Chapter 1: The Affair

*Sarah*

I couldn't hold back the tears that were continuously streaming down my cheeks and blurring my view as I was driving back home from the hospital I was coming from.

Right beside me in the passenger seat was a document stating that I had only three months remaining to live. Yes, I have been diagnosed with late-stage aplastic anemia, a terminal illness that is going to claim my life in less than three months.

I won't deny the fact that I was already expecting an illness due to some choices I had made some years ago, but the last thing I had expected was one that would be claiming my life in less than three months. And right now, even though I was the one suffering from the terminal illness, the only person I could think about was Andrew, my husband.

How on earth am I going to announce such bad news to him, and how is he going to feel when he learns that I'm going to pass away in less than three months? Surely he will go insane after hearing that. After all, which husband won't go insane after hearing that his wife has only three months remaining to live?

Thinking about this, I couldn't help but sob bitterly while gripping the steering wheel of the car I was driving tightly.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally got back home, and as I drove into the mansion, my heart skipped thousands of times as the first thing I saw was Andrew's car.

Given that he left early in the morning for work, I had expected him to come back late in the evening as usual, and by so doing, I would have already come up with a perfect idea on how to announce the bad news to him, but given that he has already gotten back home, I will have no other choice than to tell him about it right away.

Getting inside, I didn't see him in the living room. How should I break the news to him? My heart ached. But then I noticed several wine glasses on the table—odd. Why would my husband be drinking at this hour? A pang of confusion cut through my sorrow.

Thinking that something bad has happened to him, I immediately rushed upstairs to go and check on him in the only place where I knew he would be which was our bedroom.

Getting to the front of our bedroom, I had almost barged inside when I heard the moaning sounds of a woman coming from the room, causing me to freeze at my steps.

Giving that the door was slightly open, I slowly peeked inside through the open space only to be met with the biggest shock of my life.

Andrew was lying on the bed, and on top of him was someone who I had prayed and wished never to see again, and that person was no one else than Tessa my stepsister who was also Andrew's girlfriend and she had abandoned him on the altar on their wedding day three years ago.

I was still trying to recover from the shock when Andrew's voice sounded from the room. "I wish she'd just die, so I could be with you." Each word drove a blade into my heart. Then, the sounds of their impassioned lovemaking hit me, sending waves of nausea through my gut. Silently, I crumpled the report in my hand and walked away.

Knowing that I would do something stupid if I spent another minute in the house, I immediately rushed outside, got into my car and drove off without any destination in mind.

Thinking about how I had worked myself to the bone to support Andrew in building back his company, I couldn't help but sob bitterly. 

For the past three years, it has always been me, trying to secure one contract or the other for Andrew's company with my contacts and connections. Sleep became a luxury, proper meals a forgotten concept. I was always running round the clock ignoring my doctor's warnings to try and get some rest until I was finally diagnosed with a terminal illness.

I was still crying my eyes out while thinking about all this when my phone suddenly began ringing.

Checking the caller ID and seeing that it was my best friend Melissa who was calling, I decided not to pick up as I knew that the reason why she was calling was to ask me about what the doctor said about my health.

Before leaving to see the doctor, I had told her that I wasn't feeling well, and that I was going to see a doctor, and she had told me to let her know when I get back.

Despite not picking up the first time, she kept on calling over and over again and until I had no other choice but to pick up.

"Hey Lissa, how are you doing?" I asked her while wiping away the tears that were already blurring my view as I was driving the car.

"I'm doing good, what about you?" She asked me 

"I'm doing good too," I said to her while trying my best to make sure that she doesn't notice that I was crying.

"Are you sure, if not you sound like someone who was crying," she said to me with a concerned tone.

"I wasn't crying," I replied immediately but my voice gave me away as I unknowingly began sobbing again.

"Sarah, what is going on? You are crying, and yet you are saying that you are okay, where the hell are you right now, I'm coming there to meet you right away," Melissa said to me through the phone.

"I'm already on my way to your place," I said to her knowing that as she already knows that something is wrong with me, if I don't go and meet up with her, she will surely find me wherever I am, even if it's in a cave.

* * * * *

"Wait just a minute, you mean after working yourself to the bone till the extent of being diagnosed with a terminal illness, that son of a bitch still had the audacity to cheat on you with your stepsister who abandoned him on the altar three years ago?" Melissa asked me with an angry tone after I finished recounting everything to her.

"And you just left like that without saying or doing anything?" Melissa asked me still not believing her ears.

"And what exactly did you expect me to do, fight them?" I asked her as I gently sipped the coffee she had offered me.

"Ooh my goodness Sarah, I have always told you that you are too calm for your own good, and that someday someone will take advantage of your calmness to harm you, and that's exactly what just happened," she said to me and remembering the she has told me this countless times, I almost began sobbing again but her voice immediately stopped me.

"Don't even think about it," she said to me displeasure evident on her face. "You have already cried enough, and that son of a bitch doesn't even deserve a single drop of your tears," she said to me and with that I quickly wiped away the tears on my face before slowly sipping the coffee once again.

"So what are you planning to do now?" She asked me.

"Nothing, all I want to do is divorce that son of a bitch and live the remaining three months of my life in peace," I said to her.

"Well for someone as calm as you are, that's a good idea, let us now see if your sister will be able to secure contracts for him just as you used to do," Melissa said to me.

After spending almost the whole day with Melissa who did everything she could to cheer me up, I decided to head back home to face Andrew, after we were still legally married, and I need to meet him face to face to request for a divorce.

Getting back home, as I made my way inside, I saw Andrew sitting alone in the sitting room while manipulating his phone.

"Hey babe, you are finally back," he said to me as I walked towards me and kissed me, he leaned in to kiss my forehead, as he usually did, but I naturally avoided it. He might have found it strange, but he quickly brushed it off. After all, it was just an act for him; he never truly cared about me.

"How was your day?" He asked me with a concerned tone.

"Fine, what about yours?" I asked me.

"A little bit stressful, two of the clients who you recently discussed with came over to finalize their contract with our company, so I spent the whole day working with them," he said to me and with that I nodded in reply without saying anything.

"By the way, I got you something," he said to me as he walked towards the table and came back with a little box and when he opened it, I saw a golden necklace in it.

"What is the necklace for?" I asked him as he went behind me to help me put it on.

"Well it's to thank you for everything you have been doing for my company lately" he said to me before kissing me on the neck.

"Isn't it beautiful?" He asked me after putting on the necklace for me.

"Yes it is, thank you so much," I said to him while concealing the disgusted look on my face.

"By the way, there's this new company that I'm looking into, and given their good reputation, I would really love them to work with us, so I was wondering if you can do what you do best," he said to me and with that I scoffed inwardly as everything was slowly becoming clear to me: the reason why he hasn't yet divorced me in order to be with Tessa is because he sees me as a tool he is using to grow his company, also I have connections and contacts which he doesn't have. So in other words, I am the foundation of his company. Thinking about this, I immediately recalled what Melissa had told me earlier about people taking advantage of me because of how calm I am. 

As this thoughts were running through my mind, I also recalled about the large transfers from the company before. Andrew fobbed me off with all kinds of excuses, and I believed him every time, no questions asked. But what if this is an irregular company practice? And I'm the one executing it as the company's officer. The thought that I might have already fallen into their trap sent a cold shiver down my spine. My plan to ask for a divorce is on hold for now—I need to find out more of the truth.