Husband In The Shadows - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

I didn't even hesitate. "Find them yourself. Come back when you have them. I'll be right here."
Nydia bit her lip until it turned white. "Emerson, do you really have to be this cold? You won't even come home with me, huh?"
I stared straight at her and said, slow and clear, "Nydia, that's not my home anymore."
She took a shaky breath, looking dizzy from how cold I was being. Still, she tried another way. "You packed everything when we moved. I don't know where you put the documents."
I couldn't help but wonder if she had cleaned the house in so long.
I looked her over. She'd lost weight and looked exhausted, but she still had nice makeup on.
I knew her well. She probably hadn't organized a thing.
Nervously, Nydia muttered, "If I can't find the documents, then..."
To speed things up, I nodded curtly. "Once the papers are found, we're getting this divorce done. I'm not wasting another second."
Nydia nodded, but her eyes dimmed. She knew I meant it.
On the drive back, I had a bad feeling. It was like she had something planned. Or why was she so set on dragging me back to that house?
But it didn't matter. I wasn't turning back—no matter what trick she pulled.
The car ride was dead silent. I kept my eyes on the window.
Then Nydia broke the silence. "Where have you been this whole time?"
I leaned back, barely looking at her. "Do I need to report my life to you?"
She shook her head. "I went to your office. They told me you quit."
I gave a short laugh. "It was a surprise that you even knew where I worked."
She pressed her lips together, a flicker of embarrassment passing through her eyes. She knew she hadn't been much of a wife.
"Emerson, if I keep refusing to sign, if I keep dragging this out, you won't get the divorce. Even if we go to court again, you still can't win if I get pregnant," she said.
I turned and stared at her, my eyes ice cold.
Startled, she shrank back a little under my gaze. As the light turned green, she hit the gas without another word.
Back in our second year of marriage, I had brought up having a kid, hoping it would bring us closer.
But she shut it down fast. I never mentioned it again.
And now she was threatening me with it. I couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
I said through gritted teeth, "You already pulled the pregnancy stunt once. It won't work again."
"I could go for IVF. You had your sperm frozen at the hospital, remember?" she said.
My eyes widened as I stared at her, utterly dumbfounded. This didn't sound like her at all. It was twisted.
The woman next to me didn't feel like my wife. She felt like a stranger.
I didn't want to hurt her—I just wanted a clean break, a quiet ending.
Nydia let out a bitter laugh. She never thought she'd have to use a baby to hold onto a man.
I turned away, cold as ever. "I don't need you to carry my child, Nydia."
She gripped the wheel tightly, took a deep breath, and said softly, "At least let me explain. I need to say something. If I don't, I won't be able to let go."
We'd been to court twice. Everything that needed to be said was already out there. But she just wouldn't stop.
Still, hearing her say she couldn't let go caught me off guard.
I even found myself wondering what exactly it was that she couldn't let go of.
I let out a cold laugh. "Worried about how we're splitting things, huh?
"Let me make it simple. Even if I walk away with nothing, I still want this divorce."