He Defended Her, He Said I Deserved It Chapter 10

He Defended Her, He Said I Deserved It Chapter 10

Several months later, my divorce was finally finalized. 

Ethan and I met at the courthouse for the last time. 

He looked even thinner. 

His eyes were hollow. 

He still held the wedding ring he had taken off weeks earlier. 

The attorney handling the paperwork asked us one final time 

whether we were certain. 

“Yes.” 

My answer was calm. 

Ethan looked at me for a long time. 

Then he picked up the pen. 

His hand shook as he signed the final divorce papers. 

A tear fell onto the page. 

The ink blurred beneath it. 

The divorce was final. 

When we stepped outside, Ethan followed me for a few steps. 

“Avery,” 

“Can I hug you one last time?” 

His hand lifted. 

His eyes were filled with humble pleading. 

I stepped away. 

“No.” 

Then I walked out of the courthouse. 

Sunlight touched my face. 

I did’t look back. 

That day, I finally ended the marriage that had consumed six 

years of my life and nearly destroyed everything I had left. 

After the divorce, Ethan voluntarily surrendered his law license. 

The Chloe case became the stain that ended his career. 

He could no longer walk into a courtroom without 

remembering what he had done. 

He sold the apartment. 

Half of the proceeds were transferred to my account. 

He moved into a small apartment he once would have 

considered beneath him. 

When the money arrived, I did’t contact him. 

It was not compensation. 

It could not bring back what I had lost. 

Two months later, I came home from work and saw him 

standing outside my building. 

He stood beneath a streetlamp. 

The wind tousled his hair and obscured his face. 

His coat hung loosely over his thinner frame. 

When he saw me, something bright returned to his eyes. 

“Avery.” 

His voice was barely audible. 

I miss you.” 

“I only wanted to see you once.” 

“I’ll leave right after.” 

I stopped. 

I did’t move closer. 

1Ethan.” 

“I don’t hate you anymore.” 

He froze. 

Hope flashed across his face. 

Then I continued. 

“But I don’t want to feel anything about you anymore.” 

His hope disappeared. 

“You need someone like Chloe.” 

“Someone who will always admire you.” 

“Someone who will trust every judgment you make.” 

“That’s not me.” 

“Even if we got back together, one day another Chloe could 

appear. 

And you could hurt me again.” 

It is better for both of us to move forward.” 

Stop wasting your time on me.” 

Ethan’s eyes turned red. 

“Why do you have to punish me forever over one mistake?” 

“We had six years.” 

“Did none of that mean anything to you?” 

“I swear I can change.” 

‘I can go back to how I was.” 

I interrupted him. 

“People don’t suddenly stop loving someone in one moment. 

Ethan.” 

“You think those six years were perfect?” 

“Do you want me to list every fight?” 

“Every time you ignored me?” 

“Every time you told me you were too busy?” 

He went silent. 

“Ethan.” 

“A person can regret what they did.” 

“But they cannot demand that the person they hurt stay 

where they are until they become better.” 

“We were not simply incompatible.” 

You used up every bit of love I had for you.” 

I walked around him. 

His shadow stretched across the pavement. 

He stood there for a long time. 

kept walking. 

I never turned around. 

Şix months later, my condition gradually stabilized. 

I took on illustration projects again. 

One of my collections was accepted into an international 

touring exhibition. 

I gave up my apartment. 

I packed my art supplies and a suitcase. 

Then I left New York. 

The train began to move. 

The city slowly disappeared behind me. 

I looked out at the fields and distant hills. 

For the first time, I did’t think about the rooftop. 

I did’t think about that night. 

I did’t think about Ethan. 

The pain had not disappeared. 

But it no longer controlled me. 

I finally understood. 

Letting go did’t mean forgiving the people who hurt me. 

It meant refusing to punish myself for what they had done. 

The light outside the train window was clear. 

The road ahead was wide, 

Some people belong in the past. 

Let them stay there. 

From now on, the pain would remain behind me.. 

And I would keep moving forward. 

END