Shattered completely

“What? Are- are you really serious about this, Edward? How could you do this to me?”. Liya asked and desperately looked at him, hoping that whatever he had just said to her was a joke.

But, a single glance at her, and that was it. “It's over, Liya. You should leave. But considering what we have gone through together, I won't let you leave empty-handed”. Edward said to her, as he buried his guilt in the deepest parts of his heart.

That was because he felt sorry for Megan, who had to stay apart from him all this while.

“Just leave, jinx. You are staining my eyes”. Sarah said with a hiss.

As for Liya. She couldn't take it anymore. The betrayal.

How Edward was nonchalant to her, like he had become a completely different person.

This was not the person she had fallen in love with and had given her entire heart to.

“Is this why you took me to the villa? To reject me in the presence of your mother? What about father?”. Liya’s lips trembled as she asked, not expecting Edward to bring out a divorce agreement from his clothes.

It turned out that the whole time, that was what he had been hiding from her.

“Ha. So, it's like that?”. Liya chuckled bitterly. “I am not going to sign it! I don't agree to the divorce!”. She ran out of the building after saying that, and tears continuously rushed out of her eyes.

She felt like suffocating and knew she had to get away from their presence.

Back in the villa.

“Do you think we went too far, Edward? I am sorry. I should not have brought up the thing about divorce. What was I thinking? I will leave right away, so that you don't have to divorce your wife anymore”.

“I am so sorry for returning. I… I am sorry”. Megan’s lips trembled as she said, before she tried to leave immediately, but Edward grabbed her hand and stopped her.

He hugged her tightly, pressing a gentle kiss on her head as he said to her, “I can't bear to lose you again. I can't. Liya won't leave…she loves me too much to leave, the divorce papers was just to scare her.”

“You didn't do anything wrong, Megan! You are my true daughter-in-law, and that fake… that person was the one who stole everything from you! Make sure to deal with her”. Sarah declared with a hiss and gritted her teeth. She had never for once liked Liya since she could not bear her grandchildren.

She hated Liya more when she got involved in Edward’s company, because she thought Liya wanted a share in her son's hard work.

But now that Liya’s fate was certain, she could not have been happier!

…

{Many while later}

“I am sorry, Dad. You were against my marriage with Edward saying that true love never existed in such ways, but I never believed it”.

“I thought you never wanted me to find true love. I thought… I thought you just wanted me to bury myself in work”. Liya whimpered. Her eyes were swollen, and her cheeks had gotten slightly bigger from crying.

She sniffed her nose, before picking up the courage to return to the mansion.

She believed that Edward would remain in the villa with Megan. That was not something she wanted, but she was sure she did not want to see Edward’s face at the moment.

She stepped away from the bench and left the park, as she went ahead to hail a cab.

Upon sitting in the back seat, the cab drove off, while she stared outside the window, as tears continued to blur her vision.

‘It was all a lie’. Liya thought. She could not get over it. She knew Edward wanted nothing to do with her anymore, but she did not plan on leaving.

Edward was her husband. Her legally married husband. He was the man she had said those vows to at the altar. So, she knew she had a right to disagree with the divorce.

It was a quiet drive, but eventually, the cab stopped at Liya’s destination.

Liya paid the cab driver his money and stepped out of the cab.

She went to knock on the gate, and after it was opened for her, she entered and made her way into the building.

Each step she took was filled with so many hurtful thoughts.

The nights he had spent loving her. His sweet words to her. Those romantic embraces of his. To think that all of them were a big fat lie made her look like the fool of the year.

Liya sighed deeply as she stepped foot inside the house.

Upon arriving in the living room, she tossed her purse aside on the sofa and made her way to the bedroom.

As she stood in front of the door, she paused and placed her palm on her chest.

She did not understand why her heart abruptly throbbed more than before.

“What is this feeling?”. Liya muttered as she felt goosebumps all over her body. She pushed the door open and stepped in.

To her, she had expected to see a room void of humans, except herself. But, she completely froze because of what she got to see.

The lights were switched on, and on the bed lay Edward. He wasn't wearing any shirt, and lying next to him on the bed was none other than Megan, who was basically half naked, with her leg on top of Edward.

“What-”. Liya covered her lips as her eyes remained wide open in shock. She couldn't believe her eyes.

The tears she thought had dried up, started afresh and escaped her eyes.

“Arrgh,” Liya clenched her chest tightly and fell to her knees, as she did not know what to feel anymore.

Her own husband was so eager to get rid of her, to the extent he could not wait and cheated on her using their matrimonial bed!

What feeling could ever be worse than that?

Liya shook her head. “No. No”. She forced herself back to her feet and turned away.

“I see… I am the joke of the year. I am the fool of the year”. Liya smiled bitterly.

‘Is the bitch gone?’. Megan opened her eyes, and seeing that Liya had left, her lips curved into a smirk.

‘That’s right, bitch. Get the hell out of here. Edward is mine and has always been mine’.

‘If I had known Edward was going to escape bankruptcy, I would never have left him and got together with that bastard’. Megan thought, before she cuddled Edward even more and could not stop smiling.

She was proud of herself because she believed she had won but Edward stood up from the bed and picked up his shirt. He put it on slowly, with his head lowered.

Megan stared at him. “Where are you going? Don't you want to spend the night with me?”. She asked innocently.

Edward did not want her to know that he was sad about Liya leaving, “I have some work to do. I will be in my study”. He lied quickly.

“Okay… but make sure you come join me when you are done”. Megan smiled.

Edward forced a smile too, before he left the room but the minute he sat down in his study, the smile fell off his face. All he could see was Liya. Her red eyes. The hurt written all over her face as she looked at him.

His chest felt heavy, and he felt irritated with himself. But, he did not say anything, “She can't survive without me…she'll be back”.

…

(The next morning)

Edward appeared with Megan clinging to his arm as their laughter drifted down the staircase. Her head rested on his shoulder while his hand rested on her waist as they came down slowly.

“Stop it, baby”. Megan giggled when he whispered something in her ear.

“Why would I? You started it”. Edward said to her, and kissed her temple.

Then his eyes drifted towards the dining room, and stopped.

Liya was there. Her hair was tied back and sleeves rolled up as she helped the maid arrange the plates on the table.

Edward’s lips curved into a smirk, ‘I knew it. I knew she wouldn't leave’. He thought inwardly. ‘Where would she even go?’.

Megan saw the smirk too, and she pressed herself closer to him.

As for Liya? She heard their footsteps long before they arrived, but she did not turn around. She had spent the night in the guest room at the end of the hallway, staring at the ceiling until the ceiling started staring back.