After the Divorce, He Realized Too Late

I walked through the door with the pregnancy test results tucked in my pocket, and Jasper Morton's voice drifted over, light as air. Wallis says she can't wait any longer. She wants us to get divorced tomorrow.

Okay. I kept walking, didn't break stride.

I didn't look up, but I could feel his gaze settle on the top of my head.

He was probably wondering why, this time, I didn't argue.

Neither of us said another word until Jasper spoke again. "Once Wallis's emotions have stabilized a bit, we can remarry."

My answer came without hesitation. "No need. We're finally getting divorced. There's no remarrying after this."

This time I did look up. Jasper's brow creased, just slightly.

I had arrived at the VIP room of the city's most exclusive private club gasping for breath, and from inside came the sound of a group placing bets.

"How long do you think it'll take May Henson to get here?"

"I'm betting fifteen minutes. It's already been almost ten. No way she makes it."

"Don't be so sure. Every other time Jasper needed something, May showed up in under ten minutes. Factor in rush-hour traffic and I say she'll be here in twelve."

"Maybe this time she won't come at all. Unless she's a complete fool, getting played by our dear Wallis over and over and falling for it every single time."

"She'll come. May always puts Jasper first. Sure, the only reason he married her was to break up her engagement to Chad Delgado, but May is head over heels for the guy. She'd sooner die than leave him hanging."

My hand tightened around the door handle. So this was what they all thought of me.

And while this group sat around dissecting my devotion like a parlor game, my husband Jasper Morton was in there whispering to Wallis James, their faces so close they were nearly touching.

The truth was, I'd known my role since three months into the marriage.

I was the obstacle Jasper had removed for his foster sister. I was his lapdog. The nuisance he couldn't shake off.

For three years of marriage, I put everything about Jasper first. Whenever anyone said he'd had too much to drink or caught a cold, I dropped whatever I was doing and rushed to his side.

But in the eyes of his friends, I was nothing more than a bet. A joke.

Today was our third wedding anniversary. I'd cooked all his favorite dishes and waited for him to come home.

Instead, I got a text from Wallis: Jasper's migraine is acting up. He's at the private club. Bring his medication, hurry.

The moment I saw it, I grabbed the pills and flew out the door.

I hadn't even stepped inside when I heard the conversation. My fingers clenched around the medicine bottle. I was about to leave when someone asked Jasper, "Don't you think it's kind of messed up, tricking May like this every time?"

"It's fine. As long as Wallis is happy."

His words drove into my chest like a needle. I turned my head without thinking and saw him draw Wallis gently into his arms.

In front of his circle, he never bothered hiding what he and Wallis were to each other.

Through the crack in the door I could see everything, every gesture, every touch. Something possessed me to raise my phone and capture the image of them holding each other.

In that moment, my mind was made up. I was divorcing Jasper Morton.

I turned to leave, and a wave of nausea rolled through my stomach.

I ignored it and went home. Jasper, of course, didn't come back that night.

The next morning, a violent surge of nausea hit me the second I got out of bed. It struck me then that my period was late.

I stared at my pale reflection in the mirror and asked myself: it couldn't be that coincidental, could it?

I dragged myself out of the bathroom. The dishes on the table sat untouched, exactly where I'd left them. I walked over and swept every last one into the trash.

There had been other nights Jasper didn't come home for dinner, but I could never bring myself to throw the food away. I'd reheat it, plate by plate, and finish it alone.

This time I didn't save a single dish.

I sank into the couch for a while, then decided I needed to go to the hospital.

The entire examination passed in a fog. I moved like a machine, following instructions without processing any of them. By the time I walked out of the hospital, only one sentence had lodged itself in my brain: You're currently six weeks pregnant. The baby is developing normally.

I stumbled home in a daze. The moment I opened the door, I saw the leather shoes in the entryway.

Jasper was back. Same as every other time. He'd kept Wallis company, soothed Wallis's feelings, then strolled home as if nothing had happened. Before, all it took was a single explanation from him and I'd light up with relief.

I used to think the fact that he bothered to explain meant I mattered to him.

Jasper was sitting on the couch. I'd spent the entire ride home clutching the pregnancy test results, turning things over in my mind.

"Wallis says she can't wait any longer. She wants us to go to the courthouse tomorrow."

His voice drifted over, light and casual. No explanation this time. The words hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest.

"Okay." The word left my mouth, and it wasn't as hard as I'd imagined.

I changed into my slippers and walked past him. I didn't look at his face, but I could feel his stare, startled and fixed on my back.

He had to be wondering why I wasn't fighting him on it this time.

Neither of us spoke during the few steps it took me to reach the bedroom door.

Just as I was about to push it open, his voice came again. "Once Wallis's emotions have settled down a bit, we can remarry."

My hand froze on the door. The answer came out before I could even think. "No need. We'll have gone through all that trouble to get divorced. Why would I remarry?"

I turned to look at him. His brows were drawn together, a flicker of quiet anger in his eyes.

I ignored it. I let my lips curve into the faintest smile. "Wallis's situation is what matters. Let's go first thing tomorrow morning."

His frown deepened.

"May, stop being difficult..."

"I'm not being difficult. Jasper, you know why you married me better than I do. Since you love Wallis so much, I'll step aside and let you have what you want."

I didn't wait for his answer. I turned and walked into the bedroom.

The moment the door clicked shut, tears slid down my face without a sound. I pressed both hands against my still-flat stomach and felt something inside me crack apart.

Three years ago, when Jasper proposed, I was stunned. My family had already arranged a marriage between me and Chad Delgado.

But the person in my heart was never Chad. It was Jasper.

I didn't know how to defy my father's wishes. Then Jasper appeared in front of me and proposed.

I was overjoyed. I said yes almost without thinking. The girl who had never dared to push back suddenly found the strength to fight.

I broke off the engagement with Chad over my family's objections.

I even gave up the company shares that were rightfully mine. My stepmother had originally planned to marry me into the Delgado family to secure a better deal for the business. Surrendering my shares turned out to be an even more compelling offer for her.

The day I married Jasper, my heart was pounding so hard I thought it would leap out of my throat. I was sure my life after the wedding would be nothing but happiness.

If I had never learned the truth, I really would have believed I was the luckiest woman in the world.

Jasper seemed perfect in every way. Warm, courteous, the picture of a gentleman. He always put me first. He let me decorate our home however I liked.

If I hadn't overheard his conversation with Wallis three months into the marriage, I would have gone on living in the happiness I'd built inside my own head.

It was Jasper's birthday. I carried a cake I'd baked myself back to the Morton family estate, and there in the hallway, I saw them. Jasper and Wallis, wrapped in each other's arms.

My legs turned to lead. They were foster siblings. No matter how close they were, they had no business holding each other like that.

A sick feeling crept up from somewhere deep in my chest.

I didn't walk over. I didn't have the courage.

Jasper was murmuring to her, his voice low and tender. "If you need to cry, then cry."

And Wallis did. Soft, pitiful little sobs that made Jasper pull her closer, one hand rubbing slow circles on her back. But his face told a different story. His jaw was tight, his expression twisted with a fury that looked like it could tear him apart.

"What gives Chad Delgado the right to refuse you? How are you not good enough for him?"

He spat Chad's name like it burned his mouth.

"He said he doesn't love me." Wallis's voice cracked. "He said the one he loves is May Henson."

The moment the words left her lips, she broke down completely.

I stumbled back a step. And just like that, the fog cleared. I understood why Jasper Morton had proposed to me.

The three of them had known all along. I was the only one left in the dark. But what cut deepest wasn't the scheme itself. It was wondering what my husband really felt for Wallis.

I steadied myself and started walking toward them, cake still in my hands. Wallis spotted me first. Without missing a beat, she rose on her toes and pressed a kiss to Jasper's cheek.

Her eyes drifted to me, and her voice, still thick with tears, carried down the hallway. "Jasper, I was so arrogant back then. I thought as long as I loved him, he'd marry me. If I'd just listened to you, your father would have come around for us eventually."

My feet froze to the floor. So there was a history between them, too.

I didn't go any closer. Wallis's knees buckled and she nearly collapsed, and Jasper scooped her up in one swift motion and carried her away.

After that day, signs of Jasper and Wallis were everywhere. More and more, impossible to ignore.

They didn't even bother hiding it from me. Every time I raised the subject, Jasper gave the same explanation. "Wallis came to live with us when she was six. We've always been close. Her health has never been strong. I just look out for her a little more than most."

He'd explained himself, so I told myself I should believe him. I wanted to give us a chance.

But I soon realized Wallis was nothing like the innocent girl she pretended to be. A year into the marriage, the family held a gathering. As the newest member of the household, everyone was eager for me to give the Mortons an heir.

My mother-in-law was the most invested. She stared pointedly at my midsection. "May, you've been married a full year now. Why hasn't there been any news?"

Heat crept up my neck. I glanced at Jasper. He was across the room playing chess with his grandfather, oblivious. We'd been married a year, but the number of times we'd actually shared a bed I could count on one hand. How was I supposed to get pregnant?

Before I could think of an answer, Wallis spoke up. "Mrs. Morton, I heard from Jasper that May is frigid."

The words landed like a slap. My face burned. My mother-in-law's eyes snapped to me, hard and accusing. But it wasn't her reaction that gutted me.

It was the fact that Jasper had told Wallis something like that. My eyes stung so badly I had to excuse myself to the bathroom before the tears fell.

Jasper came to find me afterward. I've never been good at holding things in, so I told him exactly what Wallis had said. He didn't even consider it. "That's impossible. Wallis would never say something like that."

"One of you is lying, Jasper." My voice was steady, but barely. "Wallis is your foster sister. You're siblings in name. Surely there are some boundaries that need to exist."

I was in the middle of pressing Jasper for answers when Wallis's shriek cut through from outside. He turned and ran to her without a second's hesitation.

Every single time after that, whenever it came down to Wallis or me, Jasper chose her.

He'd come home and explain himself, and every time I'd talk myself into accepting it. I'd given up too much for Jasper Morton. As long as he was mine, I told myself I didn't need anything else.

But this time, I couldn't do it anymore. I didn't want to be the woman standing in place, waiting. And I refused to share a man with someone else for one more day.

I was up early the next morning. After a sleepless night of thinking it through, I'd made my decision: I would have the baby and raise it on my own.

Jasper hadn't gone out again after coming home last night. I'd taken the guest room and locked the door behind me. I knew he'd want to explain why Wallis had asked him to divorce me, but I was done listening.

When I came out of the guest room, Jasper was already dressed and ready. Of course he was eager. He'd probably been waiting for this day for a long time.

He looked at me. I didn't look back. I grabbed my bag and headed straight for the door.

But Jasper stopped me. "The doctor said Wallis isn't doing well mentally. We're supposed to accommodate her as much as possible. So when she asked me to go through with the divorce, I had no choice..."

"Jasper. After today, you never have to explain anything about you and Wallis to me again. Because I don't want to hear it. And after today, I won't have the right to hear it anyway." I grabbed the door handle. "Let's go. If we leave now, maybe we'll be the first divorce of the day."

I cut him off and let out a dry laugh at the end. Last night I'd finally seen it clearly: if someone doesn't have you in their heart, what's the point of tying yourself to them?

Jasper opened his mouth to say something more, but I was already out the door.

That bit about Wallis's mental state went back about a year. Jasper had stayed with her for a full week, and when he came back, his explanation was that Wallis had developed depression from chronic stress and needed to be kept in good spirits going forward.

But Wallis had texted me herself, saying she'd only faked it and Jasper bought it immediately.

One of them was lying. Not long after, I walked in on Wallis clutching a pill bottle and sobbing in front of Jasper. I almost laughed out loud. The two of them were a perfect pair: one loved to lie, and the other believed every word.

So when Jasper mentioned Wallis's mental health just now, I didn't believe a word of it. Not that it mattered anymore.

I stepped outside and found Wallis already waiting by Jasper's car. The moment she saw me, a smug grin spread across her face. She walked right up to me and said, all sweetness, "May, I'm tagging along for the divorce. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not. You two can file for a marriage license right after. Seamless transition. Saves you a trip."

I smiled back pleasantly. Her grin widened. But the second Jasper started walking toward us, Wallis swapped faces like flipping a switch.

"May, this is all my fault. My mental health has been so fragile, and Jasper feels sorry for me. I know it's been unfair to you."

I shot her a look. Talent like that was wasted outside of Hollywood.

Jasper glanced at me, then turned to comfort Wallis instead. "It's fine. I already told May. Once you're feeling more stable, she and I will remarry."

He said this right as I was about to get in the car. I caught a glimpse of Wallis's expression. She did not look pleased.

"Let's go," I said flatly, and climbed into the back seat.

The two of them sat up front. Wallis kept showing Jasper things on her phone, the two of them chatting and laughing. I kept my eyes closed the entire ride.

At the courthouse, the paperwork went fast. No disputes. No children on record. I didn't even bring up alimony.

All I wanted was to get away from them. I held up my divorce certificate and waved it at Jasper. "I'll grab a cab home. Wouldn't want to hold you two up from picking up your marriage license."

I tossed the words out as lightly as I could and spun around to leave, but I walked straight into someone coming the other way. My bag hit the ground, and the pregnancy test results slid out, landing right at Jasper's feet.

My stomach dropped. I'd planned to keep the pregnancy a secret. I lunged for the paper, but Jasper was faster. By the time I reached down, it was already in his hands.

His brows drew tight. He read the report top to bottom, then looked at me. "May, you're pregnant?"