Chapter 2: Farewell and Divorced

Several days had passed since the rumor of Myriam’s supposed infidelity had spread. To Raymond’s family, she was guilty. Everywhere she went, she thought she heard whispers branding her as immoral. And yet, though she no longer shared a bed with her husband, she decided to remain in the same house to prove her innocence.

At the shipping company where she worked, news of her pregnancy had already circulated, but there were no problems—until that morning. When she entered her office, she found an envelope on her desk.

Myriam opened it and read the word: Dismissal. She frowned, assuming the cause was the scandal, and headed straight to her boss’s office.

“Mr. Hamilton, I would like to know the reasons for my dismissal,” she said, not daring to cross the threshold.

The man adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.

“As you know, for months now we’ve been struggling with low revenue, and we need to reduce staff,” he explained, motioning for her to come in and sit. “You deserve a better severance, but we’re about to declare bankruptcy. That’s why I recommend you accept what we’re offering. In return, I’ll give you a letter of recommendation to another corporation. It won’t be the same position, but you could work as an assistant,” he offered.

Myriam exhaled sharply. What her boss said about the crisis was true, so she didn’t object and accepted the letter of recommendation.

“Thank you very much,” she said with deep sadness.

“Myriam, don’t mention your pregnancy at the new company. Otherwise, they won’t hire you. The owner, though young, is… difficult,” he added, saying no more. He didn’t want to frighten her with the things he had heard about Gerald Lennox.

She hugged her boss tightly in farewell, and did the same with her colleagues. Then she decided to return home. Upon entering, she once again found Noemí in her apartment—in bed with Raymond. This time she didn’t hold back: she slapped her half-sister across the face.

Noemí was startled to see her so furious.

“You idiot!” she screamed, lunging at Myriam, but Raymond held her back, gripping her arms.

“Calm down,” he urged.

“You’re the worst… How could I trust you, knowing you’ve always hated me?” Myriam cried in pain.

Noemí looked at her with deep resentment.

“Don’t play the victim, Myriam Bennett. You always had our father’s love, while I was the bastard, the illegitimate one,” she shouted angrily. “Yes, I hate you! I always wanted everything you had… and that includes your husband,” she roared.

Myriam swallowed hard. It was true they had never gotten along, but she had never imagined her hatred ran so deep.

“Fine. You can have Raymond. But don’t come crying to me later, regretting it,” she warned. “Because you have no idea what kind of man he really is.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Raymond intervened.

Breathing heavily, she looked him straight in the eye.

“I want a divorce!” she screamed. She could no longer endure the humiliation. Clearing her name didn’t matter anymore. Someday, the truth would come out.

“You’ll have it,” he assured, “but on my terms,” he countered, asking Noemí to leave them alone.

“As long as I never see you again, I’ll do whatever it takes,” Myriam shouted. She pulled her suitcases out of the closet and began packing her things.

“Perfect. You won’t see a cent of my fortune,” Raymond growled. “I’ll have my lawyers speed up the process.”

Myriam pressed her lips together. Her heart felt hollow.

“One day you’ll regret this, Raymond Wilson. But by then it will be too late. You’ve shattered me inside. I sacrificed so much—even my health—to please you, to give you the child you, infertile as you are, could never have,” she muttered. “And you’ve valued none of it. I hope Noemí takes care of your fate. Goodbye.”

She left the apartment, engulfed in tears. Sitting in her car, she broke down sobbing. She had wasted seven years beside a man who had always deceived her, who had never appreciated her sacrifices. She carried a baby in her womb only to please him. That child hadn’t been conceived out of love. Her heart trembled at the thought that perhaps the father was that stranger. She shook her head and drove aimlessly.

Minutes later, she parked in front of a park. She got out of the car, and as she walked across the grass, a ball bounced against her feet. She looked up and saw a boy standing in front of her.

“Sorry,” the child said with a mischievous smile. He grabbed the ball and ran back to his friends.

Myriam nodded, gave him a faint smile, and sat on a bench. Around her, mothers played with their children on the swings. Other little ones, with their fathers, learned to ride bikes. On the field, several boys played soccer. The laughter, the happiness—all of it soothed her soul. And then she remembered: there was life growing inside her.

“Will you be like one of them?” she whispered softly. For the first time, she placed her hand on her belly, feeling the rapid beats of her heart.

For years she had endured costly, painful procedures to conceive. Now she had lost everything, but she realized she wasn’t alone. She had a reason to fight, to move forward. That tiny being who carried her blood.

Her heart swelled in her chest. She imagined him running across the park, throwing his arms around her.

“You and I will be very happy, you’ll see,” she promised. She stood. Before leaving, she looked around once more and smiled.

Feeling calmer, she went to Elsa’s apartment. She told her everything about Raymond and her decision to keep the baby.

“You’re doing the right thing. A child brings joy. And you fought hard to have one,” Elsa reminded her.

Myriam managed a smile.

“I know,” she said. “I don’t know how I could’ve considered that crazy idea of aborting,” she pressed her lips together, “when I’ve always wanted to be a mother.” She sighed deeply. “Now I have a reason to fight. Tomorrow I’ll go to the company my ex-boss recommended. I hope to get the job… and never hear from Raymond Wilson again,” she declared.

****

Gerald Lennox handed his car keys to the security guard at his company and immediately entered the building. When his employees saw him arrive, they stopped chatting and went back to work, for their boss despised wasted time on gossip.

“Good morning,” he greeted in his deep voice, striding firmly toward his office. “What do we have for today?” he asked his assistant.

The girl, trembling, clutched the iPad in her hands.

“There’s a problem,” she stammered, watching his piercing blue gaze fix on her.

“What is it?” he demanded, squeezing a stress ball in his hand.

“We don’t have enough containers to ship the goods to South America,” she reported, her legs shaking.

Gerald jumped to his feet and began yelling at everyone. Just then, his friend and partner Kevin appeared.

“What’s going on?” he asked, looking around.

“That I have a team of incompetents!” Gerald roared. “We have warehouses full of food to send to our best clients in South America, and now they tell me we don’t have containers,” he shouted furiously.

“I can help,” came a feminine voice.

Everyone turned to look at the attractive brunette who had entered moments earlier.

“Who are you?” Gerald demanded. As she walked toward him, she seemed familiar, though he couldn’t recall where he had seen such a beautiful woman. “How can you help?” he asked, snapping back to reality. He wasn’t interested in romance; his only goal in life was work.

The young woman cleared her throat.

“I’m Myriam Bennett. I’m here on behalf of Mr. Hamilton. We have contacts. If you allow me to make a call, I might be able to fix your problem.”

Kevin glanced at Gerald and smiled, nodding.

Gerald shot her a cold stare.

“You heard her,” he barked. “Do what the lady says.”

Gerald’s assistant led Myriam to her desk. Without delay, she dialed a number and began to speak.

“Perfect, then someone else will give you the details. Thank you,” she said with a smile. She immediately handed the receiver to the young woman so they could coordinate. Then she walked back to where Gerald stood. “All solved,” she reported sweetly.

He merely nodded.

“Come to my office,” he ordered.

Myriam followed him. She didn’t expect an emotional hug, but at least a simple “thank you” would have sufficed. Once inside, she marveled at the breathtaking view of the Sears Tower.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

“It’s always been there,” he replied dryly. “I don’t have time, Miss…”

“Bennett,” Myriam added, turning to meet his gaze. She was struck by how a man so young and handsome could be so hostile.

“Miss Bennett,” he repeated in his deep voice, “we don’t need more staff here. However, Mr. Hamilton was a good friend of my father’s, so I’ll make an exception,” he said.

Myriam clenched her fist. The way he said it sounded like he was hiring her as a favor repaid. But she needed the job. She had a baby depending on her.

“Thank you,” she muttered, still standing, since he hadn’t offered her a seat.

“My stepmother had an accident a few days ago—she broke her leg—and we don’t have anyone to help her with her tasks in the company. You’ll need to split your time between assisting her at home and managing her business affairs here,” he explained, eyes back on his computer.

Myriam sighed. It wasn’t the job she had hoped for, but she couldn’t refuse.

“I accept,” she said.

Gerald summoned his assistant and instructed her to take Myriam to Human Resources. He hadn’t even bothered to read her résumé, which was fortunate for her—for she was still the wife of Raymond Wilson, his greatest business rival.

“Come with me,” said Amanda, a short-haired, bespectacled young woman.

Myriam followed her. Once they were away from Gerald’s office, the girl spoke up.

“So you’re going to work here?” she asked nervously. “Will Mr. Gerald fire me?” she added.

Myriam smiled and shook her head.

“Of course not. I’ll be working for his stepmother,” she explained.

Amanda’s mouth opened in a wide “O,” but she said nothing.

“You’re lucky—you won’t have to work directly with Mr. Gerald. You’ll see, he’s a complicated man,” she began. “He has a terrible temper, he’s extremely perfectionist, and he hates when people make mistakes. And there are lots of rumors about him… about his private life.”

“Yes, he does seem… complicated,” Myriam murmured, and both laughed.

“They say he’s gay, that he doesn’t like women. In all my years here, I’ve never seen him with a girlfriend. He’s always with Mr. Kevin. Here at the company we think they’re a couple, but we’re not sure,” she smiled.

Myriam wasn’t curious, nor did she like meddling in gossip—especially about her bosses.

“Well, we’ll have to respect his personal choices,” she said.

Amanda leaned closer and whispered.

“I think he’s bitter because some woman hurt him. Maybe she cheated, or rejected him,” she suggested. “Are you single or married?” she asked.

Myriam cleared her throat, and just then, thankfully, the door to the HR director’s office opened.

“Let’s go,” Amanda said, repeating verbatim what her boss had told the manager.

The man asked Myriam for her résumé and had his secretary draw up the contract. Afterward, he read it and signed.

That afternoon, Myriam went to look at an apartment she had seen in the paper. She liked it instantly: small, functional, and close to her new job. She paid rent in advance with her severance pay and then went to Elsa’s house to thank her for her support and share the news about her new position.

Determined to forget her ex-husband, that very night Myriam moved in.