Love to the End, Hard to Stop

After the two of them left, I didn’t waste any time. With cold determination, I began packing my belongings, eager to rid myself of every trace of this toxic life. The apartment, once our shared space, now felt suffocating, tainted by betrayal and lies. As I rummaged through the bedroom, looking for my charger, my hand brushed against something beneath the sheets. I froze, pulling back the duvet to reveal several crumpled, used condoms stuffed under the pillows, like dirty secrets hidden away. My stomach churned in revulsion and I could feel bile rising in my throat.

I forced myself to keep going, but my disgust only deepened when I found a discarded box of blue pills tossed carelessly in the trash can. My hands shook as I picked it up, staring at the box with a mixture of disbelief and nausea. So this is what it takes now? I thought bitterly. I threw it back into the trash with a force that sent the lid clattering to the floor. Feeling utterly revolted, I rushed to the bathroom and scrubbed my hands clean with disinfectant, scrubbing until my skin was red and raw. No amount of soap could wash away the filth I felt clinging to me.

The apartment, now filthy in more ways than one, was no longer mine. With one last look around, I grabbed my suitcase and walked out, leaving that chapter of my life behind without a second glance.

As soon as I stepped into the grand foyer of the Delacroix mansion, my old home, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Finn’s name flashed across the screen and a wave of resentment surged through me. I answered with barely contained irritation.

“Honey, I need your help. It’s urgent!” Finn’s voice sounded panicked, almost desperate, but all I felt was a cold detachment.

“Talk.” I replied, my voice sharp and impatient.

“It’s... Tonia messed up a payment contract for Mr. Hall. She accidentally added an extra zero and now we’re on the hook for ten times the amount—five million! It’s a huge screw-up and even Mr. Hall can’t cover it. The other party is demanding full payment. I remember you’re close with that supplier. Do you think you could talk to them and try to renegotiate?”

I almost laughed at the absurdity. When my dad was dying, Finn couldn’t even bother to answer my call because he was busy having a good time with Tonia. And now? He’s falling over himself, begging for my help because of her mistake. This is the man I wasted seven years on?

I swallowed my anger and replied coldly, “I can help, but you need to come to the old house with me.”

“Great, thanks, Honey! I’ll do whatever you ask, even if it means going to the ends of the earth.” His eagerness was almost pathetic, a sharp contrast to his absence when I truly needed him.

My father’s death had been his regret, a missed opportunity to show up as a son-in-law in his final moments. But for me, this was my chance—my chance to confront him, to make things clear and finalize the divorce. There was no going back now.

After hanging up, I called the supplier myself. He had been an old friend of my father’s and all it took was a simple conversation to settle the matter. The contract was renegotiated, effortlessly handled with one call—something Tonia and Finn couldn’t manage between the two of them.

Later, Finn called me back, his voice filled with relief and excitement. “Honey, you don’t need to worry anymore. Tonia sincerely apologized to the other party and they’ve agreed to renegotiate the contract. Everything’s fine now—Tonia won’t be fired and Mr. Hall won’t have to worry about explaining things to the head office.”

Hearing him speak of Tonia with such warmth, such familiarity, sent a wave of cold bitterness through me. My grip on the phone tightened as I sneered inwardly.

“Good. Come to the old house. I’ll pick you up.” My voice was calm, but underneath, a storm was brewing.

There was a long pause on the other end before Finn hesitated, “Well… honey, I have to work overtime, you see…”

Without another word, I hung up abruptly. Overtime, I thought bitterly. I knew exactly what that meant. I wanted to see if his so-called overtime involved crawling back into Tonia’s bed.

Since it was still work hours, I drove straight to Finn’s company. I stormed into the building, my heart pounding with anger. The receptionist greeted me warmly, unaware of the turmoil raging inside me.

“Ms. Delacroix, it’s been a while. Are you here to see your husband?” she asked, smiling politely.

I nodded curtly, my jaw clenched. Without waiting for further pleasantries, I marched down the familiar halls, heading straight to Finn’s office. The closer I got, the louder the sound of muffled voices became. And then, as I neared the door, I heard it—moaning and groaning from inside. My blood boiled.

Ignoring the startled glances from the passing staff, I kicked the office door open. The scene that greeted me was vile—Tonia was perched on Finn’s lap, her blouse half-unbuttoned and both of them looked like they had been caught mid-act. Tonia shrieked and jumped off Finn’s lap, scrambling to straighten her clothes. Finn, his face flushed with both anger and embarrassment, glared at me.

“Nina, are you crazy? Why didn’t you knock before entering?” he barked, his voice filled with indignation, as if I was the one at fault.

“So this is what you call working late?” I spat, my voice thick with disgust and despair. 

Finn’s face darkened as he closed the door behind him, his posture stiff, his expression hard. He met my gaze coldly, his voice low and venomous. “Since you know now, what do you want to do?”

I took a deep breath, my decision final. “Since you’ve fallen for someone else, I have nothing left to say. Let’s get a divorce.”

Without waiting for his response, I turned on my heel, pulling the door open with a force that rattled the frame and walked out. There was nothing left for me here—nothing but the bitter ashes of a love that had long since burned out.