Chapter 1: It's over

“He is not coming,” a disdainful voice sounded from the other end of the phone as Anna braced herself for more to come. “It seems your husband hasn’t had any time for you lately. There’s nothing about you scheduled in his planner, and he didn’t mention anything about meeting you today.”

The phone slid out of Anna’s ear as the mechanical beep of the call ending echoed in the corner of the café, sounding unbearably grating in her ears. Her heart squeezed painfully as the weight of that call sank. Her husband, Liam Parker, stood her up again. She glanced at her barely touched coffee on the table and furrowed her brows. She should have known he had no time for her. This had already happened so many times that she’d lost count. Tears pooled in her eyes, and a hard lump formed in her throat as she tried to contain her emotions, albeit with little success. 

Eventually, a lone tear managed to escape her eye before she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand and gently placed her phone on the table. She blinked away the rest of the tears, determined not to let his actions affect her emotions anymore, but a sniffle still escaped her, catching the attention of the waitress. 

“Miss, are you okay?” the waitress, a lovely lady in a brown uniform, asked with unmistakable concern evident in her voice. 

Anna nodded, not trusting her voice. The myriad emotions swirling in her heart at that moment made her voice crack. She took a sip of her already cold coffee, and the aromatic coffee tasted like ash in her mouth—just like her life. She held it in her mouth for two seconds, contemplating whether to swallow or spit it out, but decided to keep it in. She did not want to invite unnecessary attention to herself more than she already did.

“Miss, I’ll get you fresh coffee.” The waitress shook her head a little as she took away the cold coffee from her hands. She must have noticed her scrunched nose when she took that sip. Anna forced a smile at the observant lady and nodded. The waitress returned a sympathetic smile before taking away her cold coffee and dumping it on the sink before getting her a fresh cup.

Alone with her thoughts, Anna reminisced about the first time she’d met her husband. She was 16. She’d been walking down an alley one evening, and a street gang attacked her. She was defenseless against them, and fear gripped her heart, shaking her to the core. As her hope diminished, she closed her eyes to say a short prayer, praying to God to save her fickle life from the unthinkable atrocities those men planned to do to her. 

As if God had answered her prayers, two army men showed up by chance and saved her. That was when she’d seen him. He’d whisked her away from their clutches and held her tighter against his chest, helping her calm down from her terror. That was the first time in her entire life she’d felt safe. His sculpted torso comforted her, and his masculine scent sent flutters in her stomach. Her young teenage heart couldn’t resist such charm. She had made a promise right there to marry him in the future to repay him for saving her. 

When she finally managed to marry him three years ago at the age of 23, Anna had thought she was the luckiest girl ever to marry her teenage crush, but reality proved otherwise. Dreams were beautiful, but reality was harsh. She learned that the hard way. The cheerful, headstrong, hopeless romantic woman she once was had been reduced to a sad and lonely woman. Her marriage had been reduced to booking appointments to see her husband. Pathetic, isn’t it? 

Anna sighed and fixed her eyes out the window, looking at the busy street. Everyone went about their usual life, and here she was, thinking about a man who was probably going about his daily life, too. Without her. The only redeeming point is that he had never abused her even once.

A commotion in the café pulled her thoughts back to the present. Audible gasps filled the room, and Anna froze as the billionaire, Liam Parker, appeared on the TV alongside a woman dressed in a seductive red dress that hugged her curvy figure. The woman’s hand was perched on the crook of his arm, and she was all smiles as they walked down a red carpet event Anna had no idea about. The presenter was speculating about the possibility of a relationship between Liam and the young actress, Melisa Brown. 

Anna laughed. How could she not when her husband paraded another woman in public while they had kept their marriage hidden for three years? Very few people knew that she was Liam’s wife and, among the few that knew, a good number ridiculed her for marrying beyond her reach—she grew up in an orphanage, after all. They accused her of separating Liam from his true love, Melisa Brown. 

Liam looked comfortable around Melisa, and even spared her a smile that Anna would give anything to experience. Unimaginable pain shot through her heart, so painful that she could barely breathe, as she considered the possibility that their accusations were right. Was she really the other woman in the relationship? She closed her eyes and made up her mind to push through with her plan. It was time she did the right thing.”

“Mrs. Parker,” Ethan, Liam’s assistant, rushed in and made his way to Anna’s table. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Mr. Parker couldn’t make it. He’s in the middle of something…” Ethan stopped halfway, and his expression turned awkward as his eyes landed on the TV. “…the truth is that Mr. Parker never actually planned to show up.”

 “I figured.” Anna pursed her lips and pointed at the chair opposite her right as the waitress came back with a fresh cup of coffee. “Ethan, please have a seat.” 

Ethan scratched the back of his neck and hesitated. “Umm…Mrs. Parker, there’s really no need…I—” Anna shot him a side eye, shutting him up. He sat down hesitantly while doing his best to avoid eye contact. “Is there anything else I can help you with, ma’am? Mr. Parker has another appointment in the afternoon with—”

“Stop.” Anna held out her palm in front of her. “I don’t need to know his schedules anymore.” 

Ethan’s eyes widened at Anna’s unusual behavior. She’d always nagged him, asking about her husband’s itinerary. Had she lost interest in him?

 Anna fiddled with the green folder in her bag and, with a heavy heart, placed the documents she’d been carrying for the past two weeks on the table. She flipped to the last page and signed the blank part next to her name at the bottom. 

Divorce papers. Ethan stared at Anna, the barely audible scribble of her ballpoint pen magnifying in his ears. Was she really giving up on her marriage? 

“Why are you doing this?” Ethan asked, still staring at her. “Liam has given you a good life and has never mistreated you even once.”

“From my upbringing, a good marriage is built on love, trust, commitment, and open communication. That is what I signed up for.” She pursed her lips and rested her elbows on the table, her delicate fingers fiddling with the blue pen.“Guess what I got? A credit card and a husband who shows up once in three months if I'm lucky.”

Ethan swallowed hard. He knew the truth, too. “How about talking things through with him? You guys can still… I don’t know… make it work?”

“That is exactly what I was trying to do, but he stood me up. Again. If this is going to work, I can't be the only one making an effort.” Anna rubbed her thumb against the intricate pattern on her coffee mug, and her voice softened. “I deserve better, Ethan. I should be with someone who values me and gives me all this attention, not here begging for the scrapes of his attention.”

Anna flipped the documents closed and passed them to Ethan. “Please pass these to Mr. Parker.  Tell him we can go to the registry to finalize the divorce at any time of his convenience.” With a smile plastered on her face, she walked out of the café with her head held high, leaving Ethan frozen in place. 

“Wait…Mrs. Parker,” Ethan scrambled out of his chair and chased after Anna. “You are making a big mistake,” he said, panting. “I beg you, please reconsider.”

Anna turned around and looked Ethan in the eye. “There’s nothing to reconsider. I’ve had three full years to think about my marriage.” Her voice softened a lot, and a slight tremor betrayed her emotions. “I also wish things had turned out differently. I do love him with all my heart, but I can’t keep trampling on my dignity like this. I guess this is where my journey ends.” She turned around and left, her black silky hair bouncing on her back with every step she took.

Ethan watched her departing back, sadness clouding his eyes. “Mrs. Parker, please don’t give up on him,” he whispered as Anna disappeared around the corner.