After Five Years Of Marriage

Jessica Albert paced the living room, waiting for her husband, Dylan Robinson, to return from work.

A beautiful, fair-skinned, 27-year-old woman with a fuller figure, she had been married to Dylan for five years.

She had been submissive and loving, taking care of their home and two children. Yet, Dylan had suddenly changed.

Jessica and Dylan had a son and a daughter. Their son, Caleb, was five years old, and their daughter, Nina, was two. Both were fast asleep in their bedrooms.

For two nights after Dylan left for work on Monday morning, Jessica hadn't seen him return. She had noticed his changed mood before he left that day.

Jessica stood in the living room and called Dylan to find out where he was, but the network provider informed her, "Sorry, the mobile number you are trying to call is unavailable at the moment. Please try again later."

"Oh! Where could Dylan be?" Jessica muttered, frustrated that she had called Dylan's phone repeatedly and desperately needed to see him.

She had lied to their children, telling them that their father had gone to work on Monday morning. But Dylan hadn't returned at all, and she couldn't keep up the charade.

Jessica heard a car enter their compound and park. She peeked outside and saw that Dylan had finally returned home.

She sighed and went back inside to wait for him.

Soon, Dylan stepped out of his car and walked into the mansion. A 30-year-old Black man, he owned DY Mobile Company.

He entered the living room and saw Jessica standing there in her long white nightgown. She greeted him, "Welcome home, sweetheart."

"Hmm," Dylan responded with a frown.

He looked at the divorce papers in his hand, given to him by his longtime lover, Rosie Andrew, to give to Jessica and demand an immediate divorce.

Dylan walked up to Jessica without returning her greeting, stopped in front of her, and thrust the divorce papers into her hands.

"I can't pretend anymore, Jessica," he said. "Read this divorce papers, sign them, pack your things tomorrow, and return to your father's house. You can take the kids if you want, or leave them behind, but make sure you pack your things and leave tomorrow! I'll give you some funds and shares of my company revenue as a settlement, but this marriage is over. So leave."

"What!" Jessica exclaimed, taken aback by her husband's statement. She stared at the divorce paper in her hands.

*Is this a dream?* Jessica wondered, looking up at Dylan as he walked toward the living room stairs.

Instead of explaining where he had been for the three days and two nights she hadn't seen him, he shoved the divorce papers into her hands and ordered her to sign them.

Jessica snapped out of her trance and quickly called Dylan back.

"Wait, Dylan, what does this mean?" she asked. "You just got home, and instead of explaining where you've been, you're talking about divorce? What's come over you, Dylan? What did I do wrong?"

Jessica looked teary-eyed. Dylan paused and turned back to face her. "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately, Jessica?" he asked.

Jessica was puzzled by his question and stared at herself from head to toe, trying to understand what he meant.

"Are you the same woman I married five years ago? Look at yourself, Jessica. You've become fat overnight, and I can't continue with you anymore! I can't carry you and make love to you the way I want to because you've outgrown me, and that's the truth! This marriage isn't working anymore. So sign the divorce papers and leave!" Dylan spat coldly and turned to walk toward the living room stairs.

Jessica replied, "No, Dylan! We can't divorce. I love you, and I'm already working on myself."

Jessica had been a banker before she met Dylan, but after giving birth to Nina and gaining weight, Dylan complained that she had become lazy. He insisted she quit her job to look after their children, arguing that she shouldn't leave all the work to the maid.

Dylan sent the maid away, and Jessica had assumed the maid had done something wrong, but the maid was innocent.

Dylan insisted that Jessica cook his food and spend time with their children, and Jessica happily complied, hoping it would make their marriage work and please Dylan. Yet, Dylan was now filing for divorce.

Jessica cried, "No, Dylan! I can't divorce you. After five years of marriage, no! This can't be happening to us."

Dylan paused and replied, "Just sign the divorce papers and leave, Jessica! I'm not the first man to divorce his wife, and I won't be the last."

Jessica tearfully asked, "What did I do wrong, Dylan? Why do you want to destroy our marriage?"

Dylan turned and replied, "You've become ugly, Jessica, and you're not the same woman I married. So leave!"

"What!" Jessica exclaimed, shocked by Dylan's statement. She looked at her husband's face in disbelief, noticing the smell of alcohol and the red lipstick on his lips.

Jessica didn't want to believe that Dylan was already cheating on her. "What did you just say, Dylan? That I'm ugly now? Really?" she asked.

"Yes, Jessica! Am I lying? Is this how I married you? Agreed, you're a billionaire's daughter, and your father helped me establish myself in the past, so what? I can't pretend anymore because you've become fat and not the kind of wife I want to have at home or come home to anymore. So leave!" Dylan spat coldly, and Jessica's heart broke.

Tears streamed down her face, wetting the divorce papers in her hands.

She sobbed, "No, Dylan... I can't accept this divorce. I think you're getting it all wrong. It's not my fault that I'm fat now. Some women gain weight after childbirth, and it's not a disease..."

Dylan, who had started climbing the living room stairs, paused and stared back at Jessica. He saw that she looked innocent in her long white nightgown and that she hadn't been fat when he initially married her.

He replied, "I can't pretend anymore, Jessica. Take your time, read the divorce papers, and sign them. I acknowledge all your efforts to make our marriage work and all your family's support in the past and present, but this marriage isn't working anymore. And I can't continue to sleep outside my matrimonial home or pay for a hotel room when I have a luxurious duplex here. So sign the divorce papers and leave!"

Dylan continued up the stairs to the master bedroom he shared with Jessica, leaving her standing alone in the living room, staring at the divorce papers in her hands.

Jessica looked at the living room wall clock and saw that it was past 11:00 PM. Yet, Dylan was just returning home from work, even though his company closed at 5:00 PM. She screamed, "No, Dylan! This can't be happening to us. We can never divorce! Never!"

Tears streamed down her face, heavily wetting the divorce papers in her hands. "You can't divorce me now, Dylan! I wasn't like this before, and I can't become thin overnight just to please you and f*ck you the way you want."

Jessica fell backward onto one of the black couches in the living room, remembering the first day she had met Dylan.

Dylan was a handsome Black man, trustworthy, friendly, and the kind of man every woman would pray to have.

In the initial stages of their relationship, Dylan was sweet and romantic, and he never tired of her in bed. He made her desire him, and she couldn't resist his sèxual prowess.

If anyone had told her then that Dylan would one day break up with her or divorce her, Jessica would have cursed them as a hater. She had dated Dylan for two years before they got married.

But now, Dylan wanted to divorce her and end their five years of marriage after all she had done for him.

"No, Dylan! I can't take this. That means you're already cheating on me with someone else. Come back here, Dylan! You need to explain what happened to the Dylan I met and married. You can't divorce me now. No! After five years of our marriage. Never! I can't take this!"

"How can you just be returning home today after spending two days outside our matrimonial home and tell me that I'm fat and ugly now, and not the kind of wife you want to come home to anymore? No, Dylan! I can't accept this divorce." Jessica stood up from the couch and rushed upstairs to their bedroom to confront her husband.