"I want a divorce."

Pamela had been full and overflowing with confidence when she left the house, still reeling from the startling discovery that she was with child but the moment she got to the hospital and saw the tiny little creature wrapped in swaddling white cloth, her confidence wavered.

She began to think that Devlin's absence had been worth it. That perhaps she had overreacted. She was convinced of it when she saw the look on Sarah's face. It was one that couldn't be put into words. It made Pamela's heart flutter because it meant that she might experience the feeling soon - if nothing went wrong. She watched Keely hug and kiss her little brother, watched how Art grinned from ear to ear.

Devlin, however, hadn't been at the hospital.

"Do you know where he went?" She asked.

"Business was what he said to me." Art replied.

Pamela hated that she kind of liked the fact that Devlin had prioritized business over staying with his new born. "Why didn't you stop him? That was inconsiderate."

Art chuckled. "Wild horses couldn't have stopped him."

Sarah clicked her tongue. "He's hopeless. I think his eyes got more shine to it when he was called for business than when he saw the baby."

Pamela smiled at her. "I'm sure that's not the case."

"Anyways," she looked up at Pamela. "thank you, Pamela. For everything. I know the circumstances aren't what it should be but -"

Pamela took Sarah's hand, interrupting her speech. "That's enough. It wasn't your fault in any way."

"I can't help but feel terrible. And it'll be worse if you take it out on Devlin."

She straightened and avoided further eye contact. "You should be resting. You went through surgery."

She snorted. "I didn't feel a thing asides from the stinging feel when I was injected with epidural. It felt like I was in a sort of a haze and my throat feels itchy but I feel fine." She smiled at Pamela.

Devlin entered just then. He walked straight to her and hugged her the moment he saw her. He didn't care that people were there.

"We need to talk." He said into her ears.

"Yes, we do." She whispered back, her heart pounding, her head telling her to change her mind and fall into his arms.

They decided to talk in the car. The short trip to the hospital parking lot seemed like eons. It felt like she was having a battle royal with her head and her heart. Her head wanted her to choose herself and the life growing inside her, but her head wanted to choose him, just as she had millions of times. The moment he shut the door, he reached for her and wrapped her in a hug. They stayed that way, until she said the words. Seemed her head won after all.

He went stiff, then withdrew slowly. "What?"

She wet her lips, wondering why they were suddenly dry, and said with conviction. "I want a divorce."

"Is this about Sarah?"

She turned away. "No."

"Please, let me explain."

He tried to reach for her but she shrank away and shouted. "It's not anybody! It's not anything! Putting the blame on a person doesn't solve the problem. I just...I just want to end this."

"End what? Our marriage? Please, I can explain everything. It's not what you think." His eyes filled with tears and they held anguish that gnawed at her heart but she shook her head and looked away.

"Don't you get it Devlin? I can't stay with you. I can't stay married to a person who doesn't prioritize me."

"I prioritize you. Everything I do, I do for you."

She laughed bitterly. "Yeah, like having a child with someone else?"

Her biting reply seemed to cut him deeply because a look of torment crossed his features. "I'm sorry for everything. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know." She said quietly as she fondled with her hands. "But I think we've come to the end of our story, no?" He looked away, as if trying to hide his tears but she saw it anyways. "And...and -" She took in a deep breath. "I want my father's trust."

"The trust?" He exclaimed.

"Yes."

He was quiet for a full minute, then, "Did something happen? Is everything alright?"

"A divorce and the trust is all I want." She reached for the door handle. She hated the concern in his voice because it made her want to wrap her hands around him and stay that way forever, basking in his body warmth. She wanted him to stop her and make her change her mind. She wanted to share the news of the pregnancy and laugh together about it with him. She wanted all that, and more, but she had to prioritize herself. She pulled on the door handle.

He placed his hand on her arms to stop her. "Art has cancer. Lung cancer."

She sat back, shell shocked. She then searched his eyes, trying to see if he was being insincere. "What?"

"That's why I've been at the hospital. I know it's not a reason to have left you for those weeks, but I had to stay with him and also watch Sarah. I told him not to travel, with his bad lungs and all, but he did because Sarah's is his only kid and if anything happened to her..." He let the sentence trail off.

Pamela started to feel like a mean bitch. "Why didn't you tell me? We could have handled it together, as a couple."

"I didn't want to worry you."

"What do you think I am? A child?" She took big breaths through her nostrils. "This has to stop. Please."

"Pamela if you leave me, I'll be hopeless. You are my whole life."

"Fear and love cannot live in the same house, Devlin."

"What are you afraid of?"

"This whole lifestyle! Everything!" She exclaimed.

He was quiet for some seconds before gently saying, "But you've been fine living with me. You've been staying despite the odds."

"That has changed now that I have something to loose."

"Which is?"

"My mind! I will loose my mind if I keep on living this way!" She opened the door angrily, stepped out and slammed it. She felt selfish but she had no choice. No, she did have a choice, and that was protecting herself and her child and providing a fairly normal life for that child.

Now that by some miracle she'd conceived, her primary instinct was to protect the baby. The thought of raising a child admits guns and drugs and kidnaps was nothing palatable. That was the reason she wasn't going to tell him about the baby yet. She was going to tell him when she was ready. For now, she wanted space, a lot of distance and bucket loads of money.

~

Devlin raised blurry eyes at Cody, who swam before him, like he was being viewed over water. "She's leaving me, Man." He said drowsily and took another swig of his whiskey. "She's leaving."

All he'd worked on for the past weeks was trying to go legit for Pamela's sake and trying to fulfil Art's wishes at the same time. He didn't want Pamela to live the way she'd been with him; being locked up in a house, having no trustworthy friends and being flanked by guards whenever she stepped out. She'd claimed she'd been fine with it but he wasn't. He wanted freedom for her, much more than he wanted it for himself. Also, he was remorseful about the way he'd reacted after the incident with Cody's kid.

The worst of all was Sarah. No woman would be elated to find out their husband had a love child. He wanted to earn her forgiveness by first giving her the gift of freedom from any danger by going legit and also tell her he was ready to have as much babies as she wanted. He wished, for the first time, to have a large family, living in a family house on a ranch. But things had gone awry.

Art's illness was one. He had kept it a secret from Sarah and so had asked Devlin to protect her because soon, he might not be able to. Yes, it was a lame excuse to have been away from Pamela for weeks but he'd hoped, although selfishly, that she would understand. What had he expected? A wife without feelings and emotions? He'd deserved what he'd gotten. Now, she'd left and was staying with Florence. Of course he'd dispatched two of his boys to watch and protect her, without her knowledge.

"I saw these in her trash bin three days ago."

Uninterested, Devlin eyed the plastic bag Cody was stretching towards him. "Why would you be going through her trash?"

"Her peculiar character concerned me and so I thought I'd go through it."

"Why?" He drawled. His tongue felt heavy, but he managed to carry it. "Why the trash?"

Cody shifted from one foot to the other. "I, well, thought she might be...well, taking drugs."

"What?" He shouted more than he intended.

"I'm sorry but with the way you uh, neglected her, anyone would be forced to turn to drugs."

"Thanks Cody, just the reminder I needed."

"So I found these."

He yawned. "Anything to be concerned about?"

"Maybe."

"Just tell me what they are dammit." He raised the bottle to his lips.

"Pregnancy test kits."

He chocked, spluttered and coughed. Cody, the bastard, stood there, still holing the plastic bag to his face, as if he didn't give a shit that he was asphyxiating. When he was able to get out most of the liquid that went to the wrong pipe, he stood - or tried to. The world seemed to swoon around him as he yanked the plastic and upturned it. At his feet were five white and blue dipsticks. He picked one and saw the two colored lines were on the test strip. It only meant one thing. Little wonder she'd bailed. She'd been probably worried he'd want nothing to do with the child.

"I messed up." He said, his voice crumbling in despair.

"Are you going to tell her you know about it?"

He shook his head. "No. I'll let her make her decision. If she decides to tell me, fine and if not, it's up to her. I hurt her and this is my punishment." He heaved a heavy sigh. "She asked for the trust."

Cody looked at him sharply.

"Now that in think of it, I think she did because of the kid. She wants something to take care of it. Something to start a new life with."

"You're not planing on giving her are you?"

Devlin gave him a hard look. "Take a guess."

"That trust almost got her killed. Everyone around her pretended to love her because of this trust. If you withdraw even a cent from it, they will know and will come after us."

"Don't you think I know that dammit?" He stood and paced. "Fuck I know that. I just, I need to make her happy. I've taken away almost everything from her, let me give her this."

"Is pleasing her more important than her life?"

"I didn't please her these few weeks because I was trying to "protect" her life. Plenty good that did me. Instead, I'll please and protect her. No matter where she goes, she'll be under my radar. Besides, I have a kid to protect."

"Kids." Cody corrected. "I do too."

"How did we end up having kids? We literately swore off them."

Cody chuckled. "The moment I saw Alexander, looking so pink and tiny, something shattered in my heart. That wall I'd built against any emotions crumbled into fragments. At that moment, I knew I was done for."

"Me too. But I think it started with Keely. Living with a kid can be disconcerting, to say the least." He glanced at Cody. "I know how much you miss them."

"Susan inclusive? Please." He snorted.

"Come on! I know you love her. You always did." He added softly.

Cody couldn't deny it. His sheepish smile and the blush that stained his scruffy cheeks gave him away.

"Hopefully, you'll be able to live together, as a family."

"Hopefully."

Devlin handed Cody a beer. He declined. "I'm on duty."

"Well we need to celebrate cause it'll all soon be over. We're going legit very soon."

He took the beer with a small smile and sat. "I haven't gotten replies from my sources yet but things are looking up."

Devlin nodded. "What will you do with your cut? Move to the Bahamas? Buy real estate?" Devlin had decided to give everyone that worked with him cuts from the money and properties they'll receive. It was the very least he could do.

"Some place safe. Away from all these. How about you?"

"Wherever Pam is. I'll stay low key, protecting her."

"And Miss Sarah?"

"She'd hate for people to be lurking around was what she said to me. But of course she'll be well and duly protected. Besides, Art got contacts." He sat beside Cody and slapped him on the back. "Thank you for everything, Cody. I don't know what I'd have done without you."

"You saved me and my brother and gave our lives meaning. I couldn't be more grateful. Finally, things are coming to an end."

"Yes." Devlin's throat tightened. "I started my story with Pamela and now I'm ending without her."

"At least she's alive."

"I agree." He said and sadly nodded. "Let's toast, Cody." He raised his bottle while Cody raised his. "To a great ending."

"To a great ending."

~

OMG dear readers! It's been ages since I wrote and this is because of school. I am so, so sorry for taking this long break. I promise I do not take you guys for granted. Thank you so, so much for reading, I'm so grateful. Have a lovely day/night! ❤💕🦋