mrs. Rutherford. Your hearing has completely recovered.” The doctor smiled at me after running the last test.

I blinked at him, “Completely? You mean… I can really hear again?”

He chuckled warmly. “Yes. You’ll be able to enjoy every sound just like before.”

My hands trembled as I pressed them together. “Thank you, doctor! You don’t know what this means to me.”

He patted my shoulder kindly. “Go home and share the good news with your family. You deserve this happiness.”

On the drive back, I couldn’t sit still. My heart was racing, and my palms were sweaty against my skirt. Now I could finally hear my husband’s voice. Walter.

“He’s going to be so happy. He’ll hold me and say he missed my voice. He’ll—”

But when I reached the house, the sound of muffled talking slipped through the door. My newly restored ears caught it sharp and clear. I froze, my hand on the knob.

Then I heard him. Walter.

“I don’t care what anyone says, Colt. Beatrix was the one I love, and she still owns my heart.”

My blood turned cold. Beatrix, my sister.

“You’re crazy,” Colt, his friend, muttered. “She didn't choose you, remember?”

“Yeah. But we're back now. Beatrix finally saw my worth. I'm planning to give her the Rutherford Crown Holdings.”

“You’re going to hand her the Rutherford Crown Holdings? That’s billions, Walter! What about your wife? What about Rosine? She helps you build it. Remember she got that billionaire investor who can only do sign language?”

Walter laughed, “I know... but she’s not like Beatrix. She’s… obedient. She told me she’ll stand by me even if I lose everything. She doesn’t need diamonds or a company to be happy. She has me. Isn’t that enough?”

Colt cursed under his breath. “Enough for you maybe, but what about her? She’s the eldest daughter of the Charles family. You think she deserves to live small just because she loves you?”

Walter’s voice dropped, “Rosine loves me more than she loves herself. She’ll endure. She’ll smile even if she suffers. That’s the kind of woman she is.”

My chest ached. I stood there in silence, knowing at last what kind of man my husband truly was.

I felt his words cut through me like knives. Each one landed in my chest until I could barely breathe. My knees almost gave out, and I had to hold on to the doorframe just to stay standing. Betrayal sat heavy on me, sharp and cold.

Colt let out a long sigh and pressed his hand to his forehead. “Walter, this is insane. If she ever finds out the truth... that you only married her to be closer to Beatrix... she’ll be crushed!"

My heart stopped. Three years. Three years of marriage, and it was all built on a lie I had never seen. My fingers dug into the door until my knuckles turned pale.

Then Colt’s eyes shifted and caught me in the doorway. His face was drained of color. “RRosine… you’re home already?”

Walter’s head snapped toward me. For one second, guilt flickered in his eyes, but it was gone before I could blink. His lips curled into that calm smile I used to trust.

“Relax, Colt,” he said smoothly, “She can’t hear you. You could scream her name, and she’d still be lost in her own silence. Pathetic, right?”

The words made me flinch. My ears burned, even though he didn’t know yet that I could hear.

Colt let out a nervous laugh, standing quickly like nothing was wrong. He muttered something polite and stepped aside.

Walter rose from the couch and picked up his jacket from the chair, walked over, and draped it around my shoulders. His hand brushed my arm gently, but it felt foreign now, like a stranger’s touch.

“My love,” he said in that soft, sweet voice that always fooled me, “why did you step out dressed like this? The winter air will make you sick.”

For years I believed that voice. I even adored the way he learned sign language for me, spending nights with a tutor just so we could “talk” without barriers. I thought it was love. I thought he cherished me.

Now, standing here, I finally saw it for what it was. A performance. Every smile, every tender word, every gesture carefully staged to keep me blind.

I still remember that night years ago when Walter first started learning sign language. It was past midnight, the lamp glowing warm in our bedroom while he sat at the desk, practicing over and over with that serious look on his face.

I had written on a small notepad and slid it to him, placing my hand gently over his. “You don’t have to do this. I can manage. I’ve lived with it all my life.”

He’d looked at me with that perfect smile that always made me believe him. “Rosine, you went through so much pain, not being able to hear anyone. You were alone, carrying it all by yourself. I can’t stand that. Let me be the one who understands you. Let me be your voice, your comfort.”

Those words had cracked me open. I cried that night like a child, because for the first time, someone seemed willing to fight through my silence just to reach me. Not Cali, Not my parents, who always treated me like Beatrix’s shadow. And definitely not Beatrix, who was the reason I became deaf in the first place.

That night came back to me like a nightmare…

I was only thirteen then. Beatrix and I were waiting outside the Charles estate after school. I had been holding my sketchbook against my chest, smiling faintly when I saw Cali’s car pulling up.

But Beatrix’s smile was different. I knew that look now it was the same one she always wore before tearing something from me.

“Rosine, move!” she shouted, grabbing my wrist.

Before I could even process her words, she shoved me hard. My body stumbled forward, straight into the path of the approaching car.

The world spun. I remember the blinding headlights, the squeal of brakes, the sharp blast of a horn.

Then impact. My head hit the ground first, right by my ear. Pain exploded through me, searing white, then everything blurred.

When I woke up in the hospital days later, the silence was unbearable. I couldn’t hear my mother, couldn’t hear the doctors, couldn’t hear my own voice when I tried to scream. All I had were Beatrix’s crocodile tears by my bedside, her soft words mouthed to me like she cared.

But I knew. I knew her push hadn’t been an accident. She wanted me gone. She wanted Cali to herself.

That was the day I lost my hearing. And that was the day I learned what it meant to be invisible, too.

And now, I thought Walter was different. I thought he was my shelter.

But now, watching him sign so easily in front of me, I felt nothing but bitterness. The same hands that once felt like protection had become a cruel reminder. He had used my silence as a shield, whispering his love for Beatrix while I sat beside him, smiling like a fool, never hearing a word.

“Sweetheart, we should get ready. Beatrix’s birthday banquet is starting soon. If we’re late, people will talk.”

His eyes lit up as he said her name. Not me. Not us. Her.

Something twisted inside my chest. Still, I forced myself to lift my hands and sign back slowly. “Wait for me. I’ll… I’ll go get change first.”

I rushed upstairs. The moment I closed the bedroom door, my strength fell apart. My shoulders shook, and tears poured down in silence. It was the kind of crying that didn’t even make a sound, the kind that emptied you out.

After a long while, I forced myself to calm down. I wiped my swollen eyes, fixed my hair, and slipped into a simple but elegant gown. I didn’t want to give Beatrix or anyone else one more reason to sneer at me.

On my way down, a sliver of light from Walter’s study caught my eye. The door was cracked open.

For three years of marriage, I’d never gone inside. Walter always said it was his private space, and I respected that. I thought it was his way of keeping work separate from our home. But tonight, something in me moved. I reached out and pushed the door wider.

What I saw froze me.

The walls weren’t filled with business charts or family portraits. They were covered… covered… with photos of Beatrix. Her as a child, her as a teenager, her smiling, crying, laughing. Every angle, every moment, framed neatly, like she was some goddess he worshipped.

Not one photo of me. Not even our wedding picture.

I staggered closer, my legs unsteady. On the desk was a pile of letters tied with ribbon. My fingers shook as I picked one up. The first line read: To Beatrix, my nine hundred nightyninth love letter.

Every word bled with devotion. Promises, confessions, obsession. It wasn’t me he spent his nights thinking of… it was her.

Beside the letters lay a contract. My eyes widened as I read the title: Transfer of Ownership: Rutherford Crown Holdings.

Rutherford Crown Holdings. The company Walter fought his whole life to protect. His empire. His family’s legacy. And he was ready to give it all to Beatrix, just like that.

The hours he locked himself away here weren’t for work. They were for her. Always her. And me? I was nothing but a placeholder, a name he needed to keep her out of reach. The truth hollowed me out until I felt invisible, erased.

By the time we arrived at the Charles’ mansion near the lake, I wasn’t myself anymore. I was a shadow.

The grand estate glowed under chandeliers, the halls filled with music and laughter. Guests in designer gowns and tuxedos mingled, sipping champagne like the night belonged to them.

At the center stood Beatrix, dazzling in a gown made just for her, every sequin catching the light. Her beauty was undeniable, her presence magnetic. She looked like she owned the night, like she had always belonged to the spotlight.

My parents hovered around her, eyes shining with pride. They touched her hands, stroked her arms, like they couldn’t believe she was really back. Like they didn’t want to let her go again.

They had once looked at me the same way. I remembered it. I had once been their precious daughter. But everything changed the day Beatrix went missing and then returned.

Fifteen years ago, we were twelve years old when they found her after she’d been gone for two weeks. I ran to her with open arms, thinking we’d finally be sisters again.

But her first words cut deeper than any blade.

“Rrosine,” her tears were falling from her eyes, “what did I do wrong? Why… Why did you let them kidnap and take me away?”

With just one sentence, Beatrix ruined my life.

That lie shattered everything. My parents’ trust, their love, their pride in me… all of it was gone in an instant. From that moment, I wasn’t their daughter anymore. I was the reason Beatrix had suffered, the shame of the Charles family. My mother’s eyes carried disgust, my father’s silence burned deeper than words. Their love for me disappeared overnight, replaced by cold stares that never softened, even years later.

At her birthday banquet, walking into the grand hall felt like walking straight into a trap. Beatrix spotted Walter and me the second we arrived. She floated toward us in her golden gown that glittered under the chandeliers, her smile wide and bright like she was born for the spotlight.

“Rosine, Walter, finally!” she exclaimed, taking my hand as if she adored me. Then she gasped, covering her lips delicately. “Oh no, I almost forgot. You can’t hear me, can you? I should’ve learned sign language, but I never did. You won’t hold that against me, right?”

Her voice dripped with sweetness, but her eyes gleamed with something sharp.

My mother stepped closer, her tone cutting like glass. “Blame her? Beatrix, don’t be silly. If it weren’t for Rosine, you would have never been kidnapped in the first place. She’s the disgrace of our family. Deaf and useless.”

I bowed my head. I had heard it all before. Their cruelty never dulled, but it still stabbed the same.

Before I could speak, Walter stepped forward. He put a warm hand on Beatrix’s shoulder, “Rosine isn’t the type to hold grudges. Don’t worry about it, Beatrix. She understands.”

Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, handing it to her like it was the rarest jewel in the world. “Happy birthday, Beatrix. I hope you like it.”

Her face lit up instantly. “Walter, you always know how to make me smile.”

As she tilted her wrist to adjust the box, the light caught on the bracelet she wore. My breath caught in my throat.

The bracelet.

The heirloom of Rutherford Crown Holdings. The one Walter once told me was lost. The one I had secretly hoped he’d give me when we first married. I had asked him back then, shyly, why he never gave it to me. His smile had faltered for a heartbeat before he kissed my hand and said, “It’s just an old thing. What matters is that my heart belongs to you.”

But now the truth was shining under the ballroom lights. The bracelet wasn’t lost. It was never mine to begin with. It was always hers.

A sharp pain spread across my chest, burning and hollow all at once. My hands trembled, but I swallowed it down. I couldn’t let anyone see me break.

“I… I need some air,” I whispered, slipping away before my tears betrayed me. The laughter and music faded as I pushed through the crowd, searching for the cold night to numb the storm inside me.

The garden lights were soft and golden, casting long shadows across the lake. The night air was cool against my skin, yet inside I felt hot and trapped.

I should have known she would come. Beatrix never missed a chance to cut me open.

When she walked out, her face had none of the sweetness she showed in front of others. The polite smile was gone. What stared back at me now was her real self. Sharp, cruel, smug.

"I really do not get you," she said, her voice low and sharp. "How do you still have the guts to show up here? No one wants you, but you act like you belong. Your shamelessness is almost funny."

Her words sliced through me, but I kept my eyes on the lake. If I looked at her, I knew the tears would fall, and I did not want to give her that victory.

She stepped closer, her perfume thick in the air, sweet and suffocating. "Do you even know why Walter married you? Poor thing. He never loved you. He only did it so you would not get in the way of me and Cali. He told me everything the night of your wedding. He told me I was the one he really wanted. He's obsessed with me… He married you to be near me. Not you."

The world tilted for a moment, but I forced myself to breathe.

Beatrix laughed softly, the sound like broken glass. "Look at you. Pathetic. A deaf wife who cannot even keep her husband’s heart. If I were you, I would not even bother living anymore."

Her words pierced so deep I could barely breathe. My silence must have pleased her, because she suddenly moved fast. Before I could step back, she threw herself into the lake. The water exploded around her, the splash echoing in the night.

"Help me! Someone, please!" she cried, thrashing wildly as though she were drowning. “Rosine! She pushed me! Help—”

I never expected the night to end like this. One minute the garden was full of laughter and music, the next it was Beatrix’s scream cutting through the air.

People rushed toward the lakeshore as she flailed in the dark water. Walter didn’t hesitate—he ripped off his suit and plunged into the lake like some hero in a story. He held her tight, his arms around her as if she were the most fragile thing in the world.

I stood frozen, my heart pounding. By the time he dragged her out onto the damp bank, Beatrix was trembling in his arms, water streaming from her gown. She looked like a doll, so pitiful, and her eyes wide with tears.

“Wwalter…” her voice shook. “Why did she do that to me? If I upset you, Rosine, you could’ve just said something. You… you know I’m terrified of water because of those kidnappers who once left me drowning in a pool for fun. Why did you push me?”

The crowd gasped. My lips parted to defend myself, but before I could speak, my father’s sharp voice tore through the night.

“Rosine! How dare you lay a hand on your sister?”

He shoved me hard. My heels slipped against the slick grass at the edge of the lake, and the next thing I knew, the freezing black water swallowed me whole.

I can’t swim.

The cold was merciless, clawing at my chest, dragging me down into the heavy dark. I kicked and thrashed, but the lake pulled me deeper, panic ripping through me. Above, voices blurred together… gasps, whispers, maybe even laughter.

I forced myself upward, coughing as I broke the surface, choking on water. My eyes burned, my chest screamed for air.

And through the blur, I saw her. My father and mother, standing on the bank with their arms folded, glaring at me like I was filth.

“Stop the act, Rosine,” his voice was hard as stone. “You’ve always been a curse on this family. Letting Beatrix be kidnapped wasn’t enough? Now you try to drown her too? We should’ve left you the day you were born.”

The words hit harder than the freezing water.

My gaze darted back to Walter. Surely… surely he wouldn’t just let me die. He knew I couldn’t swim. He might not love me, but I wanted to believe he wasn’t heartless.

But then he opened his mouth.

“Do you even know Beatrix is pregnant?” His voice dripped with anger. “You could’ve killed her and my child. How could you?”

I shook my head frantically, trying to speak, but the lake stole my words. My body shook from the cold, my lungs screamed for air.

Walter’s jaw tightened. “Stay in there tonight. Maybe then you’ll realize what you’ve done.”

And just like that, he carried Beatrix away, her wet hair plastered to his shoulder. She clung to him like she belonged there, casting me one last look of triumph.

The guests drifted off. My parents left without a backward glance. Soon the garden was empty, the night air heavy with silence, broken only by the slow lapping of the lake against the shore.

I kicked weakly, but my arms felt like lead. The water was too heavy, too cold. My body wanted to give up until the darkness crept closer, slow and steady.

And then, suddenly, a splash. Strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me up through the black water.

Who was it? Who saved me?

When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the ceiling of a private hospital room. Everything felt heavy, like my body was made of stone. Even breathing hurts.

I turned my head slowly and froze when I saw Walter sitting right there beside me. His hair was a mess, shirt wrinkled, like he hadn’t slept at all.

The second our eyes met, his whole face brightened like he was the most devoted husband alive.

“Rosine, thank God you’re awake,” he said quickly, squeezing my hand. “I’m so sorry I left you last night. I didn’t want to, you know that. But Beatrix wasn’t feeling well and Cali was out of town. I had no choice but to rush her to the hospital. She’s carrying our future heir, sweetheart. I couldn’t risk anything happening to her baby.”

He sighed, lowering his voice like he was being kind. “You understand, don’t you? The family would blame you if something happened to that child. Even your parents wouldn’t forgive you. I did it to protect you too.”

His eyes softened, almost pleading, like he wanted me to nod and accept it all.

I just stared at him. My chest hurt, but I forced myself to keep quiet. I wasn’t giving him the satisfaction of my tears anymore.

For a second, his smile faltered. Then he tried again, brushing his thumb over my hand. “Please don’t stay upset with me. You’re my wife. I care about you. I really do.”

I didn’t answer. I just turned my head toward the window, watching the sky, letting the silence swallow us both.

That night, my hospital room was too quiet. I sat on the bed, staring at the photo Beatrix had just sent me. My hands were shaking as I opened it.

It was Walter. He was leaning over her hospital bed, pen in hand, looking so tender and serious, like he was writing something that mattered. The caption under it burned into me:

“Your husband is the sweetest. He wrote me hundreds of love letters and stayed up all night for me. The maids said he only left when they told him you were finally waking up.”

My chest hurt so much I thought I couldn’t breathe. Before I could even put the phone down, another message arrived.

“Rosine, you will never beat me. Do yourself a favor and give up already.”

I bit my lip until I tasted blood. I wanted to reply, but my fingers froze. Before I could type a word, my hospital door opened.

A tall man in a sharp black suit walked in. He didn’t even look at me. He looked straight at Walter, who was standing by the window like he owned the whole world.

“Mr. Rutherford,” the man said politely. “Everything is ready. The press conference is set. Rutherford Crown Holdings will be transferred to Miss Beatrix tonight.”

My whole body went cold. I turned to Walter slowly, praying I had heard wrong.

But Walter smiled, calm and satisfied, like it was all part of a plan. “Good,” he said smoothly. “If my wife asks about this, just tell her the company went bankrupt. She does not need to know the details.”

Then he finally turned to me. His face softened instantly, his voice sickly sweet. He came close, and touched my hand lightly. “Baby, I just got news. The company is in trouble. I have to go fix it right away. Wait here for me, alright? Don’t worry too much. I’ll take care of everything.”

If I hadn’t regained my hearing, I would have believed him. He looked so convincing, like a loving husband under pressure. But I had heard it all. I know the truth now.

I only nodded, too tired to argue, and watched him leave without looking back. The door clicked shut. The silence after was heavier than anything I had ever felt.

I stared at the empty space where he had stood, my hands curling into fists. That was the moment I understood. There was no love left. No trust. Nothing to save.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the divorce papers I had been keeping for weeks. They were folded and worn, but still there, still waiting. I placed them on the table beside me, neat and ready.

Then I picked up my phone. I deleted everything. Walter. Beatrix. Even my parents. Each name disappeared one by one, like cutting strings that had been choking me.

For the first time in years, I felt a little lighter.

The press conference looked like a celebration instead of a business meeting. Reporters filled the hall, cameras flashing everywhere while Walter stood on stage with Beatrix right beside him. His smile was wide, proud, almost too perfect.

I was standing at the far end of the hall, halfhidden behind the crowd. Mask on. My eyes stayed on them even when it hurt, even when Alyssa clung to Dillon like she belonged there. I told myself not to care anymore, but my heart still betrayed me.

“This is the start of something bigger for our family,” he said into the microphone.

Everyone clapped. The applause went on and on, like the whole world was cheering for him. My parents were even in the front row, smiling and clapping so hard as if Beatrix’s victory was theirs too.

When it was over, Walter came down from the stage and immediately offered to drive Beatrix home himself. She held onto his arm, glowing like a bride on her wedding day. The sight should have broken me, but I just stood still, too numb to feel anything.

They were almost out the door when someone blocked their way. Aaron. His eyes flicked from Walter to Beatrix, then back.

“Been a while, Walter,” Aaron said with a halfsmile. “Taking your sisterinlaw out again? Strange you didn’t invite your wife. I was curious to ask her… about her ears. I wanted to see if she’s still struggling to hear.”

The words cut through the room sharper than any blade. Walter’s whole body stiffened. The smile slipped off his face, replaced by something darker.

“What are you talking about?” Walter’s voice was quiet but tense, like he already knew the answer. His eyes darted around nervously. “Rosine… she can hear?”

Aaron looked confused. “Yes. Didn’t she tell you? Her hearing came back yesterday and she was excited to tell you about it.”

That was it. That was the moment.

I turned slowly, not wanting anyone to see the tears already filling my eyes. My hand clutched my bag tighter, fingers brushing against the edge of my passport inside. It felt like the only thing I had left—my escape, my proof I could still leave this cage.

I walked out without looking back. My footsteps were shaky, but they carried me all the way to the airport. My tears kept falling, no matter how much I tried to hold them back.

At the counter, when I finally booked the flight, my voice cracked. “One ticket, please. First available. Paris.”

I pressed my passport into the clerk’s hands, clutching the strap of my bag so tightly it almost hurt.

And in my heart, I whispered the words that burned inside me.

“You will regret everything, Walter.”

WALTER'S POV

Aaron’s words kept echoing in my head, but I forced myself to laugh it off. “Rosine’s hearing back? Impossible,” I muttered under my breath as I guided Beatrix into the car. “If she could hear, she would’ve told me. She’s too obedient to hide something like that.”

Beatrix shifted closer, her perfume thick and sweet, filling the car. She leaned her head against my shoulder with a sigh. “Walter, only you make me feel safe.”

I glanced at her, my chest swelling with pride. Finally, finally she was mine again. “And you’ll stay safe with me. Everything I own, everything I built, soon it will all be yours.”

She smiled faintly, her fingers tracing patterns along my arm. “By the way, my divorce with Colt was already finalized.”

For a second I froze, then I broke into a grin. “Are you serious? Beatrix, that’s the best news I’ve heard all year. Congratulations, love.” I reached over, touching her stomach gently, reverently.

Her lips curved into a teasing smile. “You’re too excited. I’m just four weeks pregnant.”

I chuckled, still staring at her belly as if it was the crown of my empire. “I don’t care if it’s four weeks or four days. That child is ours. Rosine doesn’t matter. Why would she be mad? She’ll never know we have a baby. She’s deaf, and besides… I’ve only ever loved you. If only you never chose Colt, we would’ve been married long ago.”

Her eyes softened as she looked at me. She leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek. That small touch nearly undid me. I would give her the world. I already was.

After I dropped her at the Charles estate, I drove back to my villa, the night colder without her in the seat beside me. By the time I stepped inside, I was already impatient.

“Rosine!” I called out, loosening my tie. “Make me coffee. The strong one. Don’t water it down tonight.”

I sank onto the couch, waiting. Minutes passed. Finally the maid appeared with a tray. I picked up the cup, took a sip, and spat it back into the saucer with a curse.

“This isn’t Rosine’s coffee,” I snapped, slamming the cup down. “Do it again. And tell her to do it properly this time.”

The maid hesitated, her hands shaking. “Sir… Madam already left. She told me to give you this.”

She held out an envelope. My brows furrowed as I snatched it from her. The second I saw what was inside, the blood drained from my face.

Divorce papers. Signed.

For a long moment I just stared, unable to process it. My chest tightened, rage rising sharp and hot. “She wouldn’t dare,” I whispered, my hands trembling as I crumpled the paper in my fist. “She wouldn’t dare leave me.”

But the signature was real. The empty villa around me was real.

And for the first time in years, I felt something I never thought I would. Not control. Not pride. Fear.

Her number would not ring. No matter how many times I hit redial, it was like she had vanished from the world. Disconnected, blocked, wiped. I threw my phone on the desk, chest burning.

“She’s bluffing,” I muttered, and throw the damn paper, “She’ll crawl back! She loves me. She can’t live without me.”

But the silence after my own words mocked me. The room felt too big, too empty. My phone kept buzzing, and it wasn’t her. It was Beatrix. Again. Her name lit up the screen over and over until I wanted to smash it.

When I finally picked up, her voice came through sweet but demanding. “Walter, why didn’t you answer? I can’t sleep without hearing you.”

I rubbed my temple. “I’m busy, Beatrix. Don’t call me ten times in one hour. I’m not a damn teenager with free time.”

She pouted through the line, I could hear it. “You always sound annoyed. I just need you. You promised me everything.”

I forced my voice lower, softer, because I knew if I pushed too hard, she’d sulk again. “I’ll give you everything. Just don’t smother me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The moment I ended the call, I felt no relief. Instead, irritation lingered. Her voice grated in my head. Always wanting, always pulling. And in that second, I thought of Rosine. Quiet. Obedient. Never asking for anything. She endured without a word, without a fight. And that thought unsettled me.

I poured myself a glass of whiskey, sat in the dark, staring at Beatrix’s framed photo on my desk. She was smiling in that picture, the one I loved before. I should’ve felt warmth. Pride. But staring at it now, all I felt was emptiness pressing down on me.

I shut my eyes and for no reason at all, Rosine’s face came back. Her soft laugh, the one she made when she still thought I cared. That sound, fragile, blind trust wrapped around it. Something twisted in my chest before I shoved it down with another drink.

By dawn, my shirt was unbuttoned, tie loose, and I was drowning in whiskey. I slammed the glass down and muttered, “She’s at her parents’ house. She has to be.”

But then Aaron’s words cut through the fog in my skull.

Rosine can hear now.

My heart pounded so loud I thought I was losing it. I grabbed my phone, called Aaron. He picked up groggy, annoyed, but I didn’t care.

“Send me the CCTV footage of the day Rosine visited you. Now.”

He sighed like he wanted to argue, but I growled low, “Do not test me, Aaron. Send it.”

A minute later, the file arrived. I opened it, hands shaking even though I tried to steady them.

There she was. My wife. Sitting across from him. Her lips moving. Talking. Laughing lightly.

She was speaking. She wasn’t deaf anymore.

And she never told me.

My chest locked up. I leaned back in my chair, eyes glued to the screen. All those years I thought she depended on me, helpless without me…

For the first time in my life, I couldn’t tell if I was more furious… or terrified.

Fuck!

I sat there frozen after the footage ended, my chest tight like something heavy was pressing me down.

Rosine… she heard me that day. Every damn word. She saw my lips move, she caught my voice. The moment I told Colt about Beatrix, about the baby, about the choice I made. She wasn’t deaf anymore. She heard it all.

I should feel relieved, right? She’s gone. Out of my life. No more lifeless dinners, no more silence between us. I should be happy that I can live with Beatrix freely now. But instead there’s this sting under my skin that won’t stop burning. I tell myself it’s pride. Just pride that she dared to leave me like that. But it doesn’t feel like pride. It feels like something hollow eating me alive.

I slammed my fist into the glass window. The crack split like a scream and the shards scattered. Blood ran down my knuckles, warm and sticky, but I didn’t care. I stood there breathing hard, my reflection broken into pieces.

At sunrise, I called my men. My voice was cold. “Find her. I don’t care what it takes. Search every house, every airport, every border. Bring her back to me.”

By noon they came back, heads bowed. “Sir, she already left the country.”

The floor tilted. My hands shook. I sat behind my desk but even the leather chair couldn’t hold me steady. For the first time in my life, I felt powerless. Me, Walter Rutherford, who built companies from ashes, who bent people to my will. And here I was, destroyed by a woman who used to stare at me like I was her whole world.

My phone rang sharp against the silence. Beatrix’s mother. Her voice panicked. “Walter, it’s Beatrix. She’s in the hospital. Come quick. St. Augustine’s Medical, room 507!”

I didn’t even hang up properly before I grabbed my keys and stormed out. My chest was pounding, my mind only chanting her name. Beatrix. Beatrix.

When I pushed open that hospital door, I saw her curled up on the bed, sobbing, her face pale, clutching her stomach like the world had ended.

“Walter,” she cried, reaching for me, her voice cracked. “I slipped in the bathroom. I… I lost our baby.”

My heart ripped apart. I rushed to her side, holding her shaking body against me.

“No. Don’t say that. Don’t you dare say that,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “We’ll fix this. We’ll try again. I’m here, Bee. I’ll never leave you. You’re my everything.”

She cried harder into my chest, and I held her tighter, my bloody hand staining the white sheets. But deep inside, beneath the words, that hollow ache kept whispering Rosine’s name.

The door opened and Mrs. Charles marched in with her husband right behind her. Her eyes darted around the room like she was searching for someone.

“Where’s Rosine?” she snapped. “Why isn’t she here assisting her sister? She should be the one looking after Beatrix, not you alone.”

I let out a heavy sigh and rubbed my temples. “She’s gone, Mrs. Charles. She left me divorce papers.”

Her head jerked up, fury flashing in her eyes. “What? Left where?”

Flat voice, no emotion. I wasn’t going to show her what it did to me. “She left the country.”

Mrs. Charles slammed her bag on the table. “That bitch! Always running away. She was supposed to take care of her sister after what she did years ago, letting her get kidnapped. And now this?” Her voice rose, echoing in the hospital room.

Mr. Charles’s jaw tightened, his tone colder than ice. “Rosine has always been a burden. Forever deaf, useless, no man in his right mind would want her. She should be grateful she even had you, Walter.”

I clenched my jaw. I didn’t answer. I just sat there, holding Beatrix’s hand tighter, keeping my face blank while something inside me burned.

Mrs. Charles pointed toward Beatrix, her voice sharp. “Exactly. You are the only man strong enough to handle Beatrix, and now that Cali is out of the picture, our daughter is finally free. Rosine never deserved you.”

I forced myself to stay calm, my eyes on Beatrix as she quietly sniffled against the pillow.

“Walter, take care of our Beatrix,” Mrs. Charles said firmly. “She’s fragile now. She needs you more than ever. Protect her from Rosine. That woman is poison.”

Mr. Charles crossed his arms, his decision final. “We’re leaving tomorrow for Hawaii. She'll stay in your villa. That’s where she belongs. Sign those divorce papers and end it officially. Don’t look back.”

I gave them a slow nod and managed a smile. “I will protect her. Beatrix is mine now.”

Next morning, I carried her out of the hospital in my arms, her body light against me, her head resting on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, baby. I won’t let Rosine come back. You’re the only one I want.”

At the villa, I laid her carefully on the bed, tucking the blanket around her. I bent down, kissed her forehead, and turned toward my desk.

I took the divorce paper nd signed it. Then my phone rang. I answered.

“Boss, your wife Rosine… she’s dead.”