Chapter 96
-BLAIR-
His words echoed in my head.
“Blair. We are still married.”
What?
R89
55 vouchers
How could we still be married? I had signed the papers in his living room and thrown the ring at his chest. He had looked ready to be rid of me.
Ready for Lily. There had been so many articles of them together I had lost count-her car in his driveway, his mouth on hers at my father’s event. So much more that I didn’t even want to remember right now.
Each one had broken something I had been trying to keep quiet.
“You’re lying.”
He shook his head. We were still in the hospital corridor, the printed ultrasound images in my bag. “I never signed the divorce papers.”
The sentence made me choke on nothing.
Why?
Why would he not sign them?
“I do not understand,” I whispered. “Why wouldn’t you sign it? You are the one who asked for a divorce.”
He dragged a hand through his hair. “I only asked because I thought you didn’t want to be with me. I thought you wanted Chase.”
“Because of the pictures of us kissing.”
He nodded. “Blair, I was stupid. I still don’t know everything that happened that day, and I don’t need the whole story to know I handled it like a coward. I saw a photograph and I ended us instead of asking you what truly happened. I know I haven’t been the husband you deserved from the start but you have no idea how happy I am to know this baby is mine-”
“I cannot simply forget what you did.” I snapped. I could not allow myself to forgive him quickly. There was a good chance he’d change his mind by tomorrow and I’d be the one picking up the pieces again.
“You kissed her. Multiple times. In front of me. You let her into our home after I left because you wanted a divorce. There are so many articles with the two of you I stopped opening them. You willingly spent time with her. The entire time I was sick. Throwing up. Scared of having a baby without my husband. Scared of having to go through this pregnancy alone. You have no idea what that did to me.”
His face tightened as though each word stabbed him. “Blair-”
1/3
14:53 Thu, Sep 17
The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
89
55 vouchers
“You told me you loved her.” My eyes burned. “You told me you needed me to sign so you could be with who you truly wanted. I signed it. I walked out with nothing. Now you’re telling me it was all a lie? How am I supposed to believe that?”
“I couldn’t sign them.” His voice dropped. “I tried. I picked up the pen more than once. The house was empty and I still couldn’t put my name on that line. I told myself I was protecting myself from getting hurt. It was fear. I was a coward, I know that. I care for you, Blair-”
I laughed once, unable to hide the hurt from my voice. “You have a terrible way of showing that.”
“Give me another chance.” He begged. “Blair. Please. This time the marriage would be what it should have been from the start. Not a debt to repay. Not a performance for the cameras. Not me promising someone else I would make you hate me. This time it would be different. I would show up. I would not let anyone come between us again. I would not leave you to carry this alone.”
People passed us in the hall. I barely saw them. I wanted to believe him but I couldn’t. Not after everything. How was I supposed to know that this was real and not just him pretending to like me so that he could be involved in our baby’s life?
“Move back in,” he said. “The house has been lonely without you. I kept the pictures on the wall. I kept your ring. Come home. Let me do this right.”
Home.
The word hurt.
I looked at him, unable to forget all the times he’d hurt me recently. I knew why he did it but that didn’t change the fact that it was quite easy for him to allow Lily back into his life the second I was gone.
“I need time to think it over.” I finally said. “Especially because I do not believe things are truly over with Lily. You let her stand in front of a door I was walking out of. I cannot simply forget that.”
“Blair-”
“I said I need time.”
I walked. I didn’t wait for him to say more.
I made it to the elevator before my hand came up to my chest, fingers pressing against the wild, painful beating of my heart. The doors closed with him still standing where I had left him, like a man who couldn’t believe the mess he’d made of his life.
He never signed the divorce papers.
All this time, we’ve still been married.
I had read comments that said Lily was the right choice. I had thrown up through mornings after seeing articles with him and her.
And on paper, I had still been his wife.
2/3
14:53 Thu, Sep 17
The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
89
55 vouchers
The elevator chimed. I stepped out into the lobby and kept my palm against my heart because it would not slow down. Desire and anger and a dangerous, humiliating hope for our marriage were all beating in the same place.
He wanted me to come home.
He wanted another chance.
He wanted the marriage to be what it should have been.
I wanted that too. That was the problem. I wanted it enough that if I turned around now I would forgive him without thinking twice.
That’s why I kept walking. Scared that my traitor heart would betray me.
Time.
I would take the time I needed-I had to. My baby needed it too. I couldn’t rush into anything. If Grayson truly wanted this to work, then things had to change significantly now. I needed to be sure he was over Lily for good and genuinely committed to us. If he couldn’t prove that, then I wouldn’t be able to forgive him.
3/3
AD
Comment
Send gift
No Ads
14:53 Thu, Sep 17
The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
Dex Morgan
Dex works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.