Born For This

Chapter 006: The Day He Chose Himself

The office remained dead silent.

Vivian stood frozen behind her desk, the divorce papers trembling faintly in her  hands. Her eyes stayed fixed on the papers for several long seconds before she finally looked back up at Kyle.

Disbelief was written all over her face, then panic slowly began creeping in beneath it.

"Kyle..." she said again, this time shakier. "Why are you asking me for a divorce?"

Kyle looked at her calmly. He felt lighter than he had in years now that the words had finally been spoken aloud.

"No reason complicated enough to explain," he replied evenly. "I just don't love you anymore."

The words hit hard, and Vivian's breathing visibly stalled. Even James straightened slightly from where he stood.

For a brief second, genuine hurt flashed across her face before anger quickly rushed over it.

"You don't love me anymore?" she repeated incredulously. "Why? Just because I asked you to apologize?"

Kyle gave the faintest nod. "Yeah. That should be enough reason."

Vivian stared at him as though she no longer recognized the man standing before her. Then her composure cracked completely.

"Are you serious right now?" she burst out. "You're throwing our marriage to the dirt over this ridiculous nonsense?"

Her voice rose with every word.

"Three freaking years together, Kyle! Three entire years we shared! And suddenly you want a divorce because your damn pride got bruised?"

Kyle laughed softly. "My pride?"

Vivian slammed the papers down on the desk. 

"Yes, your disgusting pride!" she snapped furiously. "You're acting like some jealous high school freak who's throwing a tantrum because he couldn't handle seeing another guy with his girl!"

Kyle's eyes turned completely cold then. For a few seconds, he simply stared at her. 

Then he spoke quietly. "You asked me to apologize to the man who kissed my wife."

Vivian's lips parted, but Kyle continued before she could interrupt.

"You defended him right from the beginning."

He took a step forward. "You called me irrational for reacting."

Another step forward. "You insulted your so-called husband in front of him."

His voice lowered dangerously. "And just now, you called me a stay-at-home husband as though I should be grateful for the derogatory title."

Vivian's expression stiffened. But Kyle smiled faintly.

"So tell me, Vivian..." he asked softly. "How exactly is this all due to jealously?"

The office fell silent again. For the first time since the argument began, Vivian couldn't respond immediately. A trace of guilt even flickered through her eyes again.

"Kyle..." she said more quietly this time. "Look, I can explain."

Kyle shook his head. "I don't care."

The answer visibly shook her.

"I said I can explain."

"And I said I don't care."

His calm tone only worsened Vivian's fears. It was obvious now that Kyle was putting in real effort to end their marriage.

Her fingers tightened around the papers unconsciously, her eyes still fixed on him.

"Kyle, don't do this," she said in a low voice.

"Sign the papers," Kyle replied immediately.

The simplicity of his stubbornness made humiliation instantly surge through her chest. Her eyes reddened in anger.

"Fine!" she snapped suddenly.

James frowned slightly. "Easy, Vivian–"

"No!" she cut him off sharply before glaring back at Kyle. "If this is how he wants it, then fine!"

She grabbed a pen off the desk violently. Then she signed where necessary.

"You've been spoiled rotten, Kyle," she said coldly. "That's the sad truth."

She laughed bitterly. "A live-in-son-in-law who does nothing all day suddenly thinks he can talk down to me because I asked him to apologize?"

James glanced at Kyle instinctively, but Kyle only gave off a quiet laugh.

"There it is," he said.

Vivian frowned. "What?"

"Your real thoughts," he replied with a small smile. "You never regarded me."

Vivian stiffened.

"You think being a stay-at-home husband makes me the lowest of all," he continued.

Vivian shut her eyes. "Kyle–"

"You think it makes him better than me," Kyle cut in, glancing at James.

He paused for a second, then chuckled. "But you forget that I became that man because you asked me to."

Vivian looked into his eyes.

"You said your career mattered more at the time," Kyle continued. "So I gave up mine and left my family's business."

His eyes locked onto hers completely. "I did all that because I loved you."

A flicker of guilt crossed Vivian's face again. She looked away from Kyle and heaved a sigh.

"Look..." she said weakly. "Everyone's just emotional right now."

She softened her tone. "Well...maybe we've both said things we shouldn't have, Kyle."

Her fingers slowly loosened around the papers. "I'll tear these papers up and we pretend this whole thing never happened."

Kyle stared at her for several long seconds, then he calmly walked forward.

Hope flickered briefly across Vivian's face. But it was dashed when he reached out and took the divorce papers from her hands. He folded them neatly and tucked them back into his coat.

"Kyle–"

"I'm done, Vivian," he cut in.

Then he turned and walked toward the office doors without another glance backward.

Vivian's chest tightened violently. She couldn't believe her eyes. 

"Kyle!" she called. "If you walk out that door–"

He opened it.

"Kyle! Don't you expect me to beg you to come back!"

Kyle paused briefly at the doorway. Then he walked out without turning back. The doors shut behind him with a quiet click.

Vivian stood frozen in place. The office suddenly felt empty.

James stepped forward carefully and placed his hands on her shoulder. "It's okay, Vivian–"

She shrugged violently. "Get off me!"

"But he's just a nobody!" James retorted.

---------

Downstairs, Dora watched as Kyle exited the building and walked toward her car. Just one look at his face told her everything she needed to know.

He opened the car door and stepped inside.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke. Then Dora started the engine smoothly.

"So," she said lightly, eyes on the road. "Did anyone's teeth get knocked out?"

Kyle let out a quiet breath. "It's all over."

Dora glanced at him briefly. "What? Wasn't that what you wanted?"

He rubbed his face with a hand. "Yeah. But I guess I wasn't ready to get hit with the reality of it."

Dora's eyes remained on the road as the car pulled out and joined the traffic. "No one is ever ready for it. I–"

"Withdraw everything," he cut in. His expression had turned cold again.

Dora's fingers paused briefly on the steering wheel. "Everything?"

Kyle nodded once. "Every single support toward Vivian Group ends today."

He paused, heaving a sigh. "No more investments or hidden assistance."

Outside the car window, the towering building of Vivian Group slowly disappeared behind them.

Kyle's eyes darkened even more.

"From this moment onward," he said quietly. "I want absolutely nothing to do with Vivian."