6

“I’m not going to sign that rubbish,” she spat, hitting the table once more, even harder this time.

“You bitch!” Roberto was compelled to curse, his hands fisted by his sides. How dare she refuse after the lengths he’d taken to get the document ready? She was the one who fucking wanted a divorce, so convinced about it.  No, she had to sign the papers and exit his home today.

“Miriam, sign the papers and leave if you don’t want to get hurt.”

“Get hurt?” she scoffed, a mocking laugh, “You should be more worried about yourself. You think you can survive without me?” she pointed conceitedly at herself as she asked this.

“I was, before you returned to the country. And I was doing even better back then,” he shot back.

“So you’re saying I’m not as good as your ex, huh? That classless Lily?”

“Whatever you think. I don’t have time for your tantrums."

Miriam’s face became uglier. She lunged at her husband, intending to hit him, but he grabbed her right hand, his face stern.

“You want to hit me?” he asked, the calmness in his voice barely enough to conceal his blazing rage.

“I…I…” Miriam was at a loss for words, but then, she suddenly regained her confidence, and extricated her hand from his hold, “So what? So what if I want to hit you? You’re the one at fault anyway,” she harrumphed, crossing her arms over her chest and staring elsewhere haughtily.

Roberto didn’t say a word to her. Instead, he cleaned up the mess she had created.

Still, Miriam didn’t feel a shred of remorse for what she had done. Instead, she scoffed arrogantly and kept her arms locked over her chest.

"Whenever you're ready, sign the document and take your leave." With those words, Roberto made for the stairs, soon charging up them.

Miriam was left in a daze for a while. Roberto... he really meant to divorce her? What was imperfect about her that made him want to do so? Who even fed him or gave him the courage to proceed with the stupid idea of getting these papers done?

No way was she going to sign them!

She grabbed the document and headed for the stairs as well, repeatedly calling her husband's name. Reaching her destination, she found the room's door locked from the inside. A deep scowl made its grand appearance on her face.

"Roberto, what's the meaning of this?" she yelled, pounding hard at the door, but there was no response.

"Roberto. Roberto! Are you pretending to be hearing-impaired? That's what you're doing now?" She kept knocking until her knuckles hurt.

But she didn't give up.

She called for one of the housemaids and asked her to fetch a male housestaff, preferably the gatekeeper, to tear down the door.

The maid, Leona, a ravenette in her 20s, was hesitant, her eyes staring at the beautifully crafted door. "M-madam... is it...really necessary?" she gathered courage to ask.

"How dare you question my order?" the enraged latter quickly delivered a sweet slap across the maid's cheek.

Leona held her hurting left cheek, eyes brimming with unshed tears, lips quivering.

"Go do as I say, you waste of space!" Miriam barked.

Willing herself not to cry, Leona blinked back her tears and bowed respectfully. "Yes, Madam. Sorry for offending you, Ma'am. It'll never happen again," she said in a choked-up voice.

Miriam harrumphed, her nose facing upwards, "Get out of my sight." 

The young lady quickly took her leave, heading down the stairs, her right hand placed on the handrail.

Miriam glared at the still-locked door. "Roberto, I'll count to three. If you don't open the door, prepare to suffer the..."

In that moment, the door opened, making her slightly taken aback. Roberto stepped out of the room and leaned his back against the wall, arms folded.

Still, she quickly regained her posture, her proud look assumed once more. "Your ears are now working, huh?"

"Have you signed the papers?" he asked her, ignoring her question.

"I've already told you, I won't sign. And there's nothing you can do about it."

"Fine then." he uncrossed his arms and retreated into the room. He was about to shut the door when she placed her leg past the threshold.

"Shut it if you dare," she taunted him, spite latent in her eyes.

A resigned sigh escaped her husband's lips, and he did the unexpected. He was about to slam the door against her feet.

Gasping in fear, she retracted her leg but missed her footing and fell to the floor on her butt.

"I hate people challenging me the most, especially the unworthy ones," Roberto said with an icy glare.

Miriam became aggrieved, "I'm your wife, and you call me unworthy?"

"Ex-wife," her spouse corrected.

"You... I haven't signed the papers, so I'm still your legal wife."

"Yeah," her husband responded, sarcasm in his tone. "But not for long," 

"I won't sign them ever!" she growled, rising to her feet and closing the distance between them.

Roberto was about to lock the door, but she shoved the door open.

Her husband retreated and quickly steadied his balance, but at that moment, she did something.

A harsh slap resonated across the room.

"Madam, he's..." Leona had just arrived at that very moment with the gatekeeper. Both were stunned at what they witnessed.