**Chapter 4** Millie reached into her bag, her fingers brushing against the contents with a heavy heart as she retrieved the divorce filing receipt, placing it with a deliberate motion on the side table. “Yes,” she affirmed, her voice a serene echo in the tense air. “Let’s terminate it. I don’t want it anymore.” Alexia’s gaze locked onto the receipt, her eyes widening with disbelief. More than a decade of friendship had woven a bond between them, and Alexia had witnessed the depths of Millie’s love for Brandon firsthand. There was a time when Millie would have given anything, even her life, for him—a notion so immense, it seemed utterly unthinkable now. They had exchanged vows just a year prior, a ceremony that had brought tears of joy to Alexia’s eyes, even though an unsettling feeling had lingered in the back of her mind. Millie had gotten what she wished for, and for Alexia, that had been enough. But this revelation? What had suddenly shifted the ground beneath them? “I don’t love him anymore,” Millie stated, her gaze unwavering as if she were banishing the remnants of a shadow. A calm smile tugged at her lips, and for a fleeting moment, Alexia glimpsed the Millie of old—the vibrant spirit unscathed by the harshness of grief. A time before sorrow had carved its lines into her face, before the death of her father and the subsequent downfall of the Bennett family had altered everything. Somehow, this glimpse rekindled a flicker of hope in Alexia’s heart. “Brandon doesn’t know I’m pregnant,” Millie continued, her voice steady. “And I want to keep it that way until the divorce is finalized. I can’t risk it.” The reality of divorce was stark; if anyone changed their mind before the ink dried, the procedure could be retracted. It was then that Alexia understood the gravity of Millie's decision. There was no playfulness in her resolve. Taking a deep breath, Alexia moved into action. She booked Millie’s medical tests, her mind racing with the urgency of the moment. “Wait a few days before the surgery,” she advised, her tone laced with concern. Confusion flickered across Millie’s expression. “Why?” “You know your blood type—Rh-negative. It’s rare,” Alexia explained thoughtfully. “We need time to prepare for any emergencies. I’ve already contacted the blood bank. They mentioned it could take a week.” Silence enveloped them, punctuated only by the sound of Millie's even breaths. A profound sadness clouded her eyes—a familiar grief. She had inherited that rare blood type from her father, and the thought of losing him, even further separated by this unexpected twist of fate, gripped her heart. If he were still alive... “Okay,” Millie finally responded, her voice almost a whisper. A smile attempted to surface, yet it couldn’t dispel the tearful longing in her gaze. “There are early signs of miscarriage, too,” Alexia added, her voice softening with motherly concern. “You need to be extra careful these next few days.” They had shared not only childhood memories but also the weight of their emotional burdens. Clasping Millie's hand, Alexia offered her unwavering support. “Wait for me. My shift’s almost done. I’ll come home with you.” A wordless nod from Millie signaled her understanding, and she stepped back into the hallway, a world of thoughts swirling around her. She looked down at her stomach, contemplating the gravity of early signs of miscarriage. Did the baby somehow know about her choice, sensing the tumultuous emotions within her and longing to escape? With a tight-lipped resolve, Millie moved toward the lab for her tests. Just then, her phone buzzed, breaking the silence. A bank notification blinked to life on the screen, a reminder of the careful steps she was taking. She had opened a new account—one Brandon would remain blissfully ignorant of. In this intricate dance of separation, she was determined to keep her finances clear and compartmentalized until the divorce was finalized. Every cent she earned from this point forward would find its home in that account. A second notification chimed in, bringing a rush of emotions with it: “Payment for composition and lyrics has been completed. Finance has sent the transfer. Kindly confirm.” Before she had become Mrs. Brandon Bennett, Millie had lived in obscurity, crafting her art as an anonymous songwriter. Those days, filled with quiet creativity, now felt like distant glimpses of freedom she longed to reclaim amidst the looming chaos of her current reality.