A/N this is the final chapter. Thanks for reading. As always, please review. I love hearing your thoughts & opinions.

There were many things that Conrad Grayson regretted. None quite as much as he regretted remaining silent after Victoria admitted that she kept her guard up around him because he always hurt her. He was letting the truth sink in but Victoria took it as an acknowledgment of her words. After that, she was unreachable.

He should have known better than to give her a chance to calm down. But after all this time, she was still a mystery. The things that worked in the past didn't work this time and he only made things worse. She didn't want time to cool down, she wanted him to prove her wrong. She wanted him to fight for her. And after he didn't, she wanted out.

"I never thought this is how it would end," he said as he signed his name on the proper pages. The sadness in his voice was outweighed by the honesty of their situation.

Victoria couldn't believe how much she had been hoping for his refusal. She had entertained fantasies of him ripping the divorce papers before doing the same to her clothes; taking her then and there and marking her as his and his alone. She never once thought of him actually signing the divorce papers.

Suddenly the weight of their situation hit her. She was right, he always hurt her. Even when she thought she was breaking free from him, she wound up heartbroken. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest as he pushed the papers in her direction.

Every fiber of her being told her not to sign them, to beg him for another chance. She didn't want to be his ex-wife, she didn't want to be a part of his past. She wanted to be the golden couple, the dynamic duo that always came out on top. But it was clear to her that Conrad didn't, so why was she so invested in their marriage if he wasn't?

Conrad thought he saw hesitation on her face as she signed the papers. He thought he saw her hand shake as she signed away her marriage, her namesake. He thought it was all in his mind, after all she had asked, no insisted on this divorce. He had originally ignored her, waiting for her to calm down. After a while she became more insistent, demanding to be released from this marriage. He finally agreed, wanting her to be happy and accepting the notion that she wouldn't find happiness with him. So why did she seem so sad?

"So, I guess that's it."

"As insistent as you've been, I would have expected you to do cartwheels out of here."

"In a dress?"

"I'd have enjoyed one last glimpse," he joked, raising an eyebrow.

"You constantly surprise me, Conrad." She said with a sad smile. "I would have thought losing your father would have brought us closer together. Instead, it tore us apart. And instead of the divorce creating a rift it seems to have brought us closer."

Conrad didn't say anything. She was right. He suddenly realized that she may have been bluffing about the divorce. Maybe she didn't want him to release her, maybe she didn't want freedom. Maybe she wanted him to fight for her, to prove her wrong. And he hadn't. He had spent so long letting her cool down that she took it as agreement. And now it was too late.

"Thank you for signing this." She said as she grabbed the papers and headed towards out the door.

"Victoria," he called after her. "I should have fought for you."

"Yeah, you should have." She said sadly before walking out of the office and out of his life.