5: Worse Than Yesterday

*Prime Green Business Headquarters*

During lunch break, Axel left the 30-story Prime Green building, their family-owned business headquarters, to meet his best friend in the restaurant, two blocks from his location. Instead of using his car, he walked and reached the restaurant in minutes.

He found his friend, Jason, sitting on the table in the corner, far away from the rest of the patrons of the restaurant.

Jason waved at him and said, "Let's go upstairs, I have a reservation there."

"OK." Axel followed his friend to the second floor.

The cheerful waiter accompanied them to their private room.

They settled on the couch, facing each other.

Jason studied his friend's face closely. "How are you today, bro?" he asked.

Axel sighed deeply. "Worse than yesterday, bro."

"Why is that?" Jason raised a brow. "Let me guess, your wife didn't want to sign the divorce paper, am I right?"

Axel nodded his head in confirmation. "You are right. She told me that I had to kill her first. She will never sign the divorce paper."

"Oh, she's a fierce fighter! You will have a hard time convincing her, bro. On the other hand, no wife in her sound mind will agree to the divorce unless that woman is no longer happy with the marriage. In your case, Sherry still wants to be your wife so she will not give you an easy divorce but a messy one," Jason casually stated.

"It's an arranged marriage between me and Sherry. I thought that she didn't love me and that she would agree to the divorce without complaint, but I was wrong," Axel said sadly.

"So what happened? What did she tell you?" Jason asked curiously.

"She told me that she loved me. She begged me not to continue with the divorce but I didn't listen to her pleading and I feel guilty about it," Axel replied gloomily.

"Oh, that is hard indeed. It's much easier to convince the woman if she has no feelings for you. Just give her lots of money if she wants money. But the fact that she admitted to your face that she loves you means that she will never let you go. So, what is your decision now? Stay married to Sherry. Forced her to agree to the divorce? Or leave Meghan and just give her monthly sustenance for her living expenses and the baby. What is your decision, bro?"

Axel sighed deeply. "Meghan will not agree to become my mistress for so long. She wants to be my wife."

Jason was shaking his head. "You have a tough decision to make, bro. I pity you right now."

"Yeah. I didn't expect that one day my life would turn out like this—very chaotic!" Axel said it dejectedly.

"Um, why did you reconcile with Meghan knowing that you are already a married man? And now that you got her pregnant, it's a big scandal in the making and your parents will flip when they know about your infidelity. Unless you can convince Sherry with the divorce, then you have a good chance of getting out of the mess with minor backlash," Jason said in a sad tone, feeling sorry for his friend. "The divorce is quite acceptable if you and Sherry both agree to it, but if she doesn't agree, then you are in for a tough ride ahead, bro," he added.

"I'm still trying hard to convince her," Axel said in a tired voice.

"You look awful today, bro," Jason commented.

"Yeah. I look like I have been through hell and back. But once Sherry signs the divorce paper, all my problems will disappear," Axel said wistfully.

"I hope so for your sanity," Jason said, patting his friend's arms gently and consoling him.

A few minutes later, the waiter arrived in their room and served their meal. They ate in silence.

"Bro, thanks for allowing Meghan to stay at your apartment," Axel said. He just recently relocated Meghan to his friend's 10-door apartment building for security purposes.

"Don't mention it. I'll help you in anyway I can," Jason replied with a smile.

After they finished their meals, they left the restaurant and returned to their respective offices located in the same area.

Axel returned to his office and focused his time and attention on his work.

Time passed by like a blur.

After office hours were over, Axel left the building to visit Meghan. He traveled for thirty minutes and finally reached the apartment building owned by his best friend, Jason. Currently, all the apartments are occupied.

He showed his gate pass to the guard and he was allowed to enter the building. Each apartment has its own garage and pool.

When he arrived at Meghan's apartment, she was watching TV.

"Babe!" She quickly rose to her feet and rushed to his side, planting a kiss on his cheeks.

Axel hugged her. "How's your day?" he asked lovingly as he settled on the sofa with her.

"I'm fine. Both baby and I are fine," she said, caressing her tummy.

Axel planted a kiss on her baby bump. "What do we have for dinner tonight, babe?" he asked, kissing her cheeks.

"I already ordered food delivery. I'm not in the mood for cooking right now. I feel dizzy," Meghan replied.

"Oh, should we go to your doctor for a checkup?" he suggested worriedly.

Meghan shook her head. "Nah, it's nothing serious. It's just one of the symptoms of pregnancy."

"Okay, take care of yourself always." Axel wrapped his arms around his lady love.

"How long will you stay tonight?" she asked.

"Until 9:00," Axel responded.

Meghan pouted. "Too short. Can you stay a little bit longer?" she begged.

"Don't worry, once the divorce is already in motion, we can finally be together 24/7 and live happily ever after for the rest of our lives. So bear a little bit, okay?" Axel said, planting a kiss on Meghan's forehead.

The couple cuddled on the couch, and when the food delivery arrived, they had dinner, and then afterward, they discussed their plans for the future.

Axel left Meghan's apartment at 9:15 and went home. When he arrived at his mansion, he didn't see his wife waiting for him on the sofa in the living room like she used to do in the past.

He called the maid standing nearby, "Mae, where is Sherry?"

"She's in the master bedroom all day long, sir," Mae answered. "I just bought her dinner a while ago. I saw her crying five times already. Her eyes swollen with tears," she added.

Axel sighed and climbed the staircase. When he reached the top of the staircase, he went straight to the guest room and to his annoyance, the room was empty; he didn't see all his stuff inside. He left the room and went to the master's bedroom.

When he arrived there, Sherry was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, looking distraught as ever. He put his briefcase on the table and looked at her. "Did you just stay in the room the whole day?"

She looked at him with swollen eyes. "Yes. I have no energy to leave the room. I feel like I'm dying," she answered. "I thought I'd be okay but I'm not."

Axel ignored her pitiful ramblings, trying to avoid feeling guilty about her condition. He asked, "Why didn't you put my things in the guest room?"

"We're still a married couple as long as I don't sign the divorce paper," Sherry replied casually.

Axel took a deep breathe. "Go shopping tomorrow or visit your friends and family instead of staying in this room all day long. Get a life for God's sake!" he suggested in an irate tone.

"I'm not ready yet to face the world after you killed my heart," she said in a dispirited tone.

Axel ignored his wife's ramblings and removed the folder from his briefcase. He went to her bed and handed her a folder. "This is the divorce paper for you to sign. I have already signed them. Please sign them so that we can move on with our lives," he requested politely.

Sherry stared at the folder and shook her head. "No. I'm not going to sign it! Even if the world freezes over, I will always be your wife!" She refused to obey his request.

Axel heaved a sigh and put the folder on the side table.

Sherry looked at the folder, seething in anger. She grabbed the folder, removed the divorce papers and threw them on the floor. Trembling in rage, she picked up the folder, removed the divorce paper, and ripped the parts into tiny pieces, sending them flying into the air and scattering onto the floor. "Boom! There you go! Your divorce paper is gone!" She laughed hysterically, tears streaming down her face.

Astonished, Axel shook his head as he watched Sherry go into a meltdown. He cleared his throat. "That doesn't change a thing. I have lots of copies. I can always give you a new one," he said, walking to the door, then leaving the room without giving his distraught wife a second glance.

Sherry looked at the door, feeling hurt and angry. She cried and cried until the tears subsided. Broken-hearted and depressed, she stared at the ceiling of the room for some time, allowing the silence to take over her consciousness.

Two hours later, she fell asleep with a heavy heart.