Chapter 5: One More Chance

Isla took a deep breath, propped herself up, and looked at me with careful tenderness.

"I was wrong, Nate. Can you give me one more chance? I'll file for divorce with Damien tomorrow. I swear I don't have feelings for him.

"It was really just so he could take wedding leave. I should have thought about how it would make you feel.

"Once the divorce is done, I'll cut off his sponsorship completely. I won't have any contact with him ever again. Okay?"

Looking into her eyes, so earnest and sincere, I felt something deep inside me start to give. Maybe it was because she'd never had a normal family, never learned right from wrong the way most people did growing up. Maybe she'd just made a mistake.

Maybe I owed her a second chance.

Once the thought took root, it spread and wouldn't stop. Finally, worn down by her relentless softness, I nodded.

"End things with him completely, and then we'll talk about us."

Isla let out a breath of relief and buried her face against my chest.

"Nate, I love you. I only love you."

She held onto my arm all night like she was afraid I'd disappear. Every time I shifted or turned over, she startled awake.

I didn't sleep at all. My mind wouldn't stop racing, and the last thought I had before morning was that if she followed through on what she'd promised, I was willing to give her a chance—to give our seven years and our baby a chance.

Early the next morning, Isla put on a formal dress and headed out. Before she left, she came to the bedroom, pressed a kiss to my forehead, and said softly, "Nate, wait for me."

I sat up the moment I heard the front door close. I was exhausted from a sleepless night, but I wanted to be awake when she got back.

I didn't expect to be waiting all day.

By the time the sky started getting dark, I picked up my phone and called her. Once, twice, three times. Every call went unanswered.

A bad feeling settled in my gut. I threw on a jacket and headed straight to the courthouse, only to find it had already closed for the day. I was about to leave when I noticed two women chatting on the sidewalk near the building next door.

"Oh, you should've seen it. I was out walking my dog this morning and there was a couple arguing right outside the courthouse.

"It sounded like the woman wanted the divorce and the man didn't. He was crying his eyes out. A whole crowd gathered to watch."

"So what happened? Did they go through with it?"

The other woman asked exactly what I wanted to know. I held my breath and stood perfectly still as the first one shook her head, looking a little sorry about it.

"No. The woman couldn't go through with it in the end. He talked her into leaving with him.

"If you ask me, when the feelings aren't there anymore, there's no point dragging it out. It's better to split and move on."

The rest of their conversation faded into noise. All I could hear was what she'd just said, echoing over and over.

Then my phone buzzed. It was a text from Isla.

"Nate, everything went smoothly. Something came up at the office, so I'm working late. I'll be home a little later."