“Sign it.”

The words didn’t register in my mind at first. It hung in the air, creating a tension that was heavy and suffocating. My eyes trailed to the paper on the table, scanning the bold letters at the top without fully seeing them. My mind was in disarray, as I struggled to grasp what was happening.

“Damian, I’m confused...what is this?” I asked.

He didn’t answer me immediately. Instead, he leaned back on his chair, a stoic expression plastered on his face. His gaze was fixed on me, eyes cold and filled with detachment, like I wasn’t someone he was in love with.

“These are divorce papers,” he said in a firm tone. “I don’t think I need to explain anything further.”

His words hit harder this time, sinking into me painfully. The words settled within my chest until it started to twist, and they echoed in my head, refusing to align with the reality I thought I was living a few hours ago.

“Is this some kind of sick joke? This isn’t funny,” I said, forcing out a weak laugh that died down the moment it left my lips. “If this is some kind of prank–“

“You know I don’t joke about things like this, Sophie.”

There was a sharp coldness in the way he said jy name that made my stomach drop. My fingers curled against the edge of the table as I tried to steady myself, my heart hammering against my chest so hard, I could hear it in my ears. We had arguments before, but nothing that would lead to...this.

“Then please, explain this to me,” I pleaded, unable to hide the tremor in my voice. “Because I don’t understand what is going on right now.”

For a moment Damian stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out and enveloped. He tossed it onto the table in front of me with a flick of his wrist.

“Open it.”

My hands hesitated for a second before I reached out, dread crawling up my spine. I didn’t know what to expect as I picked up the envelope and pulled out the contents. My blood ran cooled as I gazed at the first photograph in my mind.

My entire body went numb.

I stared at the image, my mind refusing to grasp what I was seeing. There was no denying it. That was my face, body and even my clothes. But the context of the picture was foreign and didn’t make any sense. My body pressed against a man I didn’t recognise, and his hands were around my waist, his face buried in the curved that made it look a little too intimate.

“What...” the words slipped out of my lips as a whisper.

But there were more photos, and each one was worse than the other. My eyes grew wide as I gazed at a picture of me with my lips pressed against his.

“What is this...this isn’t real,” I blurted out, shaking my head as I snapped my eyes up to look at Damian. “Damian, I don’t know how these photos came to be, but this isn’t what it looks like. I would never–“

“Just...stop.”

His words cut through me like a knife.

“I am honestly not interested in hearing any of your excuses,” he with a sigh as he rubbed his temples.

“But these aren’t excuses,” I spoke up, my voice rising. “You have to believe me. You know me Damian. You know I wouldn’t do something like this.”

He let out a short dry laughter, before turning his eyes to the window.

“You see, that’s problem. I thought I knew you.”

His words knocked the air out of my lungs. I couldn’t stop the searing pain burning in my chest. I shook my head slowly, lips quivering as I reached out to hold him, to close the distance between us as if that would remind him of all the time we’ve spent together.

“Damian, please.”

He moved before I could touch him and that subtle act broke something inside of me. I froze, my hands stuck mid-air before I slowly lowered it. He didn’t want me near him. He didn’t even want me to touch him. The realisation made my heart sink.

“You disgust me Sophie.”

The words landed like a blow to the cheek, leaving me breathless.

“Oh Damian,” I shook my head frantically, tears blurring my vision despite my efforts to keep them at bay. “You don’t really mean that, I know. You’re just angry right now and because of that you’re not thinking properly–“

“I am thinking very clearly as a matter of fact,” he cut in coldly, eyes now fixed on me. “You cheated on me Sophie, you betrayed me. And you expect me to do what? Pretend like it didn’t happen?”

“But I didn’t cheat on you!” the words tore from my throat with desperation. “I swear to you, I would never do that!”

He scoffed. “Really? Then explain these photos.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. What exactly could I say? Even I didn’t understand where those photos came from. That was the worst part of it. I had no way to prove that the photos weren’t real.

Silence hung in the air, only breaking from the soft sound of the door creaking open. I looked back, and Crystal walked in, her heels clicking on the marble floor. She walked over to the table, took a glance at the picture and shook her head.

“Sophie,” she sighed. “I can’t believe this, I’m so disappointed in you.”

Her lips curved slightly in a way that was easy to miss. But I saw it. In that moment, something shifted in my mind. The unease I felt when she suddenly joined the company and worked her way into our lives.

Everything was starting to make sense.

I grabbed the photos, throwing it in her face as anger flashed in my eyes.

“You! It was you who did this!” I screamed.