Chapter 007

CALEB

The music from the speaker drowned my friends’ squabbling. I sighed for the umpteenth, ruffling my hair in confusion.

I made her leave, though, I know I made the right decision, I was finally free from her.

But, why don’t I feel relaxed and happy?

I should be drinking and chatting with my friends, but, here I am, sitting obscurely away from them.

“Hey, Caleb, what’s wrong with you?” Kim asked, waving his hands across my face. I sighed and forced myself to draw closer to them.

Julius and Casper ended their childish squabble, their eyes bored into me, expecting an answer that I didn’t know how to give.

Julius is engaged, though it’s a marriage allegiance between his family and Sophie, but he never seems to have a problem with it, as far as his numerous affairs don’t affect their relationship.

Casper is still single, but not searching or ready to settle down. He’s a dangerous flirt. I can’t count how many times I have caught him flirting with Rosy while we were still married.

Kim is mysterious, no one knows when he wants to settle down with a woman. He wasn’t a flirt, but he had a bit of bad luck with relationships. It never lasts for three months and the lady calls it quit.

I was the one different, and they knew it and respected me for being different.

“Is Rosy doing okay?” Casper asked, staring worriedly at me.

I snapped out of my thoughts and stared at them blankly.

“She should be, it was for the best anyway,” I coughed out.

They furrowed their brows in confusion.

“What is for the best?” Kim asked.

“The divorce, she signed the divorce papers today.”

The liquor in Casper’s tumbler spilled on his pants. Kim stared at me with his jaws dropped.

“Wait, you carried out your threat, you divorced Rosy?” Casper yelled in my face.

Julius chuckled and threw a handkerchief at Casper.

“I told you that guy is sick in the brain, didn’t I?” he muttered.

“How could you do that to her? You two just lost Sherry!” Kim snapped, glaring at me contemptuously.

“You know how hard it was for her! She’s yet to recover from the shock, dude,” Casper said.

I slammed down the glass on the counter and spun my head in their direction, my eyes blazing in anger and bitterness.

How dare they chastise me?

This was all Rosy’s fault, why the heck are they making me look like the villain here?

“She killed Sherry!” I blurted out before I stop myself.

Kim sighed, Casper twitched his lips in disgust and Julius rolled his eyes.

“Stop saying that nonsense, Caleb, that’s childish!” Kim snapped, staring at me in disgust.

“How long will you keep saying that? And how long do you want people to keep on believing it?” Julius muttered.

“What?”

I can’t believe that they are on Rosy’s side. They support her for taking our daughter away!

“Cut the crap, Caleb, you’re just looking for a victim to lay down your anger on,” Kim said.

“Yeah, and that bait was poor Rosy,” Julius backed him up.

“To think that Rosy gave you all the love she had only to get stabbed with betrayal during her weakest point, dude, you aren’t human.”

Casper’s words cut through me like a two-edged sword.

They were saying that to me?

They never believed me, and yet they kept quiet when I blamed Rosy.

They are the real betrayers, the cunny disappointing friends.

I felt like I didn’t exist to them anymore.

Why should I be amongst the people who hate me?

“Well, that’s fine, you can go ahead and spill your trash, I don’t care,” I replied and turned my back to them.

“You got it all wrong, Caleb,” Casper said.

I groaned and cranked my neck, glaring at him.

“If you want her then you can go for her, besides, you’ve always admired her even when we were still together.”

A smirk curved up Casper’s lips and I knew that he was cooking up one of his mischievous tricks again.

“Really? You wouldn’t mind if I dated Rosy?” he whispered.

Julius and Kim burst into a peal of wild laughter, throwing back their head and choking on their liquor.

My eyes darkened and I banged my fist on the counter. The man behind the counter backed away in fear.

Their laughter died down and Casper’s mischievous smirk disappeared when they saw the terrifying look on my face.

“Don’t even think of going close to her. A Casanova like you don’t deserve someone like Rosy.”

Their eyebrows shot up in surprise as they stared at them.

I slammed my debit card on the counter and slipped out of the club.

“He doesn’t deserve her either, maybe that’s why he divorced her,” I heard Casper say.

I growled in annoyance as their jeering laughter trailed after me till I escaped out of the clubhouse.

The cold hair that hit me immediately when I walked out made me stagger back. I felt tipsy as I walked towards my black SUV.

I searched my pocket for the keys and slipped them quickly into the lock hole.

I unlocked it and pulled the driver’s door open but a crisp familiar voice stopped me from entering the car.

I spun around and saw Kaitlyn waving at me. A smile splattered against her face as she crossed the road towards me.

I groaned in displeasure.

The last thing I want is to have the annoying witch close to me.

“How have you been, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your daughter’s funeral,” Kaitlyn muttered when she got to where I stood.

She never wanted to come anyway.

I rolled my eyes secretly.

“I don’t have a problem with it,” I grumbled.

“How is Rosy?” she asked.

I wonder why everyone asks me the same question.

‘I don’t have an idea, we are divorced.’ I wanted to say but changed my mind.

“She’s fine.”

Why should I let her know about my marital issues?

Kaitlyn was one annoying bug that has always stuck in my life. We went to the same kindergarten and we’re family friends too.

“I heard that you two are divorced,” she blurted out.

I cranked my head at her, surprised at her discovery.

“How did you know?”

“Oh, your mom called, she told me you two got divorced today,” she chipped, smiling widely.

Is she happy or what?

I stared at her suspiciously.

“Have the divorce been finalized?” she muttered.

“Why do ask?” I snapped.

“Just looking out for my best friend,” she tugged on my sleeve.

I scoffed and slapped her hand away, slipping into my car.

“It’s a good thing that you’re single now, you got married too early. It’s time you enjoy the joy of bachelorhood!” she yelled as I ignited the car and drove off aggressively.

****

As I walked into the house, the depressing feeling of loneliness hit me. I shrugged it off and walked stealthily into my bedroom, trying hard not to wake Mrs. Joyce.

The first thing I noticed in the bedroom was emptiness, Sherry’s picture was gone.

I walked up to Rosy’s wardrobe and pulled it open. Her wedding dress fell out.

I stared at it for a while before glancing at the almost empty wardrobe. All her belongings were gone, the only ones left behind were the things I got her.

I staggered to the bed and found an envelope lying on top of the drawer.

I chuckled and pulled it open, checking out what was inside. The divorce papers and what seemed like a letter were what I found in it.

My throat knotted when I saw that the alimony had been canceled. I dropped the papers dejectedly picked up the letter and opened it.

I read through the contents and the paper slid out of my hand. Guilt seeping into my conscience.

Her wedding ring was right there on top of the drawer too, her memories were all gone.

Yes, I hated Rosy for being cunny and irresponsible.

But, was letting her go the perfect idea?

I won’t be expecting a Rosy when I get back home, there will no longer be a caring wife all over me, trying to make me feel happy.

There won’t be a Sherry, a Rosy, or a family.

I turned out to be just like my friends, nothing makes me different anymore.