His Regret: I Am Untouchable Now

QUINN

Morning didn't feel like morning.

My eyes reopened before I remembered closing them. For a few seconds, I just stared at the ceiling,

By law, my marriage was already over. But my body still hadn't caught up to the loss of it.

My fingers brushed the empty side of the bed, expecting to feel Jasper's muscular body. Cold sheets greeted me instead.

I pushed myself upright. The room I stayed in wasn't mine. It was a hotel suite Joe had insisted I take when I refused to go anywhere familiar.

I didn't want any place or memory that would remind me of him.

I pressed my palm against my forehead, and no tears came anymore. That was the strangest part.

And then there was Morrison.

Just thinking about his name made something uneasy shift inside me. I pushed the thought away immediately.

A soft knock interrupted the silence.

"Miss Quinn?"

A voice from outside spoke.

"Your transport to the courthouse will be ready in twenty minutes."

Right. Yesterday was the ending. Today was the paperwork confirming it. I stood slowly and walked into the bathroom.

The woman staring back at me in the mirror barely looked familiar. All I saw was a pale face, tired eyes, and cracked lips. My hair was tied back loosely, but strands had fallen out.

I stared at myself for a long time, then picked up a comb and carefully dressed my hair.

If my life were going to end in paperwork, I would at least show up as myself. Not broken or pleading.

The courthouse was already awake when I arrived. People moved around with purpose, files in hand. Shoes echoed against the polished floors.

A young court official looked up as I entered.

"Oh, good morning," she said quickly, then softened, "you look elegant."

I didn't even realize she was talking to me until she waved with a pretty smile.

My voice cracked slightly, "Hi!" I waved back, "Thank you."

I almost forgot what kindness sounded like, but that little act uplifted my spirits.

I sat down on the bench outside the courtroom. My fingers tightened around the file in my lap: a divorce agreement.

A door opened across the hallway, and I didn't need to look up to know who it was. The air changed before his footsteps even reached me.

Jasper walked in looking untouched by any of this. Like he was arriving for another business meeting instead of ending a marriage.

Yet, something about him felt unsettled; it wasn't obvious, but I noticed it.

He stopped when his eyes landed on me, then looked away immediately. I was already becoming something finished in his eyes.

When he walked away, I followed him inside.

The courtroom was small, yet convenient, less dramatic and less emotional. Too good for something that would erase my three years of life.

Documents were reviewed, and the judge spoke. Signatures were exchanged and stamps placed. I signed first. My hand didn't hesitate, and that surprised me.

It didn't happen that way because I was too strong, but because I was tired of pretending otherwise.

Jasper signed after me without hesitation or pause. He didn't even glance at me once.

Within minutes, it was over. Three years reduced to signatures and stamped papers.

"By law," the official said calmly, "there is a thirty-day cooling-off period. Either party may revoke the divorce within this time."

I nearly laughed. Thirty days. How generous.

Jasper's voice cut in smoothly. "That will be unnecessary."

I looked at him. "You are confident," I said quietly.

His gaze finally met mine. "You are not the type to change your mind," he said.

Something unreadable passed through his expression. But I knew it had nothing to do with regret.

"You are so sure?"

He avoided eye contact. "Don't make this harder than it already is," he said.

"What is it then?" I asked softly.

He didn't respond. The room hummed with unspoken tension. The official cleared his throat awkwardly and continued processing the documents.

Outside the courtroom, the world continued moving. People laughed. Phones rang. Conversations continued around me. 

The world moved on so easily from things that ruined other people.

Jasper stepped out first, and I followed. The wind outside was colder now. He didn't look back, not for once. Yet, he didn't leave immediately, either.

No one rushed to fill the silence. I held the folder tighter.

"You don't owe me anything now," I said quietly.

He stopped, then turned slowly. "We are past that now," he said.

I hated how much the words affected me, but I pushed them away.

"Okay. Good," I said.

He studied me for a moment longer and then turned. That was when I saw her. Seraphina. Standing near the car and dressed in white.

The atmosphere changed around her. She smiled the moment she saw me.

"Jasper," she called gently. "Can we go now?'

His expression changed instantly with care. "You shouldn't be standing outside," he said to her, "it's cold."

I waited three years to hear that kind of care from him.

Seraphina's eyes slid toward me. "You are still here," she said.

I said nothing. She smiled, then leaned close enough for only me to hear her.

"You really thought he would choose you?"

I exhaled slowly, not reacting. Suddenly, it didn't feel like a question anymore. It felt like something I should have known long ago.

"Honestly, you should be grateful to me," she murmured.

"Without me, you'd still be clinging to a man who never belonged to you."

My grip on the folder tightened.  She smiled when I didn't answer. But before she fully left, she added lightly.

"Funny thing is..." she said softly. "Even while he was with me, he never looked at me the way he used to look at you."

Listening to that, my knees nearly gave out. She smiled wider when she noticed.

Jasper called her name softly, "Come on."

She obeyed. Within seconds, they were gone into thick air. I stood there for a long moment, watching the space they had occupied, then I finally exhaled.

A voice behind me broke the silence.

"Darling?"

I turned automatically before realizing the stranger wasn't speaking to me.

Just then, my phone rang. Joe. I picked almost immediately.

"Hi Joe," I said softly.

"Quinn... this divorce, Jasper didn't act alone."

My heartbeat slowed.  "What are you saying?"

He exhaled. The next words changed everything.

"Seraphina is pregnant."