Chapter 2

SERENA’S POV

What?

“Sh-She’s with you?” I blinked, wanting to make sure I wasn’t hearing things now. Or worse seeing things too cause how is a strange lady that showed up at our door minutes before he arrived, with him? H-what does that even mean?

“Let’s go in,” he responded instead, pulling the lady as they walked past me and into the house.

Walked past me. They WALKED past me.

I just stood. Totally unsure of how to even feel by…that!

But still, I willed myself away from the door. Managing a strained smile as I tried not to imagine the worst.

I mean, for all we know this lady could be a long lost…family relative that I somehow didn’t know about all this time. But yeah.

“Her name is May,” Eliot’s voice sounded out, offering answers.

“O-kay. May…” I tried to play it cool. But then he went to say, “She is pregnant, and the child is mine!”

And then it all went downhill from there.

“W-what?” I voiced, startled. “What are you saying? I don’t understand, what pregnancy? Wh…child. What?!”

He remained silent, not speaking but his features said it all. That damn stoic stare of his said it all and I couldn’t be more livid.

“This is a joke, right? I mean, you can’t actually be serious,” I pressed, even chuckling a bit as I looked between them. Eliot, the strange lady and then at the swollen belly just gently pressed against Eliot’s arm from how the lady was clinging to him.

His child. Their child.

“This is a joke!” I reaffirmed seriously, “A real stupid joke, just so you know Eliot! And I’m not going to be a part of it. I refuse to! Let’s just eat dinner, please.”

And with that I walked off to the dining area. Rosa silently joining me but her warm eyes betrayed exactly how she felt. Alarmed, worried, tensed- the perfect reflection of my own emotions but I held it down.

Pulling out a seat for myself, but then his voice sounded out, “Walking away won’t change anything, you know that don’t you?”

My head turned in his direction, and sure enough he remained rooted at where I had left him. Totally unmoving and not even a tad bit less serious than he was earlier.

“This is happening, Serena. We need to talk”

And just then a thought hit me. My hands slowly sliding off the seat as I turned fully to face him, “We need to talk.” I repeated slowly, the words sinking in. A certain level of clarity hitting me all at once.

“Is this…This isn’t why you texted me earlier, is it? You didn’t send me that text because of… THIS, right?”

But no matter how long I stared at him, my desperation clear as day. “It is. This is exactly why I texted, Serena.” He still said it. And in the most merciless way possible!

Like it was the most normal thing in the world. Or we were just talking about getting some fucking groceries!

“Now you know, let’s decide how we move on.”

“Oh God,” I swallowed, hard. Barely able to hold myself as I stared at him. “M-move on?” the words stuttered out, “Move on, Eliot?”

“Yes!” he answered simply, breaking free from the lady’s hold as he pulled out a brown envelope from beside him. An item I hadn’t even noticed him walk in with, awfully reminding me of the earlier brown envelope I had received.

“Serena,” He started, “Let’s end this, i want a divorce!”

And just like that the breath got knocked out of me. Rosa releasing a sharp gasp just behind, whereas me… a silent gasp was all I could form.

My mind quickly going blank as my knees suddenly felt too weak, too unstable to hold me up. And in no time, I went stumbling backwards. Knocking off a few plates from the table in the process.

Not even realizing how far gone I was until Rosa’s cry of distress filled the air. “MA’AM!” her warm body stopping me from hitting the floor of shattered plates in shock.

“Mrs. Beckett!” she cried, her usual warm eyes wide with panic as everything dulled out. My mind tuning them all out as everything in me struggled to process it all. Eliot’s words, his very presence beside the pregnant lady and just…

“I want a divorce, Serena!”

And right then, I snapped. Breath returning back to my lungs, lips trembling as my vision blurred. My mind instantly clear and awfully aware of my position on the floors. All happening in barely a second!

Everything hitting me all at once, “Ma’am Serena,” Rosa called softly, her voice breaking as hot tears rolled down my cheeks. My heart aching even more as I painfully dug into the flesh of my palm.

Not a sound emitting from my lips as I cried, and she understood.

She completely understood whereas someone that should was standing right there like some fucking rock!

It took a moment, but I gathered myself. “I’m okay,” I whispered, using Rosa’s support to stand back on my feet.

My flushed cheeks bare against Eliot’s expressionless one. “Are you done?” the words fell from his lips, eyes fixed on me. “If you are, good. Cause we have to finalize this”

And just like that he ripped the brown envelope. Several spotless white papers and a pen flying out as he headed towards me.

His attitude, nothing short of indifferent as he stood tall and proud in his impeccably sown gray suit. “These are the documents. I’ve already signed; you just need to as well.”

It all felt so surreal.

I had to take the papers from him to believe. And as I did, the bold letters in front quickly caught my eyes; DIVORCE AGREEMENT.

“Your rights and settlements are boldly stated on page 3.” He continued, “As my wife, despite us coming to this unfortunate end, you are entitled to one third of my personal assets. Every private property that I own. But I’m offering you half. Half of everything I own! I’m giving that to you, Serena.”

The white papers just slid off my fingertips as the words rolled off his lips. Every one of his words, a sharp jab to the already open wound in my heart. I didn’t even listen to him at some point.

I mean, how could i? When I had already seen it all from the papers.

Reasons for divorce, “Irreconcilable differences” I read quietly, the two words sinking in. Further pressing down on the very obvious truth; Eliot didn’t care. He didn’t care one bit, and everything happening now just proved it!

“That’s your reason?” I asked slowly, looking up at him. “Irreconcilable differences are your reasons for these papers? For this?”

He didn’t even bother to write it himself. Just ticked the box beside the sentence. Like it was that simple. Like all these four years of our lives was that simple and meaningless!

I didn’t even know which hurt more. Whether it was hearing about his …mistress and child or the way he was acting about it even! Like I didn’t mean shit. Not worth him breaking a sweat at all!

I didn’t know which hurt more…

“Why are you doing this to me?” I asked, my voice shaky. Almost a whisper. “Why are you… why is this happening, Eliot?” Tears just welled up in my eyes as I held his still indifferent gaze. My anger rising the more he remained that way.

“What did I ever do to you?” I pressed; my voice stronger as I took steps closer to him. “Why are you doing this? Why is she here, why are you giving me these papers, Eliot? What did I ever do to you?! Fucking answer me!”

The papers scattered everywhere along with my voice. My eyes glaring daggers as he still stood. Just holding my gaze while I literally fell apart in front of him. His stupid divorce papers dancing around us until they fell at our feet.

And then his lips moved. “I. Want. A. Divorce.”

Four words.

“I no longer want this relationship; I want a divorce. Do you get it now, or should I repeat?” he sneered, his tone a dangerous calm. But even that infuriated me!

My nails digging into my flesh as I glared at him with all my might. Wanting to just slap him across the face! Hit him over and over until he felt exactly how he made me feel with those words!

And so, I did just that.

My hand moving in a flash, and seconds after a loud smack filled the air. “Dear lord!”

“Eli!” Rosa and the other human gasped loudly, satisfaction instantly surging through me as a bright red stained Eliot’s face. His jaw clenched in anger.

I could feel my palm sting as well, so I knew that had to hurt.

“That hurt? Good!” I sneered, reveling in the intense glare he currently had on. But that was destined not to last at all, as suddenly a loud cry filled the air.

“Please don’t blame Eli, Serena! It’s all my fault. I did this. I seduced him!” His mistress cried, “He just wants to protect us. Please have mercy, Serena! Don’t hurt him anymore”

What?

You have got to be kidding me! Who says she could speak here?!

And defending Eliot too? Talking about him wanting to protect her?!

The mere thought was enough to leave me reeling! My whole body burning hot as I fought the urge to hit the damned man in front of me again!

“How dare you?” I spat venomously, “How dare you bring your fucking mistress here?! This is my house, Eliot! Our home!”

“This isn’t about her, Serena!” he argued,

“Then it's about what?! What, huh?!” I yelled back, “You have a mistress, Eliot. A fucking mistress! I am your wife in case you’ve forgotten. How dare you bring her here?! You’re even having a child with her! You impregnated some woman, Eliot! Make that make sense!”

“Then divorce me!” he boomed, his eyes equally flaring as he closed the distance between us. Standing directly in my face. “Divorce me, Serena. Sign the God damned papers and let’s be done here!”

I lips parted open in disbelief, my lips trembling as I stared angrily at him. Hating that my eyes were tearing up in the process, “That is your solution?” I asked, “That is all you’ve got to say to me? Your wife?”

At this point even I couldn’t stop the sob that hit me. “Four years, four years we’ve been married, El!” I sobbed;

“We’ve been… I’ve been here all along! Not once did I complain, not once did I leave or go to your office to cause a scene for how you’ve been neglecting our marriage! Neglecting me!”

“Not because I couldn’t… not because I couldn’t, Eliot! I even set the table for you despite knowing that you won’t show up for dinner! How could you… how could you do this to me? How could you go get a woman pregnant? Wanting to divorce me for her! What did I ever do to you?!”

My cries filled the air. The frustration, anguish and hurt, clearly heard by all who had ears, but somehow, it didn’t seem to faze him at all.

“Just sign the documents, let’s get this over with.” He said, moving to pick off a few from the floor around us. Coming back up with yet another pen, “Sign,”

I looked at him and then to the papers in his hands. Noting he had already signed, displaying just how eager he was for this when he barely lifted a finger for us.

Barely put in effort…

I had always thought that even if we didn’t do stuff like other couples, that we at least had an understanding and that Eliot cared for me.

Those nights we would make love were proof enough. I had thought no woman could be able to get more than that from him.

But here I was today, getting proven wrong. And so very rudely too. Meaning all these years that he didn’t make any effort for me, for us… it was because he didn’t want to. Not that he couldn’t!

And that realization hurt me more than anything else. More than the fact someone else was having his child!

With that anger coursing through my veins, I ripped the papers apart!

His mistress gasping loudly like a broken doll, but that only fueled me on!

“There,” I spat proudly, throwing the shreds at his face. His gaze, murderous. “Those are your papers, Eliot. You want a divorce? Want me to sign? Dream on!”

“I am not divorcing!”