Chapter 2

SERENA’S POV

What?

“We need to talk about her, Serena.”

I just stood there, my mind numb for a moment as I tried to place two and two together. “Tal-talk? about what?” I stuttered, barely able to stand straight as a more dominant thought made its way to the forefront of my mind.

“Baby? Eli?” the voice of the young lady filled my ears again, not letting me think with the sound of her heels clicking on my floors as she stepped into the house. To stand beside Eliot, right in front of my face!

“Oh hi!” she greeted cheerfully, stretching out her hands to me like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Her name is May,” Eliot introduced brusquely, sharing a look with her as he did. While I stood idling watching this show. Cause that’s what it was- a show.

A real bad show. And I could already feel I wouldn’t enjoy it.

But yet, “M-may?” I stuttered, not really believing my eyes at the moment but willing myself to be calm and rational. Not jumping to unnecessary conclusions. I mean, for all we know this lady could be a relative.

A long… lost relative that I surprisingly didn’t know about in all our three years of marriage. But yeah…

“Yes! Her name is May, and she is pregnant with my child.”

Okay, what?

Whose child?

I blinked, totally dumbfounded. “I-I- what?” I voiced incredulously cause really let’s face it. What the hell is going on here?

“I don’t… I don’t really understand you, Eliot. What do you mean she- that she- ugh.” I couldn’t even form the words. Cause looking from the swollen belly, the lady and back to a stiff looking Eliot… it all seemed too ridiculous to me.

I mean like, what!

My Eli? Impregnated a lady?!

Pfft!

No way.

What a big joke this was!

Eliot seemed to sense my amusement with the whole thing as well, cause his eyebrows shot up displeasingly.

But could you blame me? This was funny! Aren’t you laughing with me?

Who the hell gave him this idea? Cause I tell you what, this was not my Eliot speaking right now. This wasn’t him at all!

“This… I don’t know what game this is,” I started, smiling as I looked between them both. “But I don’t care. I’m not going to pick a fight. You’re home, I made lunch… so let’s have lunch!”

And with that I walked off, chuckling a bit as I headed to the kitchen. Happy that I had given into my sadness earlier today and went on a whole cooking spree, with all sorts of recipes I had been thinking about.

“Bourbon Iced Tea, right Eliot?” I called out, knowing it was his usual. “How about your lady friend? Juice is fine, no?”

Silence was all I got as response, but I took that as a yes. Smiling as I imagined just how good the juice would be with the fresh batch of sandwiches I made.

“Serena,” my name sounded from behind and I almost winced at how formal it sounded. It was my name but hearing him call it sounded so much like my father. Couldn’t he just call me by a pet name instead?

He was Eli to me, at least in my head. But it wouldn’t hurt to know I wasn’t just ‘serena’ to him.

Regardless, I didn’t let it bother me. He was home in the afternoon for the first in what… a year? Months? I don’t know, but I wasn’t about to ruin that.

“I’m glad I made so much lunch today.” I gushed happily, beaming as I hurried to set up the table. “Who knew we would have guests!”

“Sere-

“A pregnant lady at that. I didn’t know you made new friends, if I did I would’ve-

“For heavens sakes, SERENA!” His voice boomed, cutting through the air and freezing me at the spot. “What the fuck is wrong with you? This is why I want a DIVORCE!”

Huh?

I gaped in horror at those words. My lips parting as the juice jar slipped from my hands just then, crashing unto the floors in a harsh splatter. But not one of those shreds could cut as deep as those words had me.

Neither seemed to faze him though, cause he stood proud and tall in front of me. “Yes,” he confirmed instead, his seriousness obvious to all as stepped even closer. “I want a divorce, Serena. Let’s end this.”

I blinked, unable to find my voice in the sea of emotions that seemed to want to drown me right then and there.

And in no time, my sight blurred. My lips trembling as I forced myself to speak. “Wh-what?” I stuttered, my voice almost a whisper. “What did you just say? What did you just- what?!”

“You heard me!” he retorted, his expression stone cold a tear rolled down my cheek from shock and everything. “I want a divorce. I want- I want us to ends things, because I can’t do this anymore. I can’t continue to behave like everything is fine, when its not!”

“What do you even mean?” I cried, my voice coming out in a whiny sob without me even intending to. “Everything is fine! We-

“I have a baby coming,” He continued, speaking over me as he moved back to take the hand of the lady he had come with. “She is pregnant with my child and I want to do right by him”

“You’re kidding,” I found myself saying with tear-stained cheeks. Halfway chuckling at the ridiculousness of his words.

“Oh my goodness… what is going on here? What is the meaning of this, Eliot?! First, I was going to overlook that stunt you played out there but you turned around to aggravate things even more? Like this? What sort of game is?!”

“Game? Game?!” he repeated harshly, clearly not liking my words but I was getting pissed now.

“You think this is a game, Serena? You think I came all the way from the office, with these documents in hand, just to play a game?! Just how dumb can you be?”

At his words, a brown envelope landed on the kitchen island. Strikingly reminding me of the negative pregnancy results I had received today. Doubling all my anger and frustration.

But not even that prepared me for the documents that came out of that envelope.

“NOTICE OF FILING FOR DIVORCE” It read with bold letters, confirming Eliot’s stern look. Shocking me further to the bones.

I couldn’t believe it.

Slowly, I reached for the documents with trembling hands. My mind going numb as I scanned it all. Paper after paper… Eliot standing boldly in front of me, as if to say; still thinking it’s a game, huh?

The taunts rang loud and clear in my ears but still, i couldn’t believe it.

I couldn’t understand it. I mean… how?

Why?!

The tears just rolled wordlessly down my cheeks. My blurry eyes soaking in the words over and over again. Nothing changing, nothing making sense, and everything hurting!

“Why?!” I cried out in pain, looking up at him. “Why? You- yo- oh my God”

My cries just filled the air, anguish clear as day as I looked over at the food I had begun setting up on the table. Remembering just how happy I was to see him just a few minutes ago. And then my eyes landed on the lady.

May.

I guess I didn’t look so friendly cause she immediately scurried away to hide behind him. Pretentiously too. But guess what?

Eliot moved.

Protectively shielding her with his body from my view. An act he had never once done for me.

Right in front of my face.

RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE!

“What did I ever do to you?” I croaked out, “What did i… oh God… I cannot believe this. Four years… four years, Eliot! Four years we’ve been married. How could you do this? Is it because of her?!”

“Don’t take this out on her, Serena” he sounded, his tone monotone. Like he had prepared this speech before coming here today. Like he had prepared and practiced… to divorce me. And this way too, in front of some lady I didn’t even know!

“Look, I’m sorry but my hands are tied.” I laughed as he uttered those words. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Sorry?” I repeated, standing up straight so I could face him.

“Sorry?! You obviously planned this whole thing out, Eliot! To have me looking like an idiot here, how dare you say sorry! And what the hell do you even mean your hands are tied?! You brought your mistress and bastard here! In my house! How dare-

“He is not a bastard!” he boomed, cutting me off. “My son, in her womb is NOT a bastard! He will be my first child and there is no way I will allow him to be called that nasty name! In fact, this is why you have to sign these papers. Let’s divorce!”

Wow.

“Hahaha!” I scoffed in pure disbelief as I boiled with renewed anger at his words. “So that’s what this is? You want to make ‘your first-born child’ to not bear the name, bastard. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

“That’s right!” he responded, producing a pen from his impeccable suit. “I am not a rascal, Serena. If I am having a child, I want to do my very best to ensure it does not suffer in the slightest!”

“By divorcing your wife, huh?” I taunted bitterly, “First you cheat and blatantly do this. What a role model you are”

He released a breath at my words, his eyes narrowing with suppressed annoyance but all it did was fuel my rage. “I know how this looks to you, but my child comes first. He can’t suffer, his mother too.”

As if the insult that he was having a child but not with me wasn’t enough, he just had to mention the mother as well. The very symbol of his betrayal and outright disrespect to our union. Our love, and home!

He even had the nerves to bring her to me. To rub it all in… just the thought alone made me see red!

All the months I had spent waiting for him… alone in this house, in our room, calling his office, hoping he would come home to me… all the events I attended alone, without him, my husband at my side.

All the negative pregnancy results I had to receive time and time again! All alone, like I was the only one in this fucking marriage that he brought to me!

He proposed to me; I didn’t beg him to marry me!

He proposed to me!

So, how dare he?

How dare he reduce me to such dirt on the floor?!

After I spent months after months trying to play the role of a wife, to please him… how dare he insult me like this? Even when he knew just how much I wanted a baby! A child of my own!

He knew all of it. He fucking knew! But yet, decided to do this? To divorce me so his bastard and mistress would be recognized?!

OVER MY DEAD BODY!

Since this was what he wanted, well I refuse to let him have it!

And with that, I wiped my tears clean. “I am not divorcing!” my voice rang loud and clear in the kitchen. I had made up my mind. Painfully so too!

“What?” Willaim spat icily, but I held my head high. My eyes glaring, facing him head on! His stupid divorce papers squeezed like a pile of shit in my hands.

“You heard me,” I retorted, using his words. “I am not divorcing and that’s final!”