Chapter 3

SARA'S POV 

“You want to resign?” Asher Herman, my supervisor asked again and I nodded,

“Yes sir”

He narrowed his eyes at me for a while.

Asher, my supervisor, was a middle-aged man with kind eyes and a moderately attractive face. When I newly resumed working here, Derek had instructed that I should be treated the same way the other employees were being treated. Everything about me should always follow standard procedure, and that was how I was being treated.

Not only was I treated coldly by my husband but even by the employees around me. But why won’t they? Their boss was good at making me hate my life.

“Alright,” he broke the silence, “Someone will be brought in to take over from you,” 

I nodded, grateful that he didn't ask me any questions even though it was clear he wanted to. I knew I couldn't just leave today.

“Thank you.”

I smiled and walked out, feeling a little bit lighter for the first time in a while.

I was still hurting inside but I had a feeling I was going to get through this.

After the close of work, Anna, one of the girls who was involved in the office kitchen discussion earlier walked up to me with an excited smile as I made my way to my car.

“Hey, want to grab dinner with me? There's a new place that just opened, and the food's great!”

“I'd love to but I have to decline,”

“Going to spend time with our little, Danielle again?”

I smiled bitterly. They always thought I was going home to be with Danielle just like I had always done before, refusing invitations for her sake.

This time however, that wasn't the case but I didn't correct her.

With that, I slipped into my car and drove home.

As I stepped into the house, I found Mrs. Rodriguez in the living room picking up Danielle's toys from the ground.

She looked up when she heard me walk in.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Marshall,” She smiled sweetly at me and I returned it before asking,

“Where is Danielle?” 

“Oh, she's in her room, playing.”

“And has she eaten today?” I asked again. 

“No, ma'am. She's refused to eat anything.”

I arched my brow at her words. Even if I was getting a divorce and leaving the family, I was still responsible for Danielle’s well-being until then.

“Why?” I questioned, dropping my bag on the couch.

“She said she wasn't hungry yet,”

That was unlike Danielle. She never said no to food.

I made my way towards her room. To find her. 

I found her door open and tiptoed towards her. She appeared to be drawing but as soon as she noticed me, she quickly hid it behind her back.

“Mommy, you're back,” she said in a surprised tone.

I smiled. “Yes, I am. How are you?”

“Fine,” she smiled, still hiding her drawing behind her back. I watched as she backed up into her dresser.

“Mrs Rodriguez tells me you haven't eaten. Why is that?” I asked, my eyes narrowed.

“No reason. I wasn't hungry.”

“Does your tummy hurt?”

She shook her head.

“I was waiting for you to come home. So we can eat together,”

I wanted so much to believe that was the truth but I could tell she was not fully telling the truth. Regardless, I didn't make a big deal out of it. 

“That's sweet. Now that I am here, let's go eat.”

“Okay, mommy,”

She squeezed the piece of paper behind her back into the dresser and closed it.

Then ran past me.

I pretended to follow her out but then went back to check what she'd hidden in her dresser.

My heart broke when I saw a drawing of a family -three people.

She, her father, and a woman that should have been me but looked like Alyssa.

Alyssa was the only woman I know who had a mole under her eyes.

I took in a sharp breath, ignoring the pain that came with my daughter hurting me like this.

I wondered if she even loved me.

With a heavy sigh, I neatly put back the piece of paper into the dresser and strolled out of the room.

The dining table was already set. Danielle was seated. She immediately looked up as if noticing my stare.

“Mommy, come sit next to me.”

I would have smiled at that if I wasn't still hurt by that drawing.

Regardless, I made my way to her and sat beside her.

She smiled at me but there was something like guilt swimming in those blue orbs of hers.

I ruffled her hair and smiled.

After dinner, Mrs Rodriguez left for her home, leaving just Danielle and me in the house.

I sat in the living room alone, reading the latest issue of a niche designer magazine.

“Hey, mommy, can I sit with you?”  

I smiled. “Sure.”

She sat next to me and then proceeded to try to make small talk with me. I knew she was trying to say sorry in her own little way for what she'd done earlier.

I knew what she was trying to do. She has done this so many times before—hurt me and come to apologize and then goes back to do the same thing again. 

I had thought it was because she was too young to understand what she was doing but that wasn’t the case. Just like her father, she never cared and preferred the mistress to me.

Later that night after I had tucked her into bed, I went to my room to try and call Derek again.

He didn't pick up this time.

I wasn't surprised. 

I fell asleep soon after.

I jolted awake to the sound of my door bursting open. 

“Who's there?” I quickly found the button on my bedside lamp and turned it on.

The light illuminated the room and standing at the door was Derek. 

He was back and looked drunk, and smelled of alcohol too.

“Derek? I have been trying to call you…”

Derek paused, then looked straight at me, “Why?”

His tone wasn’t questioning but it still made me bite my lips, “I…I was waiting for you.”

“Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?”

He indeed was and I had nothing to say to that.

He raised his hands and rotated his shoulder blades, “I’m really tired Sara, if there is nothing else, I’m going to take a shower.”

For a couple of seconds, he remained at the same spot, as if waiting for me to say something else and when I didn’t, he walked forward.

I watched as he made his way into the shower. He didn't stagger or move weirdly. He'd always been able to hold his liquor. It was in bed that he unleashed everything…

The first night he'd come home drunk, we'd had sex for the first time and that's how I had gotten pregnant with Danielle.

I loved my daughter to death but I had always resented the fact that we'd not made her out of love but out of a drunken night and my need to keep this marriage.

I had thought her birth would mend this marriage. I was wrong.