Nina blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic.
The ntion of her recent split with her husband felt like a jolt, pulling her out of the warm, hazy bubble they'd all been floating in.
Her lips parted, a flicker of surprise crossing her face, but as she t Abigaille's gaze—those wide, earnest eyes brimming with care—a soft, caring smile tugged at her own lips.
She took a slow breath, steadying herself before she spoke, her voice gentle but tinged with the weight of mory.
"Well..." Nina started, her tone thoughtful as she glanced down at her hands for a mont, then back up at Abigaille. "At first, I was genuinely shocked. One day, out of nowhere, I ca ho to find divorce papers on the table, his signature already scrawled across them.I just...I couldn't believe it."
"...I an, our relationship had been bad for a long ti-cold, distant, barely even there but I never thought it'd actually end. No matter how strained things got, I'd always assud we'd just...keep going, you know? Married for years, tied together by habit if nothing else."
A faint sadness flickered in her eyes, her fingers twisting together as she recalled the mont.
"For a second, I was lost. Even if we didn't love each other anymore, it was still this huge part of my life crumbling away."
Abigaille's face softened, her lips parting as if to offer so comforting words, her hand already reaching out instinctively to bridge the gap between them.
But before she could speak, Nina's expression shifted—her verdant eyes brightened, and a sudden, radiant smile broke through the lancholy, catching Abigaille by surprise.
"But you know what?" Nina continued, her voice lifting with a newfound energy. "That mont of feeling lost—it only lasted a second. Because then it hit : this was the best thing for both of us."
"Our marriage wasn't a bond anymore; it was a shackle, chaining us to sothing neither of us wanted. Signing those papers, letting it go—it was like breaking free."
Her gaze drifted to Kafka, then to Camila, and finally back to Abigaille, her smile widening as a spark of excitent danced in her eyes.
"And more than that, I realized I have a future now—one I can actually look forward to. With you all here, with Kafka, with everything we're building...I don't have any regrets."
"...So, honestly, Abi, you don't need to worry about . I'm truly satisfied—happier than I've been in years."
Abigaille let out a quiet sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing as the tension lted from her fra when she heard her sincere words. Her worried frown dissolved into a warm, heartfelt smile, her eyes shimring with a mix of pride and affection.
"Oh, Nina." She said, her voice soft and full of gratitude. "I'm so glad to hear that. I was so worried you might be hurting more than you let on, but seeing you like this, knowing you're truly alright...It ans everything to ."
Nina chuckled, reaching out to give Abigaille's hand a gentle squeeze. "I promise, I'm good. Better than good, actually. That chapter's closed, and I'm ready for whatever cos next, especially with you all by my side."
Camila, who'd been listening quietly, leaned forward with a playful smirk, her earlier seriousness giving way to her usual teasing edge.
"Well, thank God for that." She quipped, her tone light. "Because I was not looking forward to playing therapist if you were still moping over that pathetic guy."
"...And finally you're free now, Nina—free to enjoy the ss of this little family instead." She gestured around at them all, her grin widening.
Kafka was about to say sothing to comfort her as well with a rather knowing look in his eyes to appear as natural as possible, that is until Camila suddenly interrupted, her voice taking on a thoughtful, suspicious tone.
"Speaking of your husband." She mused, tilting her head slightly. "Have you seen him at all since he left those divorce papers on the table?"
Nina blinked, her expression shifting into a frown.
"No, actually." She admitted, crossing her arms. "Not since then. And now that I think about it...even before I saw those papers, I hadn't seen him for almost a week. The last ti I saw him was…" She paused, her gaze drifting toward Kafka, her brows knitting together.
"...It was when you t him for the first ti."
Camila perked up at that, her lips pursing in curiosity. She turned her gaze to Kafka, looking for confirmation, but he rely stood there, silent.
His expression was unreadable, but if one looked closely enough—just closely enough—there was a cold glint in his eyes.
A glint no one seed to notice.
Camila leaned back, arms folding as she humd. "You know, now that you ntion it, I haven't seen my husband since that day either."
Nina turned to her, surprise flickering across her face. "Really?"
"Yep. Ever since that little...outburst I had with him when he ca ho while Kafka was still there, I haven't seen him once. No calls, no ssages, no complaints about the house, nothing." Camila tapped a finger against her chin, as if considering sothing deeply. "It's like he just disappeared from the world or sothing."
A brief silence settled between them.
But then, Camila suddenly waved her hand dismissively. "Not that I care." She scoffed. "Honestly, I couldn't give a rat's ass what that man is doing. He could be in a ditch for all I care."
Nina chuckled at her bluntness, shaking her head.
"Still, it's a little weird, isn't it? Both of our husbands suddenly vanishing? And both of them last seen right after they t Kafka?" She smirked playfully, turning her gaze toward Kafka again, as if expecting him to laugh along with the joke. "Almost as if he had sothing to do with their disappearance."
For a split second, Kafka froze.
A bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck.
He hadn't expected them to connect the dots so soon. His mind imdiately ran through excuses, ways to spin the conversation before it went sowhere...inconvenient.
Then—
Laughter.
Loud, uncontrollable laughter from both Camila and Nina.
"Oh my God." Camila wheezed, shaking her head. "That's so ridiculous. What, you think Kafka just got rid of them? Kafka?" She shot him a teasing grin. "This is real life, not so action movie."
"Right?" Nina giggled, nudging Kafka's shoulder playfully. "What, did our little boy here beat up two full-grown n and make them disappear?" She wiped away a stray tear from laughing too hard. "Yeah, sure."
Camila let out a dramatic sigh, crossing her arms again. "I an, the real reason they vanished is obvious." She smirked and tossed her hair. "They saw how inferior they were to Kafka, realized they'd never compare, and just ran off on their own."
"That makes way more sense!" Nina laughed, nodding in agreent. "They just knew that they couldn't match up to him, so they took the only way out!"
Kafka, still recovering from the mini heart attack he just had, let out a quiet sigh of relief. They weren't seriously suspicious. They were just joking around.
Good.
He imdiately jumped on the opportunity to deflect, throwing his hands up in exaggerated exasperation.
"Exactly! Listen to yourselves. The idea that I had anything to do with it? Ridiculous." He chuckled, shaking his head. "You two are acting like little kids with overactive imaginations."
Camila and Nina exchanged knowing grins before shrugging, completely buying into their own joke.
"Maybe so." Camila conceded, smirking. "But it is kinda funny, don't you think? Two of our partners disappear, and now our Kafka is right here, taking their places like they never existed."
"Yeah." Nina giggled. "Almost like fate was just waiting for the right mont to swap them out."
"Right?...It's so bizzare isn't it?"Kafka forced a smile, nodding along.
And just as Kafka was making a ntal note to himself that he should soon tie up all loose ends that ca with his actions so that none of them ca back to bite him later, he suddenly got a ssage from the gods above, that almost made him choke on air because of how atrociously absurd it was.
Ding~
[The God of Health Fiona sends a request: Milk all three of your won before you until there's an entire bucket of fresh milk and drink it all until the very last drop]
[Successfully fulfill the request and gain the Gods satisfaction and approval]
[Fail the given request and have your own chest grow so big that you suffocate underneath their weight]
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