Midnight mist

Emelia's voice trembled as she spoke, the words catching in her throat, her heart shattering with every breath. "But I love you, Damian! How can you say those things to me?" She stood in the middle of their vast, cold bedroom, her hands trembling as she reached for him, desperation consuming her every word. Her tears cascaded down her cheeks, raw and unfiltered, her chest heaving as she struggled to find the air to speak.

Damian stood by the door, his arms crossed, his jaw clenched in that familiar, cold mask of indifference. "Love?" He scoffed, his voice venomous. "You think this is love, Emelia? You were never supposed to be in this marriage. It was always Isabella. She's the one I love. She's the one who deserves me. You? You're just a stand-in, a mistake I was forced to live with." His words were like daggers, each one sinking deeper into Emelia's heart.

Her chest tightened as she tried to hold herself together. "But I didn't ask for this! I didn't want any of this, Damian. It was your grandfather's wish, you know that! I thought... I thought we could make this work."

Damian shook his head, a cruel laugh escaping his lips. "Make it work? Emelia, open your eyes. There's nothing here to fix. You're just a figurehead, something I had to deal with because of my inheritance. But guess what? I don't care anymore. I don't want it. I don't want you."

Her voice cracked as she pleaded, taking a step closer to him. "Damian, please... We've known each other since we were kids. There was a time when you loved me. I know you did. What changed? Why are you doing this? Why can't we-"

"What changed?" Damian snapped, his eyes blazing with fury. "You changed, Emelia. You think I could ever love someone like you? Pathetic, desperate, clinging to a marriage that was over before it even began. Isabella is everything you're not-beautiful, smart, confident. She doesn't drag me down like you do."

Emelia flinched at his words, her body trembling as she struggled to breathe through the pain. "I've done everything for you, Damian," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I gave up everything. My family hates me because of this marriage. They blame me for everything. But I stayed because I thought... I thought we could find our way back to each other."

"Your family hates you because they know the truth," Damian said, his voice cold and heartless. "You were never meant to be in this life. You're nothing but an obstacle. Isabella is the one I want. I've always wanted her."

Emelia's knees nearly buckled beneath her, her world crumbling as she watched the man she had loved her entire life turn into a stranger before her eyes. "Please, Damian... please don't leave me."

His eyes darkened with disgust. "You still don't get it, do you? I'm already gone. I've been gone for years. Sign the divorce papers, Emelia. Get out of my house. I can't stand the sight of you anymore."

Tears poured down her face, her hands trembling as she reached out one last time, desperate to cling to the pieces of her broken life. "Damian, please... don't do this."