2 - SHE CAME BACK

RYAN BURKE

It was late afternoon and the sky had very few clouds outside. I left the company just before 16:00. Morgana would be arriving between today and tomorrow at "our house", she had been avoiding me for a few months. I hadn't sought her out during that time necessarily because I liked her, but I needed to keep up the sham she and my grandfather had put me through.

I never wanted this crap marriage, but I had a bit of empathy for the situation when she explained her father's state of health.

I was fooled from the start. So we came to a consensus, I wouldn't get in the way of her life and she wouldn't get in the way of mine.

We would be in this marriage agreement for as long as her father needed medical treatment and I would maintain my relationship with Elena. Marriage to Morgana was always nominal. Frankly, I never really looked at her, my attentions always belonged to the blue-eyed blonde who dominated me.

As her father died a few months ago, I decided to wait for a period of mourning and then apply to have the marriage annulled.

I think she had already received the email with the documents and terms of the agreement.

I got into my Rolls Royce and drove through Rookgaard until I reached my destination. I had been living there for about a week. Making sure that everything would be in order when she arrived, since the house would be hers after the divorce.

I parked at the door and hurried downstairs. Today I still have to attend a dinner at my family's house, because nothing can be simple in my life.

As soon as I entered the house, I saw two huge pink suitcases. I knew she had arrived. I went into the living room and saw her sprawled on the sofa.

The small woman there was no more than 1.62 and had black hair falling under her crumpled, unkempt clothes, big eyes and a lipstick-red mouth, sighing as she dozed off.

I dragged my suitcases upstairs and put them in the master bedroom. My bedroom.

I went back downstairs and she was still asleep. Her peaceful sleeping face gave her a slightly angelic look. Except for the red lipstick that made her mouth so attractive.

I watched her for a few moments, intrigued by that feeling. This woman was a different figure from the last one I had met. I swallowed down the sudden urge to kiss her and cleared my throat so that she would notice me.

Startled, she lifted her head and looked at me, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

"When did you get here?" I said, showing no reaction to her presence.

She stared at me, bewildered, and let out a groan as she stretched, aligning her body on the couch.

"This morning!" she replied, yawning. "Just before lunch."

She reached for her phone and gave a slight jump, looking at the screen. She probably got a shock realizing it was already past 5:00 PM, and she had lost almost her entire day while napping.

"Darn it!" she exclaimed, still looking dazed.

"You should have let me know; the driver would have picked you up," I said, pouring a glass of whiskey and sitting in front of her, eyeing my email.

She nodded and kept her expression serious.

"Just read it, and if you have no objections to the division of assets, sign it, and we'll be done."

She looked at me, her face blank. I wanted to know what she was thinking, but it was unreadable. She remained silent for a long time.

I sipped my whiskey and continued to stare at her face. This woman seemed nothing like the one I married. She was more confident.

"I know it will be okay," she sighed, looking to the side. "Tomorrow I'll sign it. Excuse me, I need to organize my things."

She got up and headed towards the kitchen. I simply watched attentively every movement until my phone rang. Elena's name lit up on the screen. I picked up the phone and moved a bit away to answer the call, maintaining a look of disinterest as Morgana disappeared into the kitchen.

"Hi, dear. How was your day?" Elena's soft voice echoed through the phone.

"Normal. Work, as always. And I'm at the house now."

Elena sighed on the other end of the line. I could feel her frustration. Our relationship had always been secretive, and she longed for more.

"Ryan, we need to talk. Has that woman answered the email? This is not working for me anymore. We've been in this situation for years, and I'm tired of hiding our love like it's something dirty."

I swallowed hard. I knew this conversation was inevitable, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon, especially on the same day Morgana arrived.

"I know, Elena. I'm aware of the complications, but we have to continue like this for now. Morgana is here now, and... well, we need to deal with some things."

The silence on the other end of the line was followed by a resigned sigh. Referring to Morgana as "that woman" left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"In fact, I just spoke to her, Elena. She's here, and she agreed to sign the divorce."

"Really?" Elena responded, sounding surprised on the other end of the line. "No objections?"

"Yes, no objections. Don't worry; I'll handle this as quickly as possible." I sighed heavily, feeling some resentment growing in my chest. "But that wasn't why you called, was it?"

"No. Actually, I called to make sure you don't forget we have that dinner tonight."

I had completely forgotten about that. I ran my hand over my face. The dinner with her conflicted with the family dinner.

"Of course, dear, at 9:00 PM?" I asked. "I have to go to my family's house today."

"Oh... Sure," her voice sounded less enthusiastic. "I'll see you later then?"

"I'll be there at 9:00 PM."

"Okay, I'll be waiting."

I hung up the phone and went upstairs for a quick shower. The night would be long. While the shower water fell on me, I couldn't help but reflect on the complexity of my life. Two relationships, both based on lies, secrets, and conveniences. The decision to finally end the marriage with Morgana relieved part of the burden, but now I faced the challenge of maintaining appearances with Elena.