PART 4: THE MAN WHO COULDN’T COMMAND MY HEART

I made it halfway down the corridor before I heard footsteps behind me.

“Claire!”

I kept walking.

“Claire, stop.”

The voice belonged to Alexander.

I reached the elevator.

The doors opened.

I stepped inside.

He caught the door before it closed.

For a moment, we stood facing each other.

His expression was furious.

“Get out.”

I looked at him.

“No.”

He stared.

“Do not make me repeat myself.”

I almost smiled.

“That’s exactly what you’ve been doing for years.”

His jaw tightened.

“You’re upset. We can talk about this at home.”

I shook my head.

“We have talked about this at home.”

“Not like this.”

“Because you never listened.”

He stepped inside the elevator.

The doors closed.

He looked at my stomach.

Then at my face.

“You’re carrying my child.”

I placed a protective hand over my belly.

“Yes.”

“Then think about what you’re doing.”

I stared at him.

“I have been thinking about our child every single day.”

“Then stop this.”

“No.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Claire.”

I took a breath.

“Our baby deserves parents who understand what responsibility means. I don’t want our child growing up believing that a mother must accept humiliation because her husband has money and power.”

His expression shifted.

“I would never let anyone hurt our child.”

I looked at him.

“Then start by understanding that hurting me hurts the family too.”

He looked away.

The elevator reached the ground floor.

The doors opened.

I stepped out.

He followed.

Outside, the night air was cold.

A black car waited near the entrance.

Alexander’s driver stood beside it.

When he saw us, he immediately opened the rear door.

Alexander turned toward me.

“Get in.”

I looked at him.

“No.”

His expression hardened.

“I’m taking you home.”

“I have my own transportation.”

“Claire.”

I turned toward the driver.

“Could you call a car for me, please?”

The driver glanced at Alexander.

Then at me.

He looked uncertain.

Alexander’s voice became colder.

“She is coming home with me.”

I looked at him.

“She is standing right here, Alexander. You can ask me what I want.”

The driver lowered his eyes.

I waited.

Finally, Alexander stepped back.

I called my own car.

While I waited, he stood several feet away.

Neither of us spoke.

When the car arrived, I opened the door.

Before getting inside, I looked at him one last time.

“Don’t come to my home tonight.”

He frowned.

“Our home.”

I shook my head.

“Not anymore.”

Then I got into the car.

And left.

***

I didn’t go to the mansion.

I went to my friend Emily’s apartment.

She was one of the few people outside the Moretti family who knew how difficult my marriage had become.

When she opened the door and saw my face, she immediately stepped aside.

“Claire?”

I walked inside.

She looked at my wrist.

“What happened?”

I glanced down.

A faint red mark remained where Alexander had grabbed me.

“Nothing.”

She frowned.

“That doesn’t look like nothing.”

I sat on the sofa.

Then I told her everything.

The dinner.

The necklace.

The crab.

His mother.

The divorce papers.

His reaction.

Emily listened without interrupting.

When I finished, she sat beside me.

“Are you all right?”

I looked at her.

And suddenly, I started crying.

Not because I regretted my decision.

Because I had finally said the words aloud.

I wanted a divorce.

I was leaving my husband.

The man I had loved.

The father of my unborn child.

The person I had once imagined growing old beside.

Emily held my hand.

“You don’t have to go back.”

I nodded.

“I know.”

“Do you want me to call someone?”

“My attorney.”

“All right.”

She brought me a blanket.

Then a glass of water.

And for the first time that night, I felt safe enough to breathe.

***

Alexander returned to the private dining room.

Nobody had touched the food.

His mother was standing beside her chair.

Sophia sat quietly.

The gold necklace still rested around her throat.

Alexander looked at the documents.

Then at his mother.

“What happened to the invitation?”

Isabella frowned.

“What?”

“Why wasn’t Claire told about this dinner?”

His mother looked surprised.

“She was told.”

“By whom?”

“I called her.”

“At the last minute.”

Isabella lifted her chin.

“She knew where we were.”

Alexander’s jaw tightened.

“She is my wife.”

Sophia shifted.

“Alex, perhaps we should all calm down.”

He turned toward her.

“Not now.”

She fell silent.

Isabella looked at him.

“Don’t take your frustration out on Sophia.”

He stared at his mother.

“Do you understand what just happened?”

His mother sighed.

“Your wife embarrassed you in front of everyone.”

Alexander looked down at the divorce papers.

Then he said quietly:

“She asked me for a divorce.”

Isabella shrugged.

“She’s emotional. She’ll come around.”

He looked up.

“You think so?”

“Of course. She is pregnant. She is upset. You know how women become.”

Something about the words irritated him.

He remembered the way Claire had stood in the doorway.

The way she had spoken.

The way she had pulled her wrist away.

She hadn’t looked like someone trying to win an argument.

She had looked like someone who had already made her decision.

Sophia spoke softly.

“Maybe she just wanted attention.”

Alexander turned toward her.

“Don’t.”

Sophia blinked.

“Alex?”

He looked at the necklace around her throat.

For the first time that evening, he noticed how uncomfortable the entire scene appeared.

His mother had given her a valuable piece of jewelry.

He had peeled crab for her.

He had placed his wife near the door.

And then he had demanded an apology from the woman carrying his child.

He looked at the empty doorway.

“Get the car ready.”

Isabella frowned.

“Where are you going?”

“Home.”

***

I was sitting on Emily’s sofa when my phone began ringing.

Alexander.

I watched the screen.

It rang until it stopped.

Then it rang again.

I didn’t answer.

A message appeared.

Alexander:

Where are you?

I stared at it.

Then another arrived.

Alexander:

Come home. We need to talk.

I closed my eyes.

He still thought he could decide when a conversation began and ended.

I typed:

Claire:

I am safe. I am not coming home tonight. Contact my attorney regarding the divorce.

I sent it.

The phone rang immediately.

I ignored it.

Another message arrived.

Alexander:

Do not involve lawyers in this.

I looked at the words.

Then I replied:

Claire:

You are the one who needs to understand that this is no longer a private disagreement. I am ending our marriage.

He called again.

This time, Emily looked at me.

“Do you want to answer?”

I shook my head.

“Not tonight.”

I switched off the sound.

And placed the phone on the table.

***

The next morning, I met Daniel.

He had already reviewed the initial documents.

When I explained what had happened at dinner, he listened carefully.

“Did he sign anything?”

“No.”

“Did he threaten you?”

“He told me I wasn’t divorcing him.”

Daniel nodded.

“That is not the same as having control over the legal process.”

I looked at him.

“He has a lot of influence.”

“I understand. But your rights do not disappear because your husband is powerful.”

I nodded.

He explained the next steps.

He also asked whether I wanted additional arrangements concerning communication and safety.

I told him I wanted everything handled professionally.

I didn’t want to provoke a confrontation.

I didn’t want to use the divorce to attack Alexander.

I simply wanted to leave.

Daniel reviewed the financial arrangements.

He asked me to gather records of my personal accounts and the assets connected to the marriage.

He explained that the process would take time.

Then he said:

“One more thing. Because you’re pregnant, we should make sure your medical care remains uninterrupted. Do you have an obstetrician you trust?”

I nodded.

“Yes.”

“Good. Keep your appointments. Make sure you have access to everything you need.”

I thanked him.

Before I left, I signed the additional documents.

Daniel placed them in a folder.

“Claire, I want you to understand something.”

I looked at him.

“You don’t need your husband’s permission to seek legal advice.”

I nodded.

For some reason, hearing that made me feel stronger.

***

Meanwhile, Alexander was discovering that my absence had changed more than the atmosphere of the mansion.

He had returned home the previous night expecting to find me in our bedroom.

Instead, he found my side of the bed empty.

My clothes were still in the wardrobe.

My toiletries remained in the bathroom.

But the small things were gone.

My handbag.

My daily medication.

My pregnancy journal.

The ultrasound photographs I kept beside the bed.

He walked into the nursery.

The room was nearly finished.

A white crib stood near the window.

There were tiny clothes folded inside a drawer.

A stuffed rabbit rested on a rocking chair.

He picked up the rabbit.

It was one I had bought during our first shopping trip after discovering the pregnancy.

I remembered telling him that our child would probably become attached to it.

He had smiled.

“Then we’ll buy another one if this one gets lost.”

He put it back.

Then he noticed a photograph on the shelf.

It showed the two of us at the ultrasound appointment.

He was holding my hand.

I was smiling.

He stared at it for a long time.

Then his phone rang.

Isabella.

He answered.

“Yes?”

“What are you doing?”

“Working.”

“Have you spoken to Claire?”

“No.”

“Then call her.”

He looked at the photograph.

“She told me to contact her attorney.”

His mother sighed.

“Don’t be ridiculous. She is your wife.”

Alexander said nothing.

Isabella continued.

“You should never have allowed her to embarrass you in front of the family.”

He closed his eyes.

“Mother, she was already humiliated before I arrived.”

There was silence.

Then Isabella said:

“You’re defending her now?”

He ended the call.

He looked at the photograph again.

And for the first time, he wondered whether his mother had been right about anything.

***

That afternoon, Sophia called.

Alexander answered.

“Yes?”

“Alex, are you all right?”

“I’m busy.”

“I just wanted to check on you.”

He looked at the documents on his desk.

“What do you want?”

Sophia went quiet.

Then she said:

“I feel terrible about last night.”

He didn’t respond.

“I never wanted Claire to feel uncomfortable.”

He looked at her.

“Then why did you sit beside me while my mother gave you that necklace?”

Sophia hesitated.

“Because Isabella offered it.”

“And the crab?”

“What about it?”

“You accepted me peeling it for you while my pregnant wife sat across the table.”

Sophia was silent.

Then she said:

“We’ve always been close, Alex.”

He looked out the window.

“That doesn’t mean I should have treated Claire that way.”

Sophia’s voice became softer.

“Are you saying this is my fault?”

He rubbed his forehead.

“I’m saying I made a mistake.”

There was a pause.

Then she asked:

“Do you really think she’ll divorce you?”

Alexander stared at the papers.

He remembered Claire’s eyes.

The calmness in her voice.

The way she had placed the envelope on the table.

“I don’t know.”

Sophia said nothing.

Then the call ended.

***

That evening, Alexander sent another message.

Alexander:

I want to see you. Please.

I read it while sitting in Emily’s kitchen.

I had just returned from my prenatal appointment.

The baby was healthy.

That was the most important thing.

I typed:

Claire:

I have an appointment with my attorney tomorrow. You can communicate through him.

He replied:

Alexander:

You can’t end five years of marriage through paperwork.

I stared at the message.

Then I wrote:

Claire:

I didn’t end five years of marriage through paperwork. You ended it through five years of choices. The paperwork is simply what comes afterward.

I put the phone down.

I didn’t know whether he would understand.

But I no longer needed him to agree with my decision before I could make it.

***

Three days later, Alexander came to Emily’s apartment.

He arrived without warning.

Emily opened the door.

Her expression changed when she saw him.

“Alexander.”

“Where is Claire?”

“She’s inside.”

He stepped forward.

Emily blocked his path.

“She doesn’t want an argument.”

“I didn’t come to argue.”

“Then you should have called.”

He looked at her.

“Please.”

Emily hesitated.

Then she turned toward me.

“Claire?”

I stood in the living room.

I had heard his voice.

I took a breath.

“Let him in.”

Alexander entered.

He looked at me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then his eyes moved toward my stomach.

“How is the baby?”

I answered calmly.

“Fine.”

“Good.”

He looked around.

“Can we talk privately?”

I shook my head.

“We can talk here.”

His jaw tightened.

Then he nodded.

“All right.”

He looked at me.

“I want you to come home.”

I stared at him.

“Why?”

He seemed surprised.

“Because you’re my wife.”

I shook my head.

“That isn’t an answer.”

He took a breath.

“Because I love you.”

I looked at him.

“Then why did you make me feel like I was the least important person in your life?”

He lowered his eyes.

“I know I made mistakes.”

I waited.

He continued.

“I shouldn’t have grabbed your wrist.”

“No.”

“I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way.”

“No.”

“I shouldn’t have let my mother treat you like that.”

I looked at him.

“And Sophia?”

He hesitated.

I nodded.

“That’s what I thought.”

He stepped closer.

“Claire, I can fix this.”

I shook my head.

“You cannot fix years of choices with one conversation.”

“I’ll change.”

I looked directly at him.

“You said that before.”

He went quiet.

I continued.

“I don’t want another promise. I want a life where I don’t have to beg my husband to remember that I’m his wife.”

His expression changed.

Then he said quietly:

“What do you want me to do?”

I looked at him.

“Respect the divorce process. Respect my space. And stop treating my decision as something you can reverse by ordering me home.”

He stared at me.

For a long time.

Then he nodded.

“All right.”

He turned toward the door.

Before leaving, he looked back.

“Claire?”

“Yes?”

“I never thought you would leave.”

I felt something ache inside my chest.

“That was your mistake, Alexander.”

And he walked out.