Chapter 6

It was the most tiring and longest week of my life. Lucas didn't stop bothering me, even though I already made myself clear I would continue the divorce I filed. I was not crazy to just forget what he did to me, not like his poor mom who had been cheated on several times, but still hadn't divorced her unfaithful husband.

Lucas didn't deserve a second chance, and I didn't feel his sincerity whenever he tried to ask for forgiveness. I was sure his dad was the only one who motivated him to negotiate with me for their reputation and the assets they might lose. That manipulative man thought he could use me as one of his puppets. As for his son, who couldn't refuse his order — even after getting married, he continued interfering with his son's life's decisions — with our lives.

'I would be glad once Lucas and I are finally divorced. He is no longer my in-law.' I thought.

It wouldn't come to that if Lucas's relationship was new maybe — just maybe I still could still forgive him, but hello — he had been cheating on me for a year and a half! That was longer than I thought.

What was more annoying was, they were trying to turn the table. They tried to twist the truth. Trying to point the gun at me.

They told the judge reviewing the petition for our divorce that I made everything up because I wanted money from my husband and those pictures we showed as evidence that he had a lover were fake and edited. They even planned to make it out that I was the one who failed — that it was my fault that he searched for someone else because I couldn't give him a child just to protect their name and make me look awful.

'Wow!' I couldn't believe they would take those kinds of measures to make me look like a gold digger as well. That father and son are getting way onto my nerves. They were those who were playing dirty, so I thought maybe... it was best to play along.

Just the day after, Lucas, being a cheater, was widespread in their company. One of the employees who had been texting me, told me that the company put a new policy regarding privacy — for those confidential issues revolving around.

I laughed when I found out. They were too late. Everyone already knew and Diane was the reason.

'What else would they want to hide?'

None.

Because of their reversals, I needed to contact the private investigator I paid to follow Lucas. I asked him to surrender the camera he used and the original copies of the pictures he took that day.

Fortunately, he didn't delete it. He knew it would happen and he came prepared. He said he was expecting it and thanks a lot to him; he made my name clean.

After all, it shouldn't have come to that if Lucas signed the papers immediately. He would have been free to spend his life with his mistress and he wouldn't be a bother for us both.

He turned my life a hell, and karma do its thing. I waited a few more days until I received a call from the judge's office. We were finally getting the result. They requested both parties to come, day after.

On the said date, my lawyer and I arrived almost at the same time. He was my dad's trusted lawyer as well. I had my lawyer who became my friend here in England, but Lucas knew him and they were quite close. That was why dad suggested to let his lawyer handle the issue.

We both entered the building, and it seemed I was the only one who was nervous. It was still annoying after knowing adultery was not a huge issue in England. Cheating while married to someone had been removed from the list of crimes. Honestly, it seemed unfair, but to find out that it could be used as a reason to set themselves free from their spouse and the consequences were something I liked about it, but I was left wondering why Lucas's mother stayed on her husband's side despite him being caught several times in the act.

The truth was — I was close to Lucas's mother. She was a kind and loving woman who taught me a lot of things.

If there was anyone in their family that I could say the sane; it was only her.

It was heartbreaking to think that she just let her husband manipulate her all her life. I didn't know the whole story behind it because Lucas didn't want to talk about that topic and every time I mentioned it, he just avoided me as if he was afraid to tell me the whole truth.

I found that strange. It seemed there was a mystery within their family that only the three of them knew about.

As I thought about those, I didn't realize that we had already reached the judge's office. We knocked, and a young lady who introduced herself before to us as the judge's secretary, opened the door for us.

Nobody else was there aside from her when we walked in. She asked us to sit and offer us coffee, but my lawyer and I, both insisted.

It was early when we arrived though. Wasn't too obvious we were excited to come early. But frankly, I was nervous and that nervousness increased as minutes passed by.

We waited. The judge arrived, but no Lucas showed up yet.

"Did Mr. Willems call?" I heard the judge ask her secretary.

"No, Ma'am." The secretary answered briefly.

I wondered why.

The secretary tried calling him. He said he would be coming, there were just things suddenly occurred.

I heard those from the secretary when she informed the judge and those made me roll my eyes in annoyance.

After more than half an hour, he finally came, but there was something I noticed — there was a cut right on the side of his lip.

I suddenly felt worried. Made me want to ask what happened, but I chose not to when I saw my in-laws entering the door.

Lucas's dad shut the door, and they sat on the sofa right on the opposite side us.

The Willems was in full force when it was just me there, all alone. Although, I had my lawyer.

My parents returned to Turkey, but they made sure they were updated on what was going on. It surprised us they didn't come with their lawyers. Either he was late like them or he wouldn't come at all.

I could sense something was going on. Evident enough right after they entered.

I saw Lucas looking at me with a dark expression on his face. He looked like a child who had just come from a long sermon. When his father turned to look at me, he gazed at me while Lucas's mom gave me a kind of stare that I found so confusing, like she was happy and sympathizing with me.

Lucas's mom and I didn't have any problems. I was the one she called once when she found out her husband was cheating again. I remembered that was also the last time she cried at me. She avoided me after that day and I knew who made her do it.

She had been one of the nicest women I know and I felt sad that she was surrounded by cheaters, from her husband and now his beloved son, who was following in his dad's footsteps.

"Are we still waiting for someone or could we start now?" the judge asked when she noticed that the lawyers on the other side were not there yet.

"We could start now." Lucas didn't answer, even though the judge was looking at him because it was his dad who spoke.

"Okay then, let's start." The judge took the envelope placed on top of her desk and stood up from her seat. She transferred to the single-seater chair near us.

She started reading what was on the printed paper, and we all listened silently. I was looking at the judge as she spoke, but I could feel the sharp gazes someone was giving me. I just shrugged even though I felt uncomfortable with it, and silently prayed the day would go smoothly and all this will be put to an end.

She read the entire content she had in the printed result of her analysis of the divorce petition I filed, and with the help of the evidence of Lucas's unfaithfulness, she gave her final verdict.

Lucas didn't have a choice but to sign the papers. We both signed after almost a week of stress, pain, and tears. It seemed my heart has been revived. I felt I got freed from being trapped in a cage. Like I was given a new life.

It felt so good. I suddenly wondered if all the women who experienced what happened felt the same joy. Maybe yes, if they know in themselves their worth and they were the ones who got cheated on after staying faithful to their spouse. I was happy because I was clean with my intentions of cutting my ties with them and not with those reasons they made up to make me look like I was the reason behind it.

It was fair to cut the ties. It would only make it more difficult if it was prolonged. A faithful woman doesn't deserve a cheating husband. She deserves more, a great man, respectful and not someone who would try to manipulate her like she doesn't have the will to decide for herself.

I was glad, finally free from Lucas. Not only from him, but from his dad as well.

I somehow felt sad for my ex-mother-in-law. I hope she found her way out too after I showed her what to do.