The small clink of the ring against the fabric was a death knell for something that had once felt so vital. Adrien's eyes, already full of a tempest of emotions, widened in disbelief, then devastation. The fierce resolve that had flickered moments before seemed to extinguish, leaving behind a raw, exposed vulnerability.
He didn't speak for a long time, the silence stretching between us, thick with unspoken accusations and the crushing weight of our shared loss. His gaze was fixed on the ring, then slowly, agonizingly, lifted to meet mine. There was a flicker of something I couldn't quite decipher – a desperate plea, a broken question.
"Bella—"
"I can't keep living like this," I said, my voice cracking halfway through. "Adrien, I can't keep surviving around you. It's always pain, it's always something. I just… I want to breathe again. Without fear. Without waiting for the next blow."
"Belle—"
"I want a divorce."
The words fell out of me like stones.
