CHAPTER TWO

Jolene's POV

"Did I wake you up?" Vincent’s voice came through the phone; he sounded surprised. "I didn't think you'd still be sleeping cause you're always up by five."

I stirred in my bed, not making any move to stand from it.

"Of what use is that anymore," I muttered, more to myself than to him.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing." I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand. "What's up? Why are you calling so early?"

"Yeahh... About that!" His pitch increased a bit. "Mr Martins has prepared the divorce agreement; it'll be at your doorstep soon enough."

"Ohhh..."

I paused for a bit, letting his words settle.

Then I said, "Thank you so much, bro; I don't know what I would do without you."

"Absolutely nothing!" We burst into laughter.

"I've got to go, sis... Catch you later."

As soon as the call ended, I picked myself up from the bed and headed to the washroom, where I freshened up before heading downstairs.

I was dying of hunger already.

Immediately my feet touched the last step of the stairs, a voice echoed from the corner of the living room.

"Good morning, your majesty..." Margaret's sarcastic voice burst through the silence.

It was almost like she had been sitting there, just waiting patiently for me to come downstairs.

"What can I get for you to eat, your highness?” 

“Oh... I forgot. There's nothing to eat because someone decided to starve everyone." She said, staring me dead in the eyes.

I simply walked past her and made my way to the front door to receive my package.

A file in a FedEx bag, looking so weightless, but what was inside of it had the power to destroy everything I had once believed in years ago.

First of all, I went to drop the package in my room before returning downstairs.

Margaret was still ranting when I came down.

I refused to say a word to her, just went to the kitchen and put on my apron. I couldn't afford to make anything serious cause I was fucking tired, so I just went for some pancakes with caramel.

From the moment I stepped into the kitchen to the moment I stepped out, she kept ranting about how useless I was and how she wondered what I did to her son to make him marry me in the first place.

When I finished garnishing my food, I stepped out with my tray in hand as I headed for the dining table.

Margaret quickly rushed in and out of the kitchen; her eyes widened when she realized I had only prepared pancakes for myself.

"Jolene !" She yelled. "How dare you make food for yourself alone? "What are the rest of us supposed to do? Sit down and watch you eat?"

"Your choice?" I muttered under my breath.

For years, I let them bully me without saying anything in response, but unfortunately for them, I was done being a pushover.

"Breakfast is not served yet?" Tiffany, Brian's younger sister asked, stretching as she stepped out of her room. 

"If you're hungry, you can ask the maids to prepare something for you. Or better still, you have hands." I said, offering them a sarcastic smile.

"Seems you've forgotten your place in this house." Tiffany snapped. "You literally sit at home all day, doing nothing, yet you can't prepare a simple breakfast."

"You and I know that I quit my job because Brian wanted me to focus on the family."

"What family? You can't even keep your husband, and you're busy talking about family," Margaret attacked.

Footsteps echoed from the living room area.

"Why the noise?" That familiar voice of his filled the house.

I looked up to see Brian still dressed in the same clothes he used to attend the gala last night.

"This good-for-nothing here has refused to make breakfast…” Margaret said, folding her hands angrily.

“She only prepared for herself.” Tiffany added, looking up and down with spiteful gaze. 

Brian carefully took off his suit jacket, stretching his bag and jacket towards me. The smell filled my nostrils instantly.

Sophia's perfume.

"Jolene ... Care to explain why breakfast is not served yet?"

My eyes went from the jacket stretched towards me out of habit and then up to his face, a small chuckle escaping my lips.

Memories of how I usually collect his bag and suit once he returns flooded my mind.

Naive me would greet him and set his breakfast for him while he goes to prepare for work.

Despite knowing he had been coming from his mistress's place, I would still do all of these, just to prove my worth. To make sure I kept my own part while I waited for him to return the care someday, but that day never came.

"Aren't you the one I'm talking to?" He pressed.

I stood up, my tray in hand, my eyes meeting his for a brief second.

"There's nothing to explain; it is what it is."

I wasn't comfortable eating in my room, but because I was tired of their whining, I just had to take my food with me to my room.

"Did she really just walk out on us!" I heard Tiffany's voice from below.

As the door slapped behind me, I rested my head against the door, letting out a heavy sigh which was accompanied by a small drop of tears.

I suddenly began to feel nauseous.

I quickly dropped the food on the small table in my room and hurried to the washroom.

As I flushed the yellowish stuff down the drain, my eyes caught the test by the side of the sink, just close to my toothbrush.

I picked it up gently; the tears had started itching my eyes more now. 

The two pink lines stared back at me.

I lowered myself onto the bathroom floor, my fingers trembling against my lips.

Tears rolled silently down my cheeks.

A bang on the door, then his voice followed. “Open this door!”