2026-08-27 05:39:16Chapter 001
Colton's POV
“Sign the divorce papers, Colton.”
I froze.
The small chocolate bar in my hand suddenly felt heavier than it should.
I had barely stepped through the door when Lisa's voice stopped me. She stood in the middle of our small living room with her arms folded across her chest, staring at me as though she had been waiting for this exact moment.
I looked from her face to the document on the table.
“Divorce?”
“Yes.”
She didn't hesitate.
I let out a nervous laugh, hoping this was some joke.
“Lisa, what are you talking about?”
“I'm talking about ending this marriage.”
My smile disappeared.
I glanced down at the chocolate in my hand.
Felix had been asking for one for almost three months. Every time we passed the little store in the village, his eyes followed the colorful wrappers behind the glass.
I had spent the last of my money on it.
Today was his sixth birthday.
For once, I wanted to see my son's face light up without worrying about whether I could afford it.
I had imagined him running into my arms the moment I got home.
Instead, my wife was asking me for a divorce.
I slowly placed the chocolate on the table.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “You're still asking that?”
My throat tightened. “I know things haven't been easy lately, but I'm trying.”
“Trying?” She laughed bitterly. “You've been trying for six years, Colton.”
I stared at her.
Six years of marriage.
Six years of working the farm from sunrise until my hands ached.
Six years of stretching every little income just to keep food on the table.
I knew I wasn't rich. I knew Lisa hated our small house and the life we lived.
But I had always believed she would stay. I had believed love was enough.
“I can do better,” I whispered. “Just give me some time.”
“Time for what?”
“To make things better.”
She scoffed.
“With what money?”
I swallowed.
Her eyes dropped to the chocolate on the table.
“You spent your last money on that?”
My fingers curled into fists.
“It's Felix's birthday.”
“Exactly.”
She shook her head.
“You can barely afford a chocolate bar, yet you expect me to spend the rest of my life pretending this life is enough?”
“Lisa...”
“No.”
She stepped closer.
“I am tired of being poor. I'm tired of watching you come home smelling like dirt every day. I'm tired of pretending that being married to a farmer is something I should be proud of.”
Her words cut deeper than I wanted to admit.
I looked at the woman standing before me.
This was Lisa—my wife.
My first love.
The woman I had once believed I would grow old with.
“Is there someone else?”
For the first time, she went quiet.
That silence was enough.
My heart dropped. “Lisa?”
She looked away.
“Answer me.”
Before she could speak, a strange voice came from the only bedroom.
"Babe!"
My entire body stiffened. I watched as Lisa rushed back into the bedroom with a smile on her face.
Before I could react, I heard a woman's breathy moan.
My stomach turned.
No.
It couldn't be.
I slowly turned toward the bedroom.
“Lisa…”
She didn't stop me.
I took one step.
Then another.
The door was slightly open.
My hand trembled as I pushed it wider.
My breath caught.
Lisa was on the bed with another man.
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
I couldn't speak.
I couldn't even breathe.
The chocolate I bought for Felix was still sitting on the table behind me.
I walked into this house thinking about my son's smile.
Now I was staring at my wife in another man's arms.
“Lisa!”
She barely looked embarrassed.
Instead, she sighed as though I were the one disturbing her.
“Do you mind?”
My lips parted.
“Who is he?”
The man beside her looked at me with a smug expression.
Lisa didn't answer.
She didn't have to.
The way she looked at him told me everything.
I felt something crack inside my chest.
“Why?”
My voice came out weak.
“Why would you do this to me?”
She rolled her eyes.
“Don't make this dramatic, Colton.”
“Dramatic?”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
“You're cheating on me, Lisa!”
“And?”
I stared at her.
She actually said And?
“Was any of it real?” I asked.
For a moment, her expression hardened.
Then she laughed.
“Love? You really want to talk about love?”
She climbed off the bed and picked up her handbag.
“I married you because I was confused. If I hadn't gotten pregnant with Felix, I would never have married you.”
My heart sank.
“Don't say that.”
“Why not? It's the truth.”
“Sign the divorce papers and stop all this shit.”
“Lisa…” My voice cracked.
“Stop begging.”
I looked at her, desperately searching for the woman I remembered.
“I'm done with you,” she said coldly.
My breathing became uneven.
“I love you.”
She scoffed.
“A poor man like you doesn't deserve happiness, Colton.”
My eyes burned.
“You know I'm doing everything I can.”
“Your best isn't enough.”
She touched the diamond necklace around her neck. “Do you remember this?”
I nodded slowly. “You asked me for it.”
“Yes. And you couldn't afford it.”
She smiled. “But he bought it for me in three minutes.”
She glanced toward the man on the bed.
The comparison was deliberate.
Cruel.
I lowered my head. Maybe being poor really was a crime.
Maybe I had been foolish to believe that love could survive without money.
Then something felt wrong. The house was too quiet.
I lifted my head.
“Where's Felix?”
Lisa's lips curled into a smile.
“Looking for your precious son?”
My heart started pounding. “Where is he?”
No answer.
“Lisa, where is our son?”
Her smile disappeared. "Oh please, don't call a dying thing my son! You are cursed from birth, and it's obvious your dying son is also cursed!" She moved closer to me and said: "Because of your stupid curse, your son had pneumonia as a young child, and you are shamelessly asking me to stay with you?"
"Really? You want me to stay with a cursed man?"
"Lisa!!!" My eyes blurred with tears. Her words hit me hard; I felt guilty for Felix’s sickness.
The villagers had called me cursed since I was a child. Poverty only gave them another reason to look down on me.
They believed my parents died because of me; no one wanted to see me around except my late Grandmother.
"Where is my son?!" I screamed. I rushed toward the living room.
“Felix!”
Silence.
I checked behind the sofa; I ran toward the kitchen.
Still nothing.
“Felix!”
My voice cracked.
I stumbled into the backyard, then toward the farm.
My breathing became ragged.
He wasn't there.
I ran back inside.
Lisa was standing by the door with her bags packed.
“Where is my son?”
I grabbed her shoulders.
“Where is Felix?”
She slapped me.
Smack!
My head turned from the force.
Before I could react, the man from the bedroom stepped between us.
“Don't you dare touch my woman.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
Then my eyes moved around the room.
Felix's little sandals were beside the door.
His favorite toy truck was overturned on the floor.
My heart stopped as I heard a low sound coming from the wooden wardrobe.
Her smile widened. “He should be inside there.”
My blood ran cold.
I stared at it.
“No…”
I took a slow step forward.
My hand trembled as I reached for the handle.
Behind me, Lisa laughed.
I pulled the wardrobe door open, and my heart stopped.
“Daddy…”
Felix's tiny, frightened voice pierced through me.
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