Chapter Six

For a few moments, Max was frozen, his heart racing as he processed Marie's bold request. Had he heard correctly? She was asking for a divorce, the one thing he never thought she'd have the courage to do.

Fighting to maintain his composure, Max fixed Marie with a cold stare.

“Are you out of your mind? How dare you ask me for a divorce?” He fumed.

Marie scoffed mockingly. How dare she ask him for a divorce??

“I'm not crazy Mr. Brown, I'm very clear headed.. I want a divorce!.” Marie answered, lifting her jaw rebelliously.

As Max struggled to comprehend what he had just heard, his heart pounded and blood rushed to his ears.

Is that really what she meant? He reflected as he examined her face for any indication of doubt or that she might reconsider.

Seeing that Marie's expression was unwavering and her words resolute, he recomposed himself. He wasn't going to show any sign of weakness, not in her presence.

Plus, why does he care anyway?

“Fine.” he sighed resignedly. “Just don't regret it.” he added, holding a forced smirk on his face.

Lol. Regret? What does he take her for? Marie thought to herself.

“I’ll have my lawyers work on the papers, expect them tomorrow.” Marie said as she turned around and walked out of the room without any more words.

-

THUMP!

The divorce papers landed with a thud on Lena's hospital bed, their weight heavy with significance.

Marie had anticipated that Max should be there, however she hadn't anticipated that he should show up sooner than expected in the first part of the day.

Max gazed down at the authoritative report, his eyes skimming the words "Dissolution of Marriage" and "Irreconcilable Differences" with a combination of skepticism and renunciation.

The truth of their circumstance looked straight at him, certain and irreversible.

Marie's words brought him out of his reveiere.

“Our child is dead. Don't.. don't you have anything to say?” Marie asked softly, pain laced in her voice.

Max lifted his chin to meet Marie's gaze. He could see the mixture of anger, pain and frustration visible on it.

“The child is already dead. Why do you keep bringing it up?” Max asked. “Tell me, what do you want to gain with this child?”

A surge of frustration and anger swelled within Marie, the tension between them reaching a fever pitch.

“What do I want?” Marie huffed. “What I want, you cannot provide.” She said, moving closer to him. “I want you to bring me back my child!” She cried, feeling tears gather in her eyes.

“Marie…” Max trailed off

“I want you to take back the blood that belongs to me from Lena!, I…”

“Marie!...” Max cuts in. “Don't be so aggressive, I have already given you enough.”

Marie held her gaze on Max before lifting divorce papers from the bed.

“Then there's nothing more to talk about.” She said firmly.

With a harsh flick of her pen, Marie aggressively signed the divorce papers, her eyes dark and her jaw set. A final, seething push sent the papers flying into Max's chest, the force of her rage carrying them like daggers to his heart.

Without another word, Marie stormed out of the room, the clack of her footstep on the linoleum floor echoing through the corridors, a resounding exclamation point on the end of their marriage.

Max stood motionless, stunned by the ferocity of Marie's exit. The heavy papers slid from his chest to the floor, the finality of their divorce a crushing weight on his shoulders.

He sank into the chair by Lena's bed, his emotions conflicted. The marriage was over - the thing he'd once thought would last forever - and now Marie was gone from his life, just like that. It was a bitter truth, one he struggled to comprehend in that moment of solitude.

Max's gaze shifted from the retreating form of Marie to Lena, who sat in the hospital bed like a broken doll watching the drama. The cold realization of Lena's deception shimmered in his eyes as he regarded her, a million unspoken questions hanging in the air between them.

The truth of her fake pregnancy had been revealed to Max by the doctor that morning and he was about addressing the issue with her when Marie interrupted.

He was disappointed. How many more lies are there?

Lena's gaze flitted nervously around the room, her silence a heavy shroud of guilt. She knew the truth was now exposed, the delicate threads of her lies unraveling before them both. Her fingers twitched, a small, frantic movement that betrayed the storm of thoughts whirling in her mind.

Marie was gone anyway so she now had Max all to herself. He loves her. So whether he found out she lied or not, he was definitely going to forgive her. They'd put it behind them and start afresh.

Max was going to shift his gaze from Lena but he couldn't. He even lost his child all to her dirty game. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

The weight of Max's state seemed to press down on Lena, forcing her to meet his gaze. Her eyes were soft and imploring, begging for a chance to explain, but the words refused to come.

Max broke the silence first. "I...I know what you did." His voice was quiet, but the disappointment that laced his tone cut through Lena like a knife.

"Max, please," she pleaded, her hand reaching out to touch his. "I… I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you."

But Max pulled away, his heart hardened.

Max's face was a cover of torment, his feelings a tangled trap of selling out and misfortune.

"Are you aware of what you have done?" he asked, his voice touched with sharpness.

"You caused me to accept we were beginning a family, that we were making something delightful together."

As she shook her head, Lena's face shattered and she shed tears. "I didn't intend to deceive you. I just wanted us to be happy."

“Oh really?” Max's brow furrowed. “Even at the expense of her child?” He asked, irritation laced in his voice.

Lena's heart skipped. She had mixed feelings about the loss of Marie's child. If Marie had had the child, then getting Max all to herself would have been harder as he'd always have a link with Marie.

But then on the other hand, she sincerely didn't have the slightest idea Marie was pregnant and felt a bit sorry for her, just a little bit.

She gazed up at Max once more, making sure to maintain the pitiful look on her face.

“I'm sorry Max, I really didn't know.”

Even if he wanted to get angry at Lena, he just couldn't. She looked so naive and innocent.

It's probably Karma. Marie had once hurt Lena too right, causing her to lose her both parents. He shouldn't bother too much. He should probably start all over with Lena in a clean state.