3. Future

3

Lucas Brown 

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Layla knew exactly what she was getting into when she agreed to be my wife. Throughout our three years together, I never led her on or even gave her any hope that I might fall in love with her. 

She knew that my heart belonged to Sophia. Sophia was my first love. She was the only woman I had fallen in love with throughout my twenty-six years on earth. 

But my family didn’t approve of Sophia. 

By my family, I meant my grandmother. She always made it clear that she wouldn’t be in support of my relationship if I ever considered starting a family with Sophia. 

My grandmother wanted me to settle down with a good and quiet girl. She didn’t like Sophia’s line of work because she felt she was too exposed to the world. 

She had no idea that Sophia’s exposure was exactly what I needed to make the family business thrive. I needed all the publicity I could get. 

I loved my grandmother and she knew I would always listen to her. So I had no option but to marry Layla when she chose her to be my wife. 

I saw Layla as a naive girl because she also agreed to get married to me even though she knew I didn’t love her. I needed a powerful woman by my side. Not someone like Layla. 

When Sophia left for France to continue her acting career, it made it easier for me to accept my grandmother’s request. 

I had seen Layla around a few times because my grandmother was friends with her foster parents. “You know I’m getting old, I want you to have kids before I die.” Those were the exact words that my grandmother used to blackmail me into marrying Layla. 

Even when I tried to convince her that I would find another woman, she refused, saying I would love Layla as I got to know her. 

I knew it wasn’t possible because I was already in love with someone else. I just decided to be with her to make my grandmother happy. 

But I couldn’t have kids with Layla. I was careful enough to use protection whenever we had sex. I didn’t want her to be the mother of my children. I even made sure she took birth control pills.

I always hoped that Sophia would come back into my life. I always dreamt of our future together. I always imagined us starting our own family. 

I knew my grandmother didn’t want her in my life. But I had a detailed speech on how to convince her to accept Sophia whenever she returned to New York. 

Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away about six months ago. It was unexpected because I wasn’t expecting her to pass away. 

She didn’t have any illness or anything. She died in an unexpected car accident. It was one of the worst days of my life. I still hadn’t gotten over her death. 

But it was one of the reasons why I could even bring myself to divorce Layla. Initially, I felt bad because it seemed like I was betraying my grandmother. 

With time, I realized that it wasn’t fair on Layla. I needed to let her free. I wasn’t treating her right and she deserved better. 

Layla was a pretty girl and even if I tried to hide it, I had a soft spot for her. But I would choose Sophia over her.

Over the years, I tried my best not to develop any feelings for her even if she was an attractive lady. 

I didn’t want anything that would get in the way of me and my first love. Maybe in another life, Layla would have a chance with me. 

I felt bad watching her beg me with desperation in her eyes. But I didn’t let her see that I cared. Sophia was back in my life and I needed to get rid of Layla. Even if it meant hurting her feelings. 

It wasn’t a big surprise to see that she refused to sign the papers. I expected something like that, so I made sure that I had several copies of the divorce papers. 

After she left, I tossed the first one she had squeezed into the trash can. Then I retrieved a new one from the closet and signed it. 

I had made up my mind and she needed to get over her feelings and sign the papers. I didn’t want her under my roof anymore. Sophia wasn’t okay with it and it was causing a strain in our relationship. 

After I signed the papers, I kept them on top of the side drawer before lying on the bed. I had spent the night partying with Sophia and some of our other friends. 

I needed to rest before heading for work later in the day. 

I had no idea how long I had slept for but the annoying sound of my ringing phone interrupted my sleep. Letting out a loud yawn, I opened my eyes and reached out to my phone. 

My lips curled into a small smile when I saw the caller’s name flashing across the screen. I sat upright on the bed and answered the call. 

“Hey, baby. How are you doing?” 

Sophia’s groggy voice echoed from the other end of the line. “I’m fine, did I wake you up?” Her voice sounded angelic as she asked. 

“Yes, but that’s okay.” I brushed off her concerns with a dismissive wave. “Are you good?” 

“Sure, I just wanted to let you know that I’ll meet you at your office today. We need to talk.” Her voice was calm but steady. 

I already knew what she wanted to talk to me about.   

Running my hands through my hair, I sighed heavily. “Sure, you can come during lunch.” We talked for a while before ending the call. 

It was almost time for me to leave the house, so I just stood up and prepared for work. When I was done, I grabbed my keys and headed downstairs. 

“I already signed my part, I need you to sign yours and leave the house before I return from work later in the day,” I told Layla as I saw her in the living room. 

Layla had an astonished expression on her face. “Are you serious? You actually want to throw three years down the drain?” She asked, staring at me in disbelief. 

I was stunned because she was still in denial. She didn’t want to believe that I was actually going to divorce her. Was she that desperate? I mean, why did she want a man who didn’t love her? 

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t make me ask the securities to help you out. I don’t want to see you here when I return.” With that, I walked out of the house.