Just a cold silence, as if everything had already ended long ago.

My name is Natalie Hayes.

I’m 32 years old.

A mother of two.

And just minutes ago… I stopped being Ethan Cole’s wife.

Before I could even put the pen down, his phone rang.

That ringtone.

The one he only ever used for one person.

He didn’t even bother stepping away.

“Yeah… it’s done,” he said calmly.

Then he paused, his voice softening in a way I hadn’t heard in years.

“I’m coming now. The scan is today, right? Don’t worry, Vanessa… my whole family is already on the way.”

He glanced at me briefly, as if I wasn’t even there.

“This baby changes everything. We’re finally having a son.”

The mediator slid the papers toward him.

He didn’t even read them.

Signed. Tossed the pen aside.

It was over.

“The apartment is mine. The car too,” he said flatly. “And the kids? If she wants them, she can have them.”

My chest tightened—but it didn’t break.