Chapter 10: The Final Decision

Grace stood in the kitchen for a long time after Sarah left, her heart pounding in her chest, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Every corner of the apartment felt too small, too suffocating, and all she could hear was Sarah's smug voice echoing in her head, telling her that Andrew wanted them both. The idea made Grace feel like she was losing control of her own life, a life that had once been so certain.

When the front door opened later that evening, she didn't need to look to know it was him. The faint scent of his cologne drifted through the air, and her chest tightened in response. She didn't want to face him—not now, not after everything. But she had to. It was the only way to end this. To end the uncertainty.

Andrew appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, his face a mix of exhaustion and concern. His eyes flicked to the empty spot where Sarah had just been, and Grace could see the tension in his shoulders as he took in the silence.

"Grace," he began, his voice softer than it had been in days. "I need to talk to you. Sarah told me that you asked her to leave. Why are you so stubborn ." He moved toward her, reaching out as though he wanted to touch her, but she stepped back, her gaze hard.

"Don't," Grace said, her voice quiet but firm. "Stubborn ?, did you said stubborn Andrew. How do you expect me to allow he into our home?"

Andrew's face faltered, and he stopped in his tracks. "Grace, I didn't want this to happen. I never wanted to hurt you. But I—" He hesitated, searching for the right words. "I thought you could understand. I thought you could see that I'm not asking you to give her the same place in my life that you had. I just... I need both of you. Please, understand."

Grace took a deep breath, fighting the swell of emotion rising inside her. She had been holding it together all day, but now, standing here with him, the hurt, the anger, the frustration all came crashing down at once.

"No, Andrew," she said, her voice cutting through the air. "I don't understand. You don't get to make me share you with someone else. You don't get to shatter everything we built together and expect me to just accept it. I can't be a part of this. Not like this."

Andrew's face darkened, and his expression twisted with a mixture of pain and frustration. "Grace, please, I'm not asking you to lose everything. I'm asking for understanding. I can't just let go of Sarah. I love her, too."

Her heart dropped. She had known it, of course. She had known that Andrew's heart had divided itself between them, but hearing him say it out loud felt like the final blow. It confirmed everything she had feared—the betrayal was complete.

"You love her?" Grace repeated, her voice trembling. "You love her enough to destroy what we had? Enough to ask me to stand aside and watch as you marry her, as you bring her into our lives like she belongs here?" She shook her head, her vision blurring with unshed tears. "I can't be a part of this, Andrew. I won't."

Andrew took a step toward her, his eyes pleading. "Grace, please don't do this. I'm not asking you to accept everything all at once. Just... just give me a chance. I need time, and I need you. I can't just... lose you."

Her breath caught in her throat. She had always imagined a future with him—a future that didn't include betrayal or shattered promises. But now, standing here, all she saw was the man who had torn apart everything she had believed in, everything she had trusted.

"Andrew, no. You don't get to have both of us. You don't get to ask me to accept her in our home, in our life. Not after everything you've done," she said, her voice cracking with emotion. "And if you want me to accept this, then you have to make a choice."

Andrew's face went pale at her words, and for a long moment, he said nothing. He just stared at her, as if waiting for her to take it back, to tell him that she didn't mean it. But Grace stood her ground, her heart heavy but resolute. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't live in a world where her husband had made a home with someone else while asking her to pretend everything was fine.

"Make a choice, Andrew," she repeated, her voice quieter now but no less firm. "Choose. You can have her, or you can have me. But you can't have both."

Andrew's eyes closed for a brief moment, and when he opened them again, there was a hardness in his gaze, a weariness that hadn't been there before. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he turned away from her, pacing toward the window, his back to her.

"I can't do that," he muttered, his voice barely audible.

Grace's heart twisted, but she refused to let him see her falter. The words she had been holding back—words she had been too afraid to say—came spilling out.

"If you can't choose," she said, her voice steady and cold, "then I'll make the decision for you."

Andrew turned back toward her, his eyes wide with shock. "Grace, what are you saying?"

"I want a divorce," she said, her words like a final, irrevocable decision. "I won't be part of this life you're trying to create. If you can't choose between me and Sarah, then I'm choosing for both of us. I want a divorce."

The silence that followed was deafening. Andrew's face crumpled, his lips trembling as he took in her words. He opened his mouth as if to argue, but no sound came out.

Grace stood there, her chest tight with the weight of her decision. She had loved him—loved him with everything she had. But now, all that was left was the painful truth: their marriage had already ended the moment he asked her to accept a life she could never be a part of.

"I'm done, Andrew," she said quietly, her eyes meeting his one last time. "It's over."

And as the silence stretched between them, Grace felt the last thread of her marriage snap. No more second chances. No more false hope. It was done.

She turned and walked away, her heart breaking with each step, but she knew, deep down, that this was the only way forward.