~Rosemary~
"I see that you can still read," he said between mouthfuls. "Sign it."
"What! You want to divorce me? How? Why?" I choked.
Max's lips turned up with disgust. "Why are you acting so surprised, Rosemary? You are not my type. I only dated you because I was bored and you wouldn’t let me be. I should never have married you. You disgust me. So, sign that and get the fuck out of my house!"
I gasped, seeing my whole world crumbling before my eyes.
Sure, I didn’t look my best now: I was unable to dress up nicely at home when I was pregnant before.
I chose what made me comfortable instead of making me look nice, though my body’s still kept in good shape.
Was Max avoiding me because of this?
But I never thought he would ask for a divorce.
Since he knew that I wasn’t his type, why did he have unprotected sex with me months ago? Why did he pester me to get pregnant because his mother was asking for grandkids? For Pete's sake, I was carrying his child!
"Max, is this a prank? Have you forgotten that I'm four months pregnant with your child?"
"Do I look like I give a fuck?" he growled, dropping his fork again. "I want a divorce, not you or your damn child!"
Seeing how he was glaring at me now, I remembered how he was smiling at his phone moments ago.
"Wait..." I could feel my blood pressure rising at this moment. "Is...is this because of Amani?"
At the mention of that name, Max's face changed. His grey eyes grew dark. Just when I thought he was about to get mad, he bursted out laughing. "I didn't know you were so smart, Rosemary. Yes, it's about Amani. She's the one I love, and the woman I should have married, not you. She has class, charisma, and the connections that I need. If only she hadn’t gone to California."
I twisted my face and clutched my chest as it tightened. My other hand squeezed the edge of the divorce agreement slowly.
Tears slipped down my cheeks as I screamed hysterically, "Why did you marry me then?"
Max shrugged. "Because of the sex? I mean, you are not the hottest woman I have been with. But your pussy felt so uhn!” He kissed his fingers and then frowned. “Now, it’s just…disgusting.”
What the hell? How could he say something so directly to insult me?
I felt a dagger drive into my aching heart again.
I couldn’t believe it was just about sex to him. Wasn’t he the one who said he loved me and wanted us to date?
I couldn't recognize the man in front of me. He was supposed to be Max—the man I had loved since I was just fourteen. He used to be a shy and thoughtful nerd. But I didn't know who this...this stranger was.
Just as I was about to argue, Max's phone rang. He raised his palm to me and answered the call. "Hello, love."
A female voice came from the other end. I heard her loud and clear as she said, "Honey, I am so lonely and scared. My belly aches. The baby won't let me sleep. I think he wants you here. Come over."
What the f…was this woman…
"Amani?" I screamed, knowing fully well that she was the only person who would speak so loudly on the phone to provoke me.
Max sprang to his feet and moved away from me. He said to the phone, "All right, my love. I'm on my way."
"That was Amani, wasn't it? She's pregnant for you too?" I asked in disbelief as soon as he got off the phone.
Max turned around. "Yes, so?"
"How could you cheat on me? And you cheat with her? My twin sister!”
Without an iota of remorse, Max grabbed his keys and uttered, "That's none of your business. Just sign those papers and leave before I get back."
At the sight of Max’s cold back, I had a gut feeling. He wasn’t just walking out. He was walking out on me… on our marriage.
No, I couldn’t lose him forever!
“Max! Wait!” I called out, running out the door.
Slipping my shoes on as quickly as I could, I noticed as Max got into his car and started the ignition. Then the car backed out in the driveway. I ran after it into the dark, quiet street.
Suddenly, I stubbed my toe on something, and my right ankle twisted.
“Max!”
Just as I called out to him desperately, a bright light came out of nowhere, blinding my eyes. I raised my hand to block it.
I heard a high-pitched screeching sound all of a sudden. Then I heard a loud bang. Something hit me from behind at the same time. I soon felt myself floating in the air.
My body soon crashed to the ground with a dull thud. I winced.
My bones cracked as a sharp pain traveled from my belly to the soles of my feet. I lay on my side, my vision blurry.
I felt something warm slip between my thighs. Grinding my teeth, I pushed my hand past my aching belly. I touched between my thighs, only to feel something wet on my fingers. I felt the ground become wet too.
"Max... help..." I cried, stretching my aching hand towards my husband's car which was now a speck of light down the road.
And then, everything went black…
~Rosemary~A year later.“Are you nervous? Getting cold feet?”I blinked when I heard that voice. Sitting in front of the mirror, I looked at Sabrina who was styling my hair. “No, I am not nervous.”She sighed and stared straight at me. “So why have you zoned out more than three times since I started doing your hair? Something else bothering you?”I shook my head slightly. “I was just...just thinking about how different today would have been if my mom, dad, and Amani were here.”“Ugh!” Sabrina gagged. “How can you think of those fools on such a beautiful day?”My head lowered and I inhaled deeply.“Come on, girl. Forget about those folks. It’s not your fault that they were jerks. You have kept your mom out of your life for a year. Don't allow her into your heart again.”I raised my head. Then nodded. “Okay. I won't.”It had been more than a year since Amani committed suicide with the large dose of fentanyl she had on herself when she was arrested. And it had been seven months since my
~Rosemary~I pricked up my ear after Gerald removed the call from speakerphone and then said a few words. Although I didn't hear anything more, I was fairly certain it had to do with me.“I am coming with you,” I said as soon as he ended the call.Gerald shook his head. “No, you can't. Let me handle this.”“You are not the boss of me.”I took a deep breath, realizing that I was getting worked up. “I’m sorry. I—”“It’s fine. I can only imagine how you must be feeling now. But you don't have to follow me to the station.”“I do. And I want to. I want to look her in the eye and ask her why she did that to me. I also want to see Max and Amani. I want all of them to know that despite everything they did to me, they cannot break me.”Gerald stared at me, and I saw more reluctance in his eyes.“She deserves that much, Gerald,” Elvis chipped in. “After all she has been through recently, she deserves to look at her enemies in the eye.”Gerald said to him, “Stay out of this. Please.”“I know you
~Rosemary~Gerald’s head shot up as soon as I spoke. His eyes lit up and then, I felt his body crushing mine.“You are back!” he said, kissing my face. “What took you so long?”He pulled back and held my face. “Oh, my God! You scared the shit out of me. Don't do that again, okay?”I chuckled. “Okay, Mr. Beckett.”“I was so worried about…” His words trailed off. “Wait, what did you just call me?”I shrugged, “Mr. Beckett?”“You…you remember me?”I nodded. “I remember everything, Gerald. I am sorry that—”Before I could finish speaking, he knocked the breath out of me with a hard kiss. I smiled against his lips and then parted mine.Until now, I didn't know how much I had missed his lips on mine. As always, it felt like heaven. I held his strong arm despite the pain in the back of my hand due to the IV needle.“Catch your breath,” Gerald said, pulling back after like a minute.“What?” I chuckled again.“I’m not done yet. Just breathe.”I did as he said. And the second I was no longer g
~Gerald~“Seize them!” I roared the second I kicked the door open.All six of my men matched in and surrounded Max and Amani. They struggled but were pinned down within seconds.I squatted by the door, seeing Rosemary lying down.“Baby!” I scooped her up.She smiled at me. “You are here.”When she coughed out blood, I held her face. “Shh! Don't say anything. Let’s get you to the hospital.”“Wait!” Rosemary reached out and held my face. “I’m sorry for not believing you. Sorry, I realized too late.”“No! It’s not too late.”“I’m afraid it is.” She smiled again. “If I were to come back to this world again, I’d love to be your woman again. I would love to know love like you love me. To love you and be loved by you, Gerald. Just by reading your words, I realized that you are the man I always dreamed of having as a child.”She rubbed my face. “Promise me that we will meet in another life? Promise me that you will look at me the way you are looking at me right now.”“No! I can't promise you
~Rosemary~It was already past closing hour for most jobs, but my lawyer agreed that I come in to start the process. On the way, my phone dinged.A notification from the doorbell camera had just come in. I opened it and saw the live footage of Amani’s car pulling up in the driveway of Max's house.What’s she doing there? And immediately I just left too.I watched as Amani got out of her car. Max showed up from the inside. They spoke for a while. I thought they were arguing again. But then…“Oh, my God!” I screamed the second Max kissed Amani.“Ma’am,” said the taxi driver. “Are you okay?”I covered my mouth, shaking as Amani and Max made out on the porch. They looked like they wanted to gobble each other up. Max even grabbed her ass and squeezed it. Then they staggered into the house, still not letting each other go.“Ma’am, is anything the matter?”Hearing the taxi driver’s voice again, I raised my head. “Please, can you take my back? I will pay double.”He looked at me through the r
~Rosemary~I couldn't stop thinking of what Gerald said to me about proposing a prenuptial agreement. He sounded so sure that Max wanted me for my money. But Max was a billionaire, right?Right?I took out my phone and searched for the name of Max’s company. A few headlines came up.The first one: Brix Cars to get new CEOThe second: Max Smith resigns from the CEO position. Would this mark the end of the family’s hold on the company?The third: Brix Cars reportedly plunges into 30 billion-dollar debt.My jaw dropped lower with each headline I read. I had no idea that Max’s business was suffering this much, let alone the fact that he was no longer the CEO.Why didn't he tell me? Did this mean Gerald was right?Well… there's only one way to find out.I pulled out my phone and called the number saved under legal. “Erm… I’d like to draft a prenuptial agreement.”*****“What’s this?” Max frowned the second I handed the document to him.I kept my distance, a little scared. “Since we are goi