Beyond A Substitute

"Let's divorce," Kingsley said calmly, placing a set of documents on the coffee table in front of her.

Katherine looked up from where she sat on the couch, her expression unreadable at first until her brows slowly drew together. "What did you just say?"

"I want a divorce," he repeated, his voice low and steady. "I came with the papers. All I need is your signature."

Katherine's lips parted in disbelief. "You're serious?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "A divorce?"

Kingsley didn't answer. Her confusion gave way to a sharp, bitter laugh. "After all this time... You're asking me for a divorce? Me, the woman who's been in the shadows for you. The one no one even knows you married. The woman you made invisible so you could pretend to the world you were single."

He looked down, jaw clenched.

"You kept me hidden, Kingsley," she went on, her voice gaining strength. "And I let you. I told myself it was temporary, that it was for us, for your career, for your image. But now you're here, handing me a divorce like it's some business transaction?"

 "I didn't mean to hurt you," he said quietly. "But this... it's the only way."

 Katherine shook her head, heart pounding. "Is this about Beth? Of course, it is. The whole world saw you kissing her on the red carpet last night. The way you held her, smiled at her like she was your everything."

Kingsley hesitated, then nodded. "I love her." A silence fell between them. "I love Beth," he said again. "She's the one I want to spend my life with. The one I can be with openly, without secrets."

"And what was I?" Katherine's voice cracked. "What am I to you, Kingsley?" He took a breath, his eyes softening for the first time.

"You were comforting. Safety. Your eyes... they reminded me of her." Katherine stared at him like he'd lost his mind.

"You married me because I reminded you of Beth?" He nodded slowly. "I was confused. I told myself I could move on, that I could learn to love you the way I needed to. And for a while, I thought I could." "And now?" she asked, rising to her feet. "Now you want to marry her instead?"

"She's always been the one," Kingsley said, you can't understand, we have been together before, our story; it's complicated."