The Night I Stopped Waiting

Part 2: The Woman He Couldn’t Find

Three days after leaving the hospital, I moved out of the Moretti mansion.

I didn’t take much.

A few suitcases, my personal documents, some photographs of my parents, and the tiny ultrasound picture of my unborn child.

I left every diamond Alexander had ever bought me.

I left the expensive clothes, the jewelry, and the gifts that had once made me believe I was loved.

Most importantly, I left my wedding ring on the kitchen counter.

Before leaving, I called my lawyer.

“Prepare the divorce papers. I want everything handled as quickly as possible.”

“Are you certain, Mrs. Moretti?”

I looked at the ring on the counter.

“More certain than I’ve ever been.”

By noon, Alexander finally realized I was gone.

He called seventeen times.

I didn’t answer.

Then his messages began arriving.

Claire, where are you?

Come home. We need to talk.

I know I made a mistake. Don’t turn this into something bigger than it is.

The last message made me laugh bitterly.

Something bigger?

I had nearly lost our baby while hiding from an intruder, and he had spent the night comforting another woman.

What exactly could be bigger than that?

At four in the afternoon, my phone rang again.

This time, it was Alexander’s head of security, Marcus.

“Mrs. Moretti, I’m sorry to bother you. The boss is looking for you.”

“I’m not missing. I’m simply no longer living with him.”

There was a brief silence.

“He’s furious.”

“That’s no longer my problem.”

I hung up.

That evening, Alexander appeared outside my temporary apartment.

He stood beside his black Rolls-Royce, wearing a tailored charcoal suit. Two bodyguards waited behind him.

The moment I opened the door, he stepped forward.

“Claire.”

I remained behind the doorway.

“What do you want?”

His eyes moved over my face before settling on my stomach.

“You’re living here? In this tiny apartment? You’re six months pregnant.”

“I’m comfortable.”

“You’re a Moretti. You don’t belong in a place like this.”

I almost smiled.

“Interesting. I belonged in the mansion when you wanted a wife waiting for you, but apparently I don’t belong anywhere when I want peace.”

His jaw tightened.

“Stop twisting my words.”

“Then stop giving me reasons to.”

He lowered his voice.

“Come home. I’ll arrange for the best doctors, security, and anything you need.”

“I already have everything I need.”

“Claire, I’m your husband.”

I looked at him quietly.

“Not for much longer.”

He stared at me.

Then his phone rang.

Sophia’s name appeared on the screen.

He glanced at it, then silenced the call.

For the first time, he didn’t immediately answer her.

I wondered if he expected me to appreciate the gesture.

“Is that all?” I asked.

“She can wait.”

I shook my head.

“Alexander, that’s the problem. I don’t want to be the woman you choose only when someone else isn’t calling.”

I closed the door.

He knocked several times.

I didn’t open it.

The following morning, my lawyer delivered the divorce papers to his office.

Alexander signed nothing.

Instead, he called me himself.

“You’re making a terrible mistake, Claire.”

“No, Alexander. I’m correcting one.”

“You can’t end five years of marriage with a few signatures.”

“I didn’t end our marriage in one night. You destroyed it one night at a time.”

I ended the call.

But Alexander wasn’t the only person who would soon discover how much had changed.

Two days later, my doctor called with unexpected news.

The baby needed additional monitoring, but everything was stable.

I cried with relief.

Then I made another decision.

I would move to Boston, where my older sister lived. I wanted my child to grow up somewhere that didn’t remind me of the Moretti name.

For the first time, I started making plans without considering what Alexander might think.

And that frightened him more than my anger ever could.

Because Alexander Moretti was accustomed to controlling everything.

Except the woman who had finally stopped waiting.

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