"What do you mean you have a bride? You’re joking, right?" I stuttered, completely stunned as my husband introduced the girl as his bride.
"Don't look so surprised, Laura. It's not like this is anything new," Jason said, shrugging slightly, his demeanor oddly calm.
Suddenly my throat felt so dry, maybe because of the drink I just had.
"Don't you remember me, Laura?" The blonde woman spoke for the first time, she was still smiling. "It's me, Kendall. We went to the same college. " She paused a second before she continues.
"You must have heard of me because I was Jason’s ex. We had disagreements back then and have been separated for so long, but it's never too late to rekindle our love." She smiles at Jason, who was also smiling at her in such a special way.
I was still sitting without being able to move a single muscle, completely shocked by the scene I saw unfolding in front of me.
"It's normal for Laura to be in shock because she was taken by surprise with this new decision of yours, Jason. We are all surprised, actually," Terence said, verbalizing our feelings.
"I know, I even understand you, but there comes a time in life when we have to make certain sacrifices for our own happiness," said Jason, while smiling lightly at Kendall and stroking her hand tenderly.
"Okay, so will the lovebirds be able to sit down?" Terence joined the unoccupied sofa next door, inviting Jason and his new bride to sit down, which they did shortly.
Both Terence, Ava, and I were so uncomfortable seeing Jason move and date this other woman right in front of us. Jason had no regard for us; he simply brought a lover of his to participate in a private conversation about the wedding with me.
That was like a punch in my gut; seeing the way he was so kind and in love with this woman was doing more to me than I could imagine. Even after all these years of me working hard to please my husband and win him over little by little, even on the rare days when Jason looked at me with a certain tenderness, he never looked at me like he was looking at this woman now. It was so obvious how much he loved this woman instead of me. For me, the shock was great when I gradually realized that my husband had never been my husband but someone else's.
“So, Kendall,” said Ava, she ended up being right in her suspicions about Kendall being back in Jason’s life. "You've been gone for about five years. Where have you been all this time?"
"Yes," replied the blonde with that charming smile of hers, her mouth painted with a heavy lip gloss. "After I left this city, I lived for a while in Asia and then in Europe. I need to do everything to forget this man here," she said, holding Jason's hand. "But clearly it was an impossible task. All my efforts went down the drain when I saw Jason in London. It was as if my whole subconscious was screaming inside me that I had to be with him, and now we are here."
"But he's married to me; he doesn't belong to you anymore," I said, without really thinking about my words.
Jason sighed, looking at me tiredly, as if he were tired of talking to me. "That's why the divorce process is underway, Laura; you just have to go through the papers."
"Are you sure about this, Jason? Do you really want to break up with your wife because of your ex?" Terence insisted on seeing if Jason changed his mind.
"I've never been so sure about that in my life," he replied to Terence, and then looked at me. "You have to agree with me that there was never any love in our marriage."
"Of course there was, Jason; I've always loved you," I said, answering his question with a lump in my throat.
"You may have loved me, but it was always one-sided, Laura. You know why I married you; back then, Kendall left me, and I was confused and angry. Meanwhile, my parents insisted I marry, so you were there, available. You know I never loved you, Laura. Life is unique, and I'm tired of trying to please everyone. Kendall is someone I love and always loved. If you can understand this, you will finally grant this divorce." Every word he spoke was like a dagger, piercing my heart.
I couldn't stand it, I got up and ran out of that place, wanting to get as far away from all that horror as possible. My vision was blurred because of the tears. I could even hear Ava coming after me to support me, but I didn't stop; I kept running to get away from Jason and his harsh words.
****
Everything I had done all this time to maintain this marriage, hoping that one day my husband would start to love me, had all been in vain. How stupid I was, my God! I even feel sorry for myself and my false illusions.
I stayed in my room upstairs for a while, lying on the couch while my head was leaning on my friend's shoulder. She supported me and let me cry on her shoulders, but after a while my tears had dried, and I was just feeling defeated.
"Terence just texted me," Ava said, patting my shoulders. "He said Jason is adamant, and he's saying he won't leave here until you go over the summary." She sighed, delivering the disheartening news.
"Do you want to know what I think, Laura? I think you shouldn't give in and let this unfortunate man make a clown of you. Can he marry you to please his parents and then separate from you whenever he wants? For God's sake, what a great egoist! You must stay married to him, just for revenge!" She was so angry with the whole situation; I smiled minimally, happy that Ava once again proved to be a great friend.
But this situation hurt me more than anything. Finding out that Jason had married me just to satisfy his desires was like a bucket of cold water on all my hopes. It was as if I had immersed myself in a love story that simply didn't belong to me, but to Jason and Kendall. I never even had a chance in that story.
How could a marriage collapse if it didn't even truly exist? I wiped my tears and got up from the couch.
"What are you going to do, friend?" Ava asked me fearfully.
I took a deep breath and replied, "I'm going to get rid of this once and for all, Ava, I'm going to sign the papers."
Ava also stood up in shock, "No, my friend. You can't give in like this; you must keep fighting!" she pleaded. I knew she was concerned about protecting my honor and reputation.
"But fight for what, Ava?" I asked weakly, "fight for what? For my marriage? For the love I feel for him? What's the point of fighting when it's always been one-sided from the start? I'll only suffer more if I keep insisting. Jason will come to hate me even more, he'll despise me, my life will become a living hell and I won't be able to bear seeing the two of them together. I prefer to step aside, Ava. I don't want to suffer anymore; it's been too painful for me..." I cried, feeling completely broken, my heart shattered into pieces.
Ava realized that it wasn't about revenge; there was no point in continuing to insist when it was Jason who didn't love me and never had. Ava hugged me and allowed me to cry a little more on her shoulder.
"I'm truly sorry for all of this, Laura... please stay strong, I'll always be by your side no matter what decision you make." It was her strength that I needed. I was grateful that at least Ava was there for me through all of this.
So when I went downstairs to the lower floor, Jason was waiting for me, still holding hands with his new bride. The divorce document was on the table with a pen already placed there, waiting for me.
"Have you made up your mind, Laura?" He asked, noticing the suitcase I had with me. He had an excited look, as if he were finally getting what he wanted most.
"You must agree that this is the best decision you are taking," Kendall said, but I decided to ignore her. It was already too much to know that my husband was leaving me because of her.
Terence and Ava were also there, hugging and looking at me with sorrow. They didn't want me to sign, but I was simply tired of fighting against something that had no solution. So I picked up the pen and signed the divorce papers.
