Becoming A War God: Rise Of Darius Holloway

Chapter 9: Finally Divorced

Chapter Nine:

Darius stood in the cold marble hallway of City Hall, his hands in his pockets, his eyes fixed on the entrance doors. The clock on the wall ticked loudly, each second stretching into an eternity. He had arrived early—too early, perhaps. But he needed to be here. He needed to see this through.

The divorce papers were already signed. His signature sat at the bottom of the page in dark, permanent ink. He hadn't demanded for anything. Not the house. Not the car. Not a single penny of the money they had saved together. He just wanted out to be free. 

He glanced at the door again. No sign of her yet. 

She's not coming, he thought. Of course she's not coming. She never shows up when it matters.

But then the doors swung open, and she walked in.

Lisa was beautiful. She always had been. Even now, with her face tight with barely concealed anger, her eyes flashing with something that might have been fear, she was stunning. 

Her hair was perfectly styled into a ponytail. Her dress was expensive and fitted. Her heels clicked against the marble floor with the confident rhythm of a woman who knew her worth.

Darius watched her approach, and he felt... nothing. That strange feeling was guite gone. No flicker of the love that had burned in his chest for couple of years. 

She's beautiful, he admitted to himself. But beauty isn't enough. It was never enough.

Then he saw Harry.

He walked beside her, his arm brushing against hers, his face twisted into an expression of barely concealed contempt. 

He glared at Darius like he was something stuck to the bottom of his shoe. Like he was vermin. Like he was nothing.

Darius met his gaze. And for a moment, just a moment, he stared dangerously at him. Something ancient and terrible flickered in his pupils. Something that made Harry's confident sneer falter.

Then Darius looked away, dismissing him entirely.

Lisa stopped a few feet in front of him. Her eyes darted to the papers in his hand, and her face went pale. Her confidence shattered instantly. She thought aDarius was joking and playing with her all along. But everything seems serious. 

The color drained from her cheeks so quickly, and glanced at Harry, looking confused. 

"You—" Lisa's voice cracked. She cleared her throat and tried again. "You actually did it. You actually filed for a divorce, Darius. Are you really serious?"

Darius held up the papers. "You really think I will be joking about this, Lisa! I've already signed, just waiting for your signature and let's end this."

Lisa stared at the papers like they were a snake about to strike. Her hands, which had been resting at her sides, began to tremble. "I thought—I thought you were just trying to scare me. I thought—"

"You thought wrong." Darius's voice was calm. He wasn't angry. He was long past anger. "I told you I was done, Lisa. I meant it."

Her confidence, which had been so carefully constructed, crumbled in an instant. She took a step forward, her eyes wide and pleading. "Darius, wait. Just wait. We can talk about this. We can—"

"Talk?" Darius laughed softly. "We've been talking for three years. You never listened. You never wanted to listen. You just wanted me to do what you said, when you said it. That's not a marriage. That's a dictatorship."

Lisa flinched at his words and tried to protest. "That's not fair. I tried. I really tried—"

"No." Darius shook his head. "You didn't. You never tried. You just assumed I would always be there. That I would always wait. That no matter what you did, I would still love you. And the worst part?" His voice dropped, soft and sad. "I did. For years, I did. I loved you so much that I let you treat me like a doormat. I let you ignore me. I let you belittle me. I let you choose another man over me, over and over again."

Harry, who had been enjoying everything that happens, stepped forward, his face red with practiced rage. "That's enough. You don't get to talk to her like that. You're nothing. You've always been nothing. Without her, you're—"

Darius turned to look at him. His eyes blazing red in rage, and Harry's voice died in his throat. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly, like a fish gasping for air.

"I wasn't talking to you," Darius said in a harsh tone. "But since you're here, let me say this. You think you've won. You think you've taken her from me. But you haven't won anything, Harry. You've just proven exactly what you are. A coward. A liar. A man who act in a cunny way to get whatever he want."

Harry's face went white. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Darius, just stop it! Why are you so jealous about Harry? I told there's nothing going on between Harry and I. You keeps trying to badmouth him every time. What has Harry done for you to keep doing this to him? You need to fuçking stop this! This is childish!” 

Lisa's voice came out angrily, getting pissed at Darius' antics. 

Darius stared at her blankly. He was not surprised by the way, that's how he kept defending him every time. She wouldn't listen to her. 

"He know exactly what I'm talking about. I don't care if you believe me or not," Darius's voice was ice. 

Darius, then turned to Harry, saying. "And one day, Lisa is going to realize what you did. She's going to realize that you left her once for money, and you'd do it again. And when that day comes, I won't be there to pick up the pieces."

Lisa's eyes darted between the two men, confused. "What is he talking about, Harry? What did you do?"

Harry laughed, but it was hollow. "He's lying. He's just trying to turn you against me. Don't you see? He can't stand that you chose me over him. He's been jealous this whole time. He's—"

"Stop." Lisa's voice was sharp. She turned to Darius, her eyes wet with tears she was trying desperately to hold back. "Darius, please. Don't do this. Don't throw everything away because of one mistake. I know I hurt you. I know I made mistakes. But we can fix this. We can—"

"There's nothing to fix," Darius said. "There's nothing left to save. I loved you, Lisa. I loved you with everything I had. And you threw it away like it meant nothing."

Lisa's tears spilled over. "That's not true. You were my husband. You—"

"Don't." Darius held up a hand. "Don't lie to me now. Not after everything. Not after you left me to drown. Not after you fell asleep in his bed while I was fighting for my life."

Lisa opened her mouth, but no words came. Her face crumpled. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs. She looked broken. She looked like a woman who had just realized she had lost something she could never get back.

But Darius didn't feel sorry for her. He felt sorry for himself. For the man he used to be. The man who would have rushed to comfort her. The man who would have apologized for making her cry, even when she was the one in the wrong.

That man was gone, drowned in the ocean. Buried with the life jacket that had been meant to save him.

"Just sign the papers," Darius said quietly. "It's over. Let's both move on."

Lisa stared at him for a long moment. Then, slowly, she reached for the pen on the counter. Her hand shook so badly that she dropped it twice before she finally managed to write her name.

She signed the divorce agreement.

When she was done, she looked up at him. Her eyes were red, her face blotchy, her carefully applied makeup ruined. She looked nothing like the cold, beautiful woman who had walked in fifteen minutes ago.

"Are you happy now?" she whispered. "Is this what you wanted? To see me like this?"

Darius picked up the papers and tucked them into his pocket. "No," he said honestly. "This isn't what I wanted. I wanted a wife who loved me. I wanted a partner who chose me. I wanted someone who would fight for me the way I fought for her. But I never had that. Not really."

He turned to leave.

"Darius, wait!" Lisa grabbed his arm. "Where will you go? What will you do? You have nothing. No money. No home. You can't just—"

"I'll figure it out," Darius said, gently pulling his arm free. "I always do. And for the record, Lisa? I was never nothing without you. I just thought I was."

He walked toward the exit, his footsteps echoing in the silent hallway.

But he only made it a few steps before he stopped. Because standing in the doorway, blocking his path, was a familiar face.

Elena.

She was dressed in expensive clothes now, her dark hair pulled back, her face radiant with relief. She looked at him with wide, grateful eyes, and a smile spread across her lips like sunrise.

"I've been looking for you everywhere," she said breathlessly. "I thought I'd never find you."

Darius blinked. "How did you know I was here?"

Elena smiled mysteriously. "I have my ways. But right now, that's not important. What's important is that I owe you my life. And I intend to repay that debt."

Behind him, Lisa's voice cut through the air like a knife. "Who is this? Darius, who is she?"

Darius turned to look at his ex-wife. At her tear-streaked face, her trembling hands, her desperate eyes.

He didn't answer. He just walked toward Elena, and they both walked out of the building.