Chapter Two: Helen's POV

How could he do this to me? Why would he cheat on me? I can understand that he was desperate for a child, but cheating? Cheating was way out of line.

“Helen, are you there?” the voice of the lady he was with boomed through the phone and I clenched my fists as tears rolled down my cheeks.

“I want to speak with Ashton,” I demanded, trying my best to hide the hurt in my voice. “Now.” I added.

She laughed. “Don’t you want to know who I am first?” She chuckled, but I was quiet. She was going to introduce her bitchy self anyway. “Of course you’d get to see your lovely husband, but I want you to know me first. I’m Rose, his secretary and next wife.”

My eyes twitched. Rose? I knew her. Ashton was cheating on me with his secretary? I shook my head. “No!” I snapped. “I can’t believe this.”

A picture came into my phone instantly, and I checked, my eyes widening. I recognize that chestnut brown hair and physical build anywhere. 

It was Ashton… and… he was on top of her, naked. My eyes burned with tears and I choked on my own sobs.

“If you want a video, I can send it to you.” her tone was low and malicious, and it made me want to rip her in two.

“You bitch!” I snapped. 

She chuckled from the other end, and hung up. The phone slipped from my hand, landing with a thud on the tiled floor. Tears blurred my vision, the pain in my chest so sharp it was almost physical.

I dropped to my knees, gasping for breath, as my world fell apart. The man I loved, the man I thought loved me, had been cheating on me with his secretary. His secretary.

Rage pulsed through me, a white-hot fury that threatened to consume me. Rose. That name would forever be seared into my brain as a mark of betrayal and pain.

I stumbled to my feet, rage coursing through my veins like lava. The surrounding room seemed to blur, everything except for the image of Rose and Ashton, burned into my mind’s eye.

I knew that place. It was a private suite in Ashton’s company. I won’t let that bitch get away with this, and neither will Ashton. With balled fists and my jaw set in determination coupled with the anger I felt, I made my way back to the driveway and climbed into my car. My hands were shaking, but I clenched the steering wheel, forcing my rage into my grip.

I gunned the engine, the tires squealing as I pulled out of the driveway and onto the street. I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew I had to confront Ashton, to make him see what he’d done to me; to us.

The city was alive with Christmas cheer, carolers singing on street corners and lights strung across the streets, but I didn't care about any of that. My world was falling apart on the day I was supposed to be happy, on the day I was supposed to celebrate.

I drove speedily, my mind a jumble of rage and hurt. The traffic was light for this time of night, but it felt like hours had passed since I left the house. The snow fell around me, soft and silent, a stark contrast to the turmoil inside me. I was burning.

Finally, I saw a sign for Ashton's office building. The lights were still on. I parked my car in the lot and was about to make my way into the building when someone walked out.

My jaw tightened.

Rose. In a nightgown that stopped just above her knee. Her ginger red hair was in a mess and I saw the hickeys on her neck, causing me to lose control.

I moved on instinct and on getting to where she stood, gave her two sharp slaps on the cheeks before she could say anything.

The sound of my hand hitting her face echoed through the parking lot, sharp and satisfying.

Rose gasped, her hand flying to her face as she stumbled backward. “You bitch,” she spat, but I didn’t flinch. I was past the point of caring what she thought of me. I was past the point of caring what anyone thought of me. What I wanted was closure and to teach her bitchy ass a lesson.

“You think you can waltz into my life and steal my husband?” I seethed, my voice low and dangerous. “You think you can just destroy everything I’ve built?”

Rose recovered, her own fury rising to meet mine. “He was never really yours,” she sneered.

“Oh really?” I said, venom dripping from my voice. “And I suppose he told you that? Did he tell you how he’s desperately in love with you?” I shook my head in disgust. “You're nothing but a cheap fling. I’m his wife. I'm the one he’s built a life with.”

“Well, I'm about to be his wife,” Rose retorted, her eyes mirroring the rage in mine. “And I'm the one he’s going to build a family with.”

Her words cut me like a knife, but I refused to let her see how much they hurt. My heart was pounding seriously, the pain eating me whole, but I refused to break. I won’t give her the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart.

“I’m going to see Ashton,” I began making my way to the door. “He is the only one who can explain this bullshit to me.”

I felt a hand pull me back. “Ashton doesn’t want to see you,” Rose hissed, her grip on my arm tightening. “In fact, he wants you out of his life. Here’s your proof.”

She flaunted a file she held in her hand and thrust it at my face. “A divorce,” she said, her voice dripping with contempt. “He knew you’d come here and sent me out here to give you the papers. He wants you out of his life, Helen. You're nothing but a dried up womb to him.”

I recoiled, a wave of nausea washing over me. A divorce? Ashton wanted a divorce? No, it couldn’t be.

My hands were shaking as I took the papers out from the file. I opened it slowly, my eyes scanning the page, looking for some sign that this was a lie, a cruel joke.

But there it was, in black and white. A petition for divorce, filed by Ashton Fletcher. “Irreconcilable differences,” it said.

I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. Everything I’d believed in, everything I’d built my life on, was falling apart.

“No,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “No, this can’t be real.” I could only force myself not to believe it, even though it was glaring right at me.

Rose's laughter was like a knife twisting in my gut. “Oh, it's real, all right,” she said. “And there’s nothing you can do about it. You’re nothing but a washed-up old hag to him. He wants a real woman, a woman who can give him what he wants.”

I frantically shook my head. “No! I need to see him! This can’t be real! No!”

She brushed past me, a cruel smirk on her face as she opened the door and walked in. “Goodbye, Helen. Enjoy your miserable life,” she giggled. “Oh… And Merry Christmas.”

I wanted to go in, but she slammed the door in my face, and locked it. “Open the damn door!” I struggled to open it, tears rolling down my cheeks.

I don’t want to believe this until I’ve heard from Ashton myself. I wanted to tell him I was pregnant; maybe change his mind. I’ve fought to keep this marriage, I couldn’t lose everything now.

Please.

My phone beeped with a message and I picked it up immediately. It was a message from Ashton, asking me to sign my part of the divorce papers and leave for good.

He didn’t want to see me. He wanted me out of the house before tomorrow morning.

I tried calling him, but he had blocked me.

My heart broke as I crumbled to the ground filled with snow. My chest burned with pain — I felt devastated.

I sent a message, trying to explain, but it didn’t get delivered.

That moment… I knew… it wasn’t worth fighting for anymore.

It was over.

Everything was over.

****

I walked into the house, cold, numb, and devastated. I had spent most of the night crying my eyes out in front of the company building before dragging myself home. The house I had once thought of as my sanctuary now felt cold and unfamiliar, like a stranger’s home. My footsteps echoed through the empty foyer, a reminder of the emptiness that had taken hold of my life.

I wandered into the living room, the same room where Ashton and I had spent so many cozy nights by the fireplace, talking and laughing and planning our future together the first year of our marriage. It all felt like a joke now.

I snickered. Cruel…Isn’t it? 

I’d spent all my life trying to be the perfect wife and daughter-in-law, and even though Ashton ignored me most times, I felt he still loved me. I felt he still cared. But after what happened tonight, I realized I’ve just been delusional — I’ve only been deceiving myself. He never loved me or cared about me. If he did, he wouldn’t have cheated one and sent me divorce papers.

I turned and headed upstairs to my room, resolving within me to leave this place for good. He didn’t want to see me anymore? Fine. I will disappear from his life…forever.

I opened my wardrobe and began to pack my belongings, methodically folding my clothes and placing them into a suitcase. As I did, my thoughts returned to a few minutes ago when everything changed.

I could still picture the look on that bitch’s face as she showed me the divorce papers, the smugness in her voice as she told me Ashton wanted me gone. I gritted my teeth, my hands tightening on the clothes in my hands. I would never forget that moment, the moment when my entire world fell apart. I took my passports and travel documents, exhaling.

I slammed the suitcase shut, a wave of determination washing over me. I wouldn't stay in this house a moment longer. Tomorrow was Christmas. His family members would be coming, and I’m darn sure he would want to announce our divorce to them. I might as well save myself the embarrassment by leaving now.

I hauled the suitcase down the stairs with a broken heart. I was leaving this house, this town, this life behind. I was starting over, for my sake and for the sake of my unborn child.

I took a pen and with a heavy sigh, signed my part of the divorce papers. I’m certain he would be happy to see my signature tomorrow and would hurriedly sign his part, so he could get married to his secretary. I dropped the papers on the coffee table and turned around, leaving it all behind.

I reached the front door, pausing for a moment to take one last look around. The house was silent, the only sound was the ticking of the clock on the mantelpiece.

“Goodbye.” I whispered.

I turned the handle and pulled the door open, the cold night air rushing in. I stepped out into the night, and looked up at the sky, watching the snow fall.

I smiled—painfully—as I willed myself to keep moving. I knew it’d be hard leaving the country this festive season, but I needed to get away. An emergency flight should do the trick.

I brought my phone out and dialed a friend’s number. Luckily, she answered

after the second ring.

“Hi, Rita,” I exhaled and shut my eyes tight before opening them and speaking again. “I need your help.”