Rafael didn't stop in his tracks, pretending not to hear. He didn't want to hear that. No, he couldn't face that.
But her voice rang out again.
"I know you heard me! Let's end this marriage once and for all!"
This time, he stopped completely and turned around slowly, his expression stunned, eyebrows furrowed.
Erica, who had been waiting for him at the dining table, came rushing over. She stood beside Rafael, equally shocked.
"Madelyn, are you sure?" Erica asked, disbelief lacing her voice.
She couldn't believe the woman who had clung so tightly to this marriage was finally letting go.
"Why aren't you saying anything, honey? Madelyn has finally realized she's barren and a burden to you," Erica muttered beside him, her words too soft for Madelyn to hear.
Rafael said nothing, just stared as Madelyn came down the stairs toward them.
She stopped in front of him, holding out the divorce papers. "You were right. I was delusional about us. But now I see clearly. You're eager to have a child with her," she said, casting a glance at Erica, who smiled faintly.
Erica's eyes landed on the papers. Her lips parted in surprise. "These are real divorce papers, honey. Sign them," she urged, though Rafael made no move to take them.
"I thought you'd always wait? What's the sudden change?" Rafael asked, still in a state of shock, as he was sure she couldn't think of abandoning him some day. He didn't understand where she got the divorce papers from behind his back.
"I'm done waiting. I don't want to be a wife who only exists to fulfill your needs," Madelyn said firmly, her voice unwavering even though her heart trembled with the weight of her decision.
Rafael clenched his fists at her words, though his expression remained cold and composed. Yet a trace of fury lingered from the night before.
"Aren't you satisfied with the prestigious last name I gave you? The one others only dream of? Aren't the wealth and luxury enough to fulfill your desires?"
"Is that really all you think I wanted from you?" Madelyn asked bitterly. "Does that matter more than the love I hoped for, Rafael?"
"That's all I could ever offer you," he replied calmly, exhaling.
"Then from today onward, I won't expect anything else from you—once you sign the divorce papers."
Rafael rubbed the back of his neck, his jaw visibly clenched. Though he said nothing, Madelyn noticed the discomfort in his expression. His once-icy eyes now carried the weight of something deeper—an emotion he refused to name.
Running a hand through his black hair, Rafael let out a sharp breath, as though suffocating beneath the storm of pain and anger brewing inside him. "We vowed till death do us part. Don't tempt me to break the one part of our vows I hold sacred," he said.
He knew he hadn't given her the love she longed for or treated her the way she deserved. Yet letting her go had never been part of the plan. He had married her for reasons only he knew.
He had never thought of letting her go so easily.
"That vow means nothing to me anymore," Madelyn said. "Because this isn't the kind of home I ever dreamed of. A home without love or children can never be beautiful. I want you to sign the papers."
Rafael's brow lifted as his piercing gaze bore into hers, sending a chill through her. A slow, mocking smile spread across his face, his dimples deepening with something that wasn't amusement. "You should understand by now," he said, voice low and sharp, "that this marriage mean more to me than you'll ever realize, Madelyn Vellani."
Madelyn felt sweat trailing down her spine as her worst nightmare unfolded. The fear of being trapped in a loveless marriage with Rafael gripped her chest. She knew how possessive he could be, but she couldn't sacrifice her happiness—nor the well-being of her unborn child—for a bond that had no love.
She had to leave. No matter what.
"Well, I don't care how much this marriage matters to you, because I am done with you, Rafael Vellani," Madelyn declared, her voice shaking slightly as she fought to hold her ground. His menacing aura threatened to make her falter, but she couldn't afford to waver now.
A smirk curved his lips while he stepped closer, closing the gap between them by three inches. His eyes blazed with a mix of emotions she couldn't read.
"Don't even think about running away from me," he said quietly, though the threat in his tone coiled around her like a noose. "If you do, you won't like what I'll become. I will come after you, and it won't end well for you."
A chill raced down Madelyn's spine. For a moment, she almost regretted provoking him. He was being obsessed.
"Divorce her, Rafael, if that's what she wants. What's the point of dragging this out?" Erica cut in, her voice sharp with frustration.
"Fucking stay out of this!" Rafael snarled at Erica, his voice thunderous. Both women flinched at the sheer force behind his words.
He turned sharply and stormed toward the entrance, fury radiating from his tense posture. Rage and something more volatile brewed beneath the surface.
How could she still be adamant of leaving after everything he said to her last night?
Madelyn had never seen him this angry. They had never been this close to breaking. She watched his back as he moved toward the door, then spoke with quiet defiance.
"Sign the divorce papers, or I'll take this to court." She threatened.
Rafael didn't respond. He walked out as if he hadn't heard a word.
Madelyn clenched her fists, her chest tightening as she watched Rafael's figure disappear into the light. His persistence in refusing a divorce made her stomach churn.
Was her nightmare coming true?
Even if he refused to sign the papers, she had to walk away from a marriage where her feelings were never returned. He may have cared for her in his own way, but it was never enough.