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Chapter One

Sophie Clarke

•••

I paced around the living room, glancing at the wall clock as the seconds dragged by.

My husband wasn’t back home yet.

He knew it was our anniversary but didn’t even say anything about it throughout the day.

I was waiting for him to come back home and join me for dinner.

I picked up my phone, tempted to call him but I knew it wasn’t going to make any difference because I had called him a million times already.

He didn’t respond to any of the calls.

Alexander already made it clear he wasn’t

and will never be in love with me.

But I was delusional enough to think that he would make an exception since it was our third anniversary.

Out of frustration, I called out our maid to refrigerate the food.

“Yes ma,” she responded as she rushed to the dining room.

I sat on the chair with a sad face, watching as he packed up the food I had spent my entire day preparing just to make him happy.

It was half past ten already. I checked my phone again but no messages or calls, just silence.

I tried to convince myself that he might be working late or stuck in traffic knowing fully well he just didn’t care about me enough to show up for the dinner.

Alexander and I barely knew each other before we got married. We only got married because our parents were business partners, It wasn’t like we had a choice back then.

It had been three years but nothing had changed. I tried all I could to make Alexander love me but he pushed me away, we were basically strangers living together at this point.

We only made love on his terms and we had to use protection because he didn’t want to have kids with me. It broke my heart so much.

With so much pain in my heart, I scrolled through my gallery, glancing at our wedding pictures.

My chest tightened as memories flooded back, the joy in my eyes then felt like a lie now. Deep down I realized my life began to fall apart the moment I said my wedding vows.

He took everything from me, my happiness, my dreams, my ambition. I wanted to have kids, a happy family. I wanted to start my fashion designing career but no, I was turned into an unhappy housewife with no social life.

Oh, everyone saw my marriage as a perfect marriage and wished to be in my position. Of course, who wouldn’t want to be with a rich, handsome man? Little did they know that it felt like hell here.

I got up from the dining chair and walked to the living room to watch the news.

“At least let me get my mind off this marriage for a minute,” I murmured to myself, hoping that distracting myself would ease the ache.

I sighed as I reached for the remote, holding a glass of wine. The voices from the television filled the silence that was wrapped around me all evening.

“What!!?”

I froze.

“Is that who I think it is? No, it can’t be my husband, my Alexander. No it can’t be,” I said loudly even though I saw him clearly.

Alexander, my husband, standing beside his ex-fiancée, and smiling for the camera.

The caption at the bottom of the screen read: “Top businessman Alexander Cole spotted at a charity gala with his ex-fiancée, Leila Thompson.”

For a second, I couldn’t breathe.

It felt like the walls were closing in on me.

The happiness between them was unfamiliar, something I hadn’t seen since the past three years of our marriage.

Leila rested on him and he didn’t move away, the chemistry between them was undeniable and effortless.

I turned the television off and went into the room. It was already midnight and there was still no text from my husband.

“I’m sure it’s just work. He wouldn’t do this to me, there has to be an explanation. They just probably bumped into each other.” I said while wiping the tears off my face.

My mind raced with different thoughts until I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, someone aggressively pulled open the curtains while I was asleep. The rays of sunlight struck my face, dragging me out of my sleep.

I turned away shielding my eyes with my arm.

“Alexander, what are you doing?” I murmured in a slightly groggy voice as I finally looked at him.

He didn’t answer. He moved across the room, opening the closet and slamming it shut, then he pulled out a jacket from the closet.

“Are you going somewhere?” I asked, sitting upright on the bed.

Alexander didn’t look at me. “Yes, I need to be somewhere.” He responded while trying to button up his shirt in a hurry.

“Somewhere or someone?” I asked in a low tone.

He froze for a second, just long enough for me to know I was right. He turned towards me and said, “Sophie, it's too early for this, don’t start.”

“Alexander what do you mean it’s too early for this? Yesterday was our anniversary and you were not home, you didn’t text or call. I spent my entire day making dinner for us just for you to not show up. Where were you?”

Alexander smiled faintly and shook his head

“I’m talking to you Alexander, why do you decide to treat me this way? Am I not good enough for you?” I asked, my voice trembling with emotion.

There was still no response from my husband. It seemed I was talking to thin air.

“Alexander, why..why…why were you with her, Leila? I..I saw it on the news last night.” I stuttered as I confronted him.

He exhaled sharply as he brushed his hair. “You’re imagining things.”

“Imagining things, Alexander? The whole country saw you!” I said, trying not to burst into tears. It was clear he was trying to make me look stupid but despite that, I remained calm.

“In fact, let's do this here and now,” he said harshly.

“Do what?”

He didn’t respond, he just kept opening the drawers, looking for something that I couldn’t tell. It seemed so important so I asked, “What are you looking for?”

He ignored me.

I patiently stood there, watching him as he scattered the whole room, looking for God knows what.

“Alexander, can you talk to me?” I asked softly, trying to move closer to him.

He didn’t respond. He kept on searching.

“Found it,” he finally exclaimed with a smile on his face, like he had just won a lottery.

It was a brown envelope in his hands, and he threw it at me. My heart pounded as I caught the envelope. “Alexander, what is this? I hope it’s not what I think it is?”

“Open the damn envelope and don’t ask me questions.” He snapped, his voice rising in anger.

I opened the envelope slowly with shaky hands. My breath hitched as I pulled out the folded paper inside, afraid of what I might find.

The first line read “PETITION FOR DIVORCE.”

I blinked rapidly hoping it was a joke or a mistake. I looked up, there he was standing, arms crossed.

I staggered backwards. “No..” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “He wouldn’t do this.”

“So you’re leaving me?” I asked him softly, still glancing at the paper.

“What does it look like, Sophie?” He asked, sounding annoyed.

The room suddenly became hot, and I couldn’t breathe. It was like I had a heart attack. “Is it because of Leila?” I asked in a shaky voice with tears rolling down my cheeks.

He looked at me with so much irritation. “What? No. I mean, we can’t keep pretending the marriage works or is going to work.”

“Pretending? Alexander, I threw my life away for you. Three years of my life and you call it pretending? I’ve tried everything to make us work, please don’t do this to me.” I begged while walking towards him wiping my tears off.

“Don’t come near me,” Alexander said as he moved away.

I stood there wondering what I ever did wrong, or why he didn’t love me.

He walked away and I fell to the ground. The weight of his words and actions crushed me. I cried so loudly, the divorce papers slipping from my hands.

Behind me, his voice came, cold and distant. “Please pack your things, Sophie.”

“No” I whispered, shaking my head. “Don’t do this to me, please Alexander. You’re all I have at this point”

His tone grew sharper and impatient. “Sophie pack your things before I’m back, please. Let’s not make a big deal out of this.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, broken and soaked with tears. “Not make a big deal? Alexander, did you just say we shouldn’t make a big deal out of this? You’re tearing my life apart.”

He didn’t answer. The silence between us stretched and it became unbearable and then, he turned around and walked out of the room.

As I heard the slam of the door, I realized that he was really serious and wanted to end our marriage because of that woman.