5. Bad Choices

5

Layla Patel

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Would he really ask the security to throw me out if I refused to sign the papers? So he wasn’t joking? It wasn’t a prank? He actually wanted me to sign the papers and end the marriage? 

My chest tightened and I felt an excruciating pain as I thought about everything. I wanted to run after him. I wanted to talk to him and make him realize that he was making a mistake. 

But I was too stunned to even speak. 

It felt like my legs were glued to the ground. I couldn’t move. I was starting to realize how real it was - how serious Lucas was. 

He didn’t even have an ounce of sympathy for me. He didn’t care about how I felt. He only thought about himself. 

I picked up my phone and called my best friend again. 

“He said he would ask security to help me out if I’m still at the house when he returns from work.” My voice was shaking as I told her about it. 

Olivia sighed. “So you still won’t sign it?” 

I exhaled heavily as I ran my hands through my hair. “ I won’t sign it. I’ll give him some time to think about it. Maybe he would change his mind by the end of the day.” 

I was certain that Olivia was tired of my bad choices, but still chose to remain patient. She never made me feel like I was stupid even though I was clearly making terrible choices. 

“Okay, don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.” She added and I responded with a nod. We talked for a few minutes before the call finally disconnected. 

After the call, I went into the kitchen to get myself a glass of water. “Are you okay?” The maid asked when she saw me walk into the kitchen. 

She must’ve overheard my conversation. 

She already knew what was going on in my marriage. Ever since I stepped foot into the house, she knew that Lucas didn’t love me. 

But she never spoke to me about it. I was guessing that she didn’t want to cross her boundaries. 

I nodded my head. “Yes, I am okay.” I lied. 

“Are you sure? Is everything okay between you and Lucas?” She asked with a hint of genuine concern in her voice. 

I wanted to lash out and ask her to mind her business. I wanted somebody I could transfer all the anger that was boiling over me. 

But I chose to remain calm. 

She wasn’t the cause of my miseries. 

I forced a smile. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine. Everything will be fine.” I assured her even though I wasn’t so sure anymore. 

Lucas seemed serious and I doubted if I would be able to make him change his mind. But even with my doubts, I still wasn’t ready to give up. 

I wasn’t sure I would be able to move on from him. 

The maid responded with a curt nod as she took the hint that I didn’t want to talk about my marriage with her. After I took my water, I made my way back to the room. 

My eyes landed on the divorce papers that Lucas had dropped for me. I picked it up and glanced through it. It was a different set of papers.

So he had a backup in case something happened to the first one? My stomach churned as I saw that he had already signed his part. 

It was then that it dawned on me that it was actually serious. 

Lucas Brown was serious about ending the marriage. 

He wanted to throw three years down the drain. Just like that? No! I couldn’t let it happen. 

Just like I did to the other paper, I squeezed it into a ball and tossed it into the trash can close to the door. After that, I made my way into the bathroom and engaged in a quick shower. 

I couldn’t wait for Lucas to come back in the evening before talking to him. I already memorized his schedule and I knew he always had a meeting at his office at this time every week. 

After I was done dressing up, I grabbed my car keys and headed downstairs. Soon enough, I was on my way to his office. 

I parked my car and was headed into the entrance of the building when I saw HER. I stopped in my tracks and let out a deep breath to calm myself down. 

What was she doing at his office? 

I remained calm and kept on walking even though I was about to lose my mind. I was already hurting, but seeing her in person just made everything worse. 

I came to Lucas’s office to talk to him about our marriage, but I wasn’t sure he would even listen to me since she was around. 

Just as I stepped my foot inside the building, I saw Lucas come out of the elevator. My heart was racing in my chest as I saw him hug her from behind. 

He never hugged me like that. 

She turned around and threw her hands over him. 

My heart broke with each passing second. 

I watched him treat her like I wanted to be treated. It was clear that he was madly in love with her. That they were madly in love with each other. 

But yet, I still wanted to fight for him. 

I was ready to settle for the second choice. 

Letting out a deep sigh, I continued walking in their direction. A part of me wanted to turn around and go back home, but I didn’t. 

I needed to do what I came for. 

Lucas’s expression changed into a disgusted one when he laid his eyes on me. “What are you doing here?” He yelled without even letting me get close to them. 

Sophia turned around, condescendingly staring at me. She whispered something in Lucas’s ear and they both laughed. 

I felt so humiliated but I kept on walking in their direction. 

I still wanted to say what I had left the house for. 

Just as I stood in front of them and opened my mouth to speak, everywhere became dizzy.

“What is happening?” I whispered to myself.

Before I could even realize what was going on, I landed on the ground.