Scarlett POV

 

Delaney stood in front of Jaxen, spine straight, gripping that preliminary divorce agreement tight.

 

As a battle-hardened lawyer, she rarely took divorce cases, but this one was different—I was her best friend of over twenty years, and I had just cried my heart out in her arms earlier. Concern hid in her eyes, but she quickly switched into professional mode. Her voice remained calm and firm.

 

I sat on the bed, watching her fight for me. My heart felt warm and sore at the same time.

 

Jaxen walked to the center of the room, his tall frame carrying that usual heavy presence. He glanced at me, then at Delaney, lips pressed tight.

 

“Scarlett.” His voice was low and slow. “You just won’t stop, will you?”

 

I turned and met his eyes head-on. My chest still ached, but this time I didn’t flinch. “We’re done, Jaxen. I want a divorce. I’m not joking. Delaney has already drafted the agreement. If you experience no issues, we can…”

 

“Later?” Jaxen cut me off roughly. “I don’t have time for your games.”

 

Quickly, he snatched the papers from Delaney’s hand and tossed them straight into the trash can in the corner with a loud thud.

 

Delaney froze for a second, wanting to speak, but she stepped back quietly. I knew it hurt her. As my best friend, she didn’t actually want to see me go through with this.

 

She was worried I wasn’t fully sure yet. That I’d cry my eyes out today and go back to Jaxen in a few days like the fool who kept holding on even after being ignored. She just didn’t want me to fall harder when I was already broken.

 

Even though she’d acted so professionally and strongly earlier, her eyes kept checking on me, silently asking, Scarlett, are you really sure? If you want to back out now, I’m still on your side.

 

Jaxen walked over to my hospital bed and looked down at me. His voice dripped with disdain. “Don’t think I know you. Until you actually get the divorce certificate from the council, signing as many papers as you want means nothing. Even if we get divorced, you’ll come begging me to take you back.”

 

I lifted my head and met his gaze. His throat bobbed. Something almost unreadable flashed in those amber eyes, and his right hand clenched into a fist at his side.

 

His words felt like needles stabbing my chest. My heart pounded with anger. Fighting through the weakness in my body, I got out of bed and forced myself to stand and face him.

 

“You would rather not be married to me. I am asking for a divorce. That should be precisely what you want, right?” My voice shook, but I tried to stay firm. “I promise you, after the divorce, I will never, ever beg you to get back together!”

 

“What do I want?” Jaxen scoffed and looked at the wall. “You’re wasting my time.”

 

He turned, glanced coldly at Delaney and her laptop, and ordered, “If you really want a divorce, the first step is dividing assets. Delaney, as her lawyer, have you handled that?”

 

Delaney’s face changed. She hadn’t had time to make a full agreement yet. “Jaxen, the divorce agreement needs both parties to discuss and revise the terms. If you have any objections,”

 

“I would rather not waste time with an unprofessional lawyer.” Jaxen cut her off, voice hard. “Get out.”

 

Delaney looked at me for help. Before she could speak, the bodyguard outside pushed the door open and politely but firmly escorted her out.

 

The door clicked shut.

 

Now it was just Jaxen and me in the room. The air suddenly felt suffocating.

 

All I could hear was our breathing. One thought filled my head: get this divorce done and cut all ties with him. I didn’t want people to remember me as “that pitiful woman Jaxen Hale dumped.”

 

In the dead silence, his tall body and scent surrounded me. I spoke first, my voice dry. “What do you want?”

 

Jaxen asked coldly, “Why don’t you first ask yourself how much of my time you want to waste?”

 

“I’m not!”

 

“Enough!” he stepped closer. His alpha aura crashed over me. “I was busy catching those kidnappers with the police. I let Warrick and the lawyers handle the rest. You don’t need to do anything. Stop talking about divorce. I’m not interested in playing house with you.”

 

I didn’t understand why he kept insisting I was playing games. His white moonlight was back. His heart and eyes were full of Liliana. I was willingly stepping aside. What else was he unhappy about?

 

I clenched my teeth, ignoring the pain in the back of my head and the tightness in my chest. “I’ll say it again. I’m serious about divorcing you!”

 

“Fine.” Jaxen suddenly got close, his voice dangerously low. “Then let me teach you what a real divorce looks like.”

 

He grabbed my left hand and roughly pinched the diamond wedding ring on my finger. “You didn’t think divorce was just having Delaney write up some random paper, did you?”

 

“It wasn’t random…”

 

“That means the kidnappers really knocked some sense into your head.” He yanked the ring off my finger with force, his voice full of mockery. “Do you know what you’ll get after a divorce? Nothing. You’ll leave with nothing!”

 

My heart sank. I tried to argue, “I have my job. I earn my money.”

 

“Every single thing on you was bought with my money?” Jaxen interrupted, eyes sharp as knives. “The house you live in, the car you drive, the bags you carry, the clothes you wear, even this VIP hospital room that costs ten thousand a day—you can’t afford any of it. Without me, can you still live like this? Swipe cards without blinking and get whatever you want delivered.”

 

He stuffed the diamond ring into his pocket.

 

In that moment, I felt deep humiliation. Tears welled up, but I held them back. I would rather not cry in front of him again. He wasn’t teaching me about divorce—he was trampling on my dignity, announcing to the world that I didn’t even deserve to ask for one. If anyone was doing the dumping, it had to be him.

 

“I’m kindly reminding you,” Jaxen looked down at me, “don’t forget we signed a prenup. No matter how we divorce, you won’t get a single cent of my assets. Calm down. My patience has limits.”

 

My brain buzzed as if it had been hit with a hammer. Yes, that damn prenup… I almost forgot.

 

Looking at the man who had taken my wedding ring and was staring down at me, I felt the ultimate irony. His eyes clearly said, “You? You think you can make waves?

 

Jaxen turned and walked toward the door. Before leaving, he threw out one last mocking line: “If you really want a divorce, pay for these days in the hospital yourself first. Move out of my house. Don’t take any cards or things that belong to me. Let me see if you actually have the guts.”

 

The door slammed shut behind him.

 

I stood there, legs weak, and slowly slid down to sit on the edge of the bed. My left hand felt empty without the ring. It felt like a piece of me had been hollowed out.

 

Could I really leave him?