Chapter 3- No more obstacle -Sign it!

Alexander was stunned by the cold hearted welcome. Twice, he had asked her for a divorce and saw how upset she became at the mention of it. This was what he had wanted, yet he couldn’t shake the unease in his heart. Was it because Becky was now the one asking? Was she trying to ruin his reputation after losing the baby? Alexander was bewildered. Becky came down the stairs, walking towards the dining table. Alexander neither accepted nor rejected her request for a divorce and went upstairs, returning after ten minutes in loungewear. It seemed he wasn’t going out, or perhaps he was still in shock from the news. Seeing the table filled with various dishes, excitement stirred within him as he sat down. If she really wanted a divorce, she wouldn’t have cooked for him.

At this moment, Helen was momentarily forgotten. Alexander avoided looking at Becky, as this was the first time she had been so cold towards him. Though he hadn’t told her when he’d be home, she had still ensured his supper was ready. As he uncovered one of the dishes, his face darkened as he glared at her. Instead of food, he found the scanned picture of their dead baby, divorce papers, with a pen beside them and waiting to be signed.

“What is this?” Alexander was angry, starving after not having had time to eat. In the past, Becky would have been worried and tried to calm him down, but that Becky was gone after the death of her child. After crying for days, she had waited to serve Alexander these cold documents. She had no tears left, but her eyes were red with anger.

“Do I need to get you a pair of glasses?” Her voice was mocking as she watched his shocked expression. He must have thought she was joking the first time, but the documents made the reality clear.

“What? Were you expecting me to cook when I didn’t even know when you’d be home?” She added aggressively.

Alexander’s face was unreadable. It irritated Becky that she couldn’t tell what he was feeling, but she no longer cared. “Please sign the papers. If the print is too small, I am ready to get you your glasses.” She dropped it in front of him. Alexander wasn’t foolish. When he had asked for a divorce, he had made sure there’d be nothing for the media to gossip about, but now, after losing a child? What would people think? His parents liked Becky, though his three older half brothers always saw her as a threat.

The death of the baby had made things more complicated. Alexander never thought she would use it as a reason to ask for a divorce, especially as she always claimed to love him, despite his coldness. He needed time to think.

“We’ll talk about this later,” he finally said, standing up to leave when Becky played an audio file on her phone. She had made up her mind and wanted the divorce settled now.

The woman before Alexander was different from the one he used to come home to. She used to wear attractive clothes and light makeup to seduce him, which sometimes worked, though after his release, Alexander would return to being distant. Today, Becky wore no makeup, and her hair was unkempt. She was in pajamas, her long, dark hair limp, a stark contrast to Alexander’s handsome appearance. He still had the looks and physique Becky used to adore, but not anymore. All she felt for him now was resentment. She had matured beyond caring about a man’s looks or intelligence. What good were good looks and business acumen without conscience or empathy? Becky now saw the man she had once been obsessed with as a selfish monster who cared only for his image, money, and desires. Whatever had blinded her before had disappeared the moment she woke up in that hospital bed and found her child dead.

The voices on the recording were clear. A woman and a man, but the man’s voice was undoubtedly Alexander’s.

“I’m sorry. I thought it was urgent.” Helen said.

“Becky needs a doctor. She needs to grow up. If she can’t find her way to the hospital, that’s her business. After her delivery I will divorce her.”

“Darling, are you not going to call her back?”

“Don’t you know my stand? I’m only with her because she’s carrying my child. Once the baby is born, I’ll divorce her immediately. She doesn’t need me now, she needs a doctor, if she is thinking straight.”

Becky caught a passing look of guilt on his face, but there was no remorse in his eyes. His voice was firm.

“Where did you get that?” he demanded. Helen couldn’t have done this, could she? She had no contact with Becky. But it had just been the two of them in the room. Could there have been hidden cameras? Or was this the work of his half brothers? Though puzzled, his expression became neutral again. “You need to delete that audio before I sign these papers,” he threatened her.

Becky didn’t know how she managed to act calm. Even now, he didn’t care enough to apologize for sharing their private matters with whoever that woman was. What had ever made her fall in love with this man?

He was nothing like the man who had saved her from the accident she had many years back when she was abandoned on the road after being hit by a car. Alexander didn’t even remember that day, but that’s when Becky had fallen for him. She quietly showed him another image on her phone. The headline read, “Mr. Alexander rekindles romance with old flame, Miss Helen ….”

This time, Alexander turned pale, his eyes darkening as he grabbed his phone. He couldn’t trace who had taken those photos or how they had gone viral, but he needed to have them removed. He would also need someone to find out who had sent the information to the press and how Becky got their audio conversation.

Becky had grown tougher after repeatedly hearing that audio and reading the news on her phone. Alexander had already said the same thing to her, so this shouldn’t hurt.

“It doesn’t matter. The obstacle is gone, and you’ve already got a woman waiting for you. An old flame. Just sign the papers.”