7

"Get lost!" Miriam barked, feeling her ire increase at their presence. They weren't welcome here!

"W-we saw nothing," Leona said, turning to take her leave.

"Sorry, ma'am. S-sorry sir," saying this with a slightly tremulous voice, the gatekeeper also made a sharp pivot and quickly followed after the ravenette.

"Miriam, you slapped me?!" Roberto asked, eyes widened, his tone a meld of rage and disbelief.

His wife scoffed, arms folded over her chest, feet set in defiance. "I did. And so? What will you do?" she taunted.

"I don't hit women. But you're pushing me,"

"Do it if you dare," she dared him again, looking confident that he wouldn't. "See if I won't get you arrested for domestic violence."

Without warning, he closed the distance between them and circled his right fingers around her throat, quickly lifting her off the ground, his eyes blazing with fury. "You bitch!"

Miriam was both stunned and fleyed. She'd never expected he would do this to her. 

Her legs kicked about as she tried to use her arms to force him to let go of her throat. Her actions, though, bore no fruit.

"L-let.... go," she managed to say, but Roberto didn't seem like he would do that anytime soon. Miriam was terribly scared, seeing as oxygen was leaving her system at an alarming rate.

No. She couldn't continue this way.

So she decided to make use of her manicure, sinking the nails into his flesh, finally drawing blood. But it was as if Roberto wasn't feeling the pain, and that made her despair even more.

Just when she thought she would really die for sure, he let go of her neck, throwing her to the floor.

She sat up, clutching at her throbbing neck, gasping heavily for air along with heavy and painful coughs. Inevitably, tears rolled down her cheeks

Seeing her husband take a step forward, divorce document in hand, she let out a gasp of fear and retreated until her back touched the wall. He was still coming closer.

She became even more afraid, her heart frantically knocking at her rib cage, seeking freedom. "Y-you... d-don't come near," she cried, eyes locked on her husband's mean ones as her right hand subconsciously reached forward in search of something to use as a weapon.

"I told you, I don't hit women. I didn't hit you. Your face is perfectly alright, no?" her husband asked.

"You bastard. You evil monster!"

"Whatever names you think suit me, I accept them. Simply do me a favour," he threw the document on her head, and it slid down to the ground. He also threw a pen, which landed just short of her spot on the floor.

"Sign," he instructed.

She shook her head, "In your dreams, Roberto! After taking my virginity, you think a few million as alimony will be able to compensate?"

Her husband scoffed a derisive chuckle,  "Miriam, can you even listen to yourself? You, a virgin? I'd rather believe goats can lay eggs!"

"Why are you denying it?" she questioned, feeling aggrieved. "I was..."

"You weren't a virgin when I married you. You rode me like a slut on our wedding night."

"I was passionate about being married to you. You were drunk when we made love, but you can't deny the blood on the sheets," she insisted.

"Oh, you think I didn't see you pouring a red liquid on the sheets. You thought I was asleep,"

Miriam was shocked, "You..."

"I loved you back then. I reasoned that you must be afraid that I would hate you because you weren't a virgin. But I reassured you of my love the next morning, didn't I? You thought that being drunk equals blindness and complete loss of memory?"

Miriam became whey-faced, "This... How about this, I won't ask you for money ever again. Other than what you give me, I won't ask for extra. Please, I don't want to divorce you, hubby. I love you."

"Sorry, my love for you has expired," he shook his head in refusal.

Miriam inched forward to hold his leg. "Please, give me another chance. The love will definitely be renewed and become abundant," she pleaded, ignoring the ache in her throat.

Her friends had spouses. If she lost her man, would they still look at her the same way?

"Please, forgive me," Miriam pleaded.

"I will forgive you," 

"Really?" Her eyes brightened as hope started budding in her heart.

"...after you've signed," he completed his statement, crushing the hope she had just started to nurture.

"You..." Though peeved by the turn of events, she couldn't let it show. She continued to hold on to his legs, begging for a second chance.

However, he extricated his leg from her grip and increased the distance between them, eventually sitting at the edge of the bed, gazing at her with a hostile look.

Seeing this, she started crying miserably. "You're being unfair to me, Roberto. Why won't you give me a chance? No one is perfect. Yes, I made mistakes, but am I completely beyond redemption?"

"Even hell will want to create a 19th layer, specially for you," he responded coldly.

"Stop being like this, Roberto."

"Sign it." 

Hearing these hated instructions of his once more, a surge of rage burst forth. She took the document, rose to her feet and made her way over to him.

"You want me to sign them? Never! You're stuck with me, Roberto. I am your wife, and only I deserve to be yours," she spat, tearing the papers forcefully into shreds and then letting the pieces fall over his head.

Her chest heaved, hands fisted by her sides as she awaited his reaction.

"That's alright." he stood up, and with her neck subconsciously aching more, she retreated a few steps, not daring to interpose herself in his way.

She watched as he headed to the right pillow on the bed and removed it from its spot, revealing a few stacks of documents with the same heading.

"You..." She was speechless.

He actually made copies of it? He's that determined to get her out of his hair, huh?

She nodded sagely and walked to the left side of the bed and hunched over to retrieve the duplicate copies, which numbered 15. Then, glaring at her husband, her jaws set in defiance, she began ripping the documents apart. One by one. Piece by piece!

"I've told you. You're stuck with me," she seethed.

Roberto nodded sagely and went to open the wardrobe, where her eyes widened upon seeing stacks of duplicate copies.

"When you're done tearing up this set, I'll bring you to a special place where you can happily tear up a large roomful of it."

Miriam was left speechless.

An entire roomful of these duplicate copies? Did he hate her that much? Or was he just bluffing to scare her?

"Go on," he gestured for her to come forward and continue with her act of destruction.

Miriam didn't move, but she set her mouth in a tough line.

So, it had come to this?! 

Very well, then, she would use her final move.

She crossed her arms, a scoff escaping her lips, eyes laced with mockery, "You think this will change my resolve? Roberto, you ought to be fucking grateful to me."

Roberto stared at her like she was stupid. Him, thankful to her? Over what? Ruining his chance at happiness?

"You killed him, didn't you?"