Reborn After My Husband Left Me to Die

Chapter Three

Damon's POV:

Two hours after the divorce papers were signed, what I still couldn't get past wasn't the fact that our three-year marriage was over.

It was how calm Ivy had been when she signed.

The divorce agreement hadn't been prepared at the last minute.

The day the doctor told me my test results, I had already contacted Julian.

I told him to get everything that needed to be handled ready in advance, because I didn't have much time left to waste on hesitation.

My condition was far more serious than anyone outside knew.

And the terms of my father's estate happened to tie the issue of an heir directly to the company.

If I failed to have a legal heir within the required time, it wouldn't just affect my personal assets.

It would also involve a redistribution of power throughout the entire group.

At a time like this, emotions had become the hardest thing to deal with, and the least efficient.

So when Julian brought me the documents, the only thing he confirmed was whether I planned to give them to Ivy myself.

I said yes.

He didn't try to talk me out of it.

After knowing me for so many years, he knew that once I truly made up my mind about something, there was no point trying to change it.

But now, the navy-blue folder was still sitting on the coffee table, and I was alone in the suddenly empty living room.

For the first time, I thought maybe it would have been better if Julian had asked one more question tonight.

At least then I would have had a chance to explain why I had to end this marriage so quickly.

But Ivy never gave me the chance to explain anything.

She signed too quickly.

That was what felt the strangest.

During our three years of marriage, she had argued with me over countless small things.

The thing about her that used to frustrate me most was how seriously she took everything.

No matter what it was, if she thought it mattered, she had to get to the bottom of it.

But tonight, I pushed a document ending our three-year marriage across the table to her, and she didn't ask me anything.

She didn't demand to know when I had changed my mind about us.

She didn't ask who the other woman was.

She didn't even look carefully at the division of assets.

She only confirmed that I had already made my decision.

Then she signed.

That wasn't like her.

I leaned back against the sofa, my eyes falling on the folder again, but for some reason, all I could think about was what she had done before leaving.

She had stood by the door for three seconds, one hand pressed against her lower abdomen.

At the time, I thought maybe her stomach was bothering her, or that she was simply too upset.

But thinking back on it now, something didn't feel right.

If she was only sad, why hadn't she looked back?

If she truly didn't want to let go, why had she walked away so decisively?

She hadn't looked like a woman whose husband had just left her.

If anything, she had looked like someone who already knew something and had finally decided not to waste any more time.

The study door opened just then.

"You look terrible."

Camille walked in.

She had clearly just come back from dinner and was still wearing the same dress. Her stomach had become more noticeable as the pregnancy progressed, and it was getting harder to hide.

She didn't ask if she could come in.

She simply sat down on the armrest across from me, glanced at the documents on the coffee table, and immediately knew it was over.

"She signed?"

I nodded.

Camille visibly relaxed.

"At least we won't have to keep sneaking around anymore. And you won't have to worry every time I show up that she might find out."

I frowned.

"I wasn't worried about her finding out."

Camille looked at me but didn't argue.

She just smiled.

For some reason, that expression made me even more uncomfortable.

Because she wasn't entirely wrong.

For a while now, I had deliberately avoided letting Ivy and Camille run into each other.

I told myself it was only to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After all, the divorce hadn't been dealt with yet.

Before everything was settled, there was no reason to make the situation uglier than it already was.

But now the marriage was over.

Camille was sitting right in front of me.

And the baby was still there.

I should have felt relieved.

Everything was moving in the most suitable direction.

The company needed an heir.

Camille was pregnant.

Ivy had signed the papers without fighting over the assets or making the divorce public.

It was as if every problem had been resolved smoothly.

But I didn't feel nearly as relieved as I thought I would.

"You're still thinking about her?"

Camille finally noticed something was wrong.

I pulled my eyes away from the folder.

"I just think she was acting a little strange tonight."

Even saying it out loud sounded ridiculous.

I thought it was strange because Ivy hadn't cried.

I felt uncomfortable because she hadn't tried to stop me.

I was the one who had ended the marriage, yet now I was sitting here going over it again and again simply because she had accepted the end too easily.

Camille also knew when to stop.

She quickly changed the subject and started talking about a prenatal appointment she had in a few days.

At first, I wasn't paying much attention.

Then she told me how much it would cost.

I looked up at her.

"That much?"

The money itself meant nothing to me.

But that didn't mean the amount made sense.

A routine examination shouldn't cost that much.

Camille seemed to already have an explanation prepared.

She said she was seeing a private specialist.

There were also several additional tests for the baby, so the clinic required payment in advance.

She looked completely natural as she explained it.

At least on the surface, nothing seemed wrong.

But for some reason, I still watched her for a few extra seconds.

Maybe everything that had happened tonight had simply made me more sensitive than usual.

Ivy had acted so strangely that now I found myself instinctively thinking twice about everything I heard.

"Send me the clinic information."

The smile on Camille's face froze for a moment.

Only for a moment.

If I hadn't already been watching her, I probably wouldn't have noticed.

"Why do you suddenly need the information?"

"It's not a small amount. I'll have my assistant keep it on file."

My tone was casual.

She quickly returned to normal and said she would send it to me later.

Then she added,

"But they need the payment tonight. My appointment is early tomorrow morning."

I didn't ask anything else.

I had already had enough for one day.

The lawyers.

The divorce.

Ivy.

And all those endless calls from the doctor.

I really didn't have the energy to keep questioning her over a medical bill.

So I took out my phone and transferred the money.

The moment the payment confirmation appeared, Camille visibly relaxed.

Then she got up, walked over to me, and wrapped both arms around my shoulders.

She rested her head against my chest, her voice soft, almost comforting.

"Damon, things will get better from now on. You won't regret the decision you made today."

I didn't answer.

I simply raised my arms and held her out of habit.

But when I looked over her shoulder, my eyes eventually returned to the navy-blue folder.

Ivy's signature was inside.

I had thought the hardest thing I would have to do tonight was personally bring our marriage to an end with her.

But what truly unsettled me was how she had ended it with almost no hesitation at all.

Camille was still in my arms, talking about the future.

But another image kept appearing in my mind.

When Ivy stood up to leave, she hadn't taken the cards from the coffee table.

At the time, I hadn't paid any attention to what was written on them.

I only remembered that several of them had been trapped beneath the divorce papers.

One corner of a card had been sticking out, and she had stared at it for a long time.

Thinking back on it now, I suddenly wanted to know what was on them.

She had originally been waiting for me tonight.

She had even prepared something she wanted to tell me.

But by the time she left, she hadn't said a single word.

I slowly let go of Camille, my eyes already returning to the table.

The cards were still there.

One of them was half-covered by the folder.

For some reason, I suddenly had a very bad feeling.

Maybe what I had really missed tonight wasn't why Ivy had suddenly agreed to the divorce.

It was what she had originally been planning to tell me before I put those divorce papers in front of her.