Damian Pov
I drove through the city looking for Bella. I checked every place I could think of. Her favorite bookstore, the park where we had our first kiss. The restaurant where I proposed. She was not at any of them.
My phone rang. I grabbed it hoping it was her. But it was my assistant from work.
"What" I snapped.
"Sir we have the meeting with the investors in an hour" my assistant said nervously.
"Cancel it"
"But sir this is a very important meeting"
"I said cancel it" I yelled. "Cancel all my meetings for the rest of the week"
"Yes sir" my assistant said and hung up.
I threw my phone on the passenger seat. I did not care about work right now. All I cared about was finding my wife.
I drove to Bella's modeling studio and parked outside. I waited for two hours but she never showed up. Finally I got out and knocked on the door.
A young woman answered. "Can I help you"
"I am looking for Bella Roberts" I said. "Is she here"
"No" the woman said. "She is not scheduled today"
"Do you know where she is"
"No sorry" the woman started closing the door. "I cannot give out personal information"
"Please" I put my hand on the door. "I am her husband. I just need to talk to her"
The woman looked at me and her expression changed. "You need to leave"
"What"
"Tanya told me what you did" the woman said coldly. "You need to leave before I call security"
I stepped back. The door closed in my face.
I stood there for a minute then walked back to my car. Everyone knew. Everyone knew what I did and they all hated me for it.
I deserved it.
I drove home and walked into the empty house. It felt wrong without Bella there.
I went to the bedroom and looked at the bare mattress. I still had not put new sheets on it.
My phone buzzed. A text from Karen.
"Hey are you okay"
I stared at the message.
I typed back.
"Leave me alone"
"Come on Damian do not be mad"
"I am not mad. I am done. Do not contact me again"
"You do not mean that"
"Yes I do. You are fired"
I blocked her number before she could respond.
I sat on the floor and leaned against the wall. My whole body hurt from not sleeping. My hand still ached from punching the wall.
I looked at the wedding photo on the nightstand.
"Where are you" I whispered.
I grabbed my phone and tried calling her again even though I knew she blocked me. It went straight to voicemail. I hung up and tried again. Same thing.
I opened my email and wrote her a message.
"Bella please just read this. I know I messed up. I know what I did was unforgivable. But I love you. I have always loved you. It was a mistake. A horrible terrible mistake. Please give me a chance to explain. Please just talk to me. I will do anything...I will go to therapy...I will quit my job...I will do whatever you want. Just please do not give up on us"
I hit send and waited. No response.
I wrote another email.
"I fired Karen, she is gone. She will never come near us again. I should have fired her months ago. This is all my fault"
Send. No response.
I kept writing emails. One after another.
Hours passed. The sun went down. The house got dark. I did not turn on any lights. I just sat there in the darkness waiting for Bella to respond.
My phone buzzed. I grabbed it fast. But it was not Bella. It was an email from my lawyer.
"Damian, I received divorce papers today from Bella's attorney Lisa Jake . We need to talk"
I read the email three times. Divorce papers, she filed for divorce. She was really leaving me.
I stood up and paced the bedroom. My heart racedy hands shook.
I called my lawyer immediately.
"Richard" I said when the lawyer answered. "What do I do right now"
"Well first you need to calm down" Richard said. "Second you need to come to my office tomorrow so we can go over everything"
"I do not want a divorce" I said. "I need to stop this"
"You cannot stop it if she wants a divorce Damian" Richard said gently. "This is New York. She does not need your permission"
"There has to be something I can do"
"You can contest it but that will just drag things out and make it worse" Richard said. "My advice is to let her have space. Give her time to cool down. Maybe she will change her mind"
"And if she does not"
"Then you sign the papers and move on" Richard said. "I am sorry Damian but that is how it works"
I hung up without saying goodbye. I threw my phone across the room. It hit the wall and cracked but I did not care.
I walked to the living room and sat on the couch. I put my head in my hands and tried to think.
I picked up the wedding photo from the coffee table. I ran my finger over Bella's face.
"I will fix this" I said to the photo. "I do not know how but I will fix this"
I set the photo down. Everything reminded me of Bella. The couch she picked out. The art on the walls she chose.
My phone buzzed in the corner where I threw it. I picked it up. The screen was cracked but it still worked. Another email from my lawyer with documents attached.
I opened them and read through the divorce papers. It was all legal language and numbers but the message was clear. Bella wanted out.
I read one line over and over. "Irreconcilable differences"
That was the reason she gave.
I closed the documents and lay down on the couch. I stared at the ceiling and thought about what my life would look like without Bella. Empty. Meaningless. Wrong.
I could not let that happen. I would not let that happen.