10. I want a divorce

Monique 

 

I was restless. I tried everything I could to stop thinking about the conversation that Gavin and I had earlier today, but no matter how many times I tried, I couldn't help it. 

 

 To make things worse, I couldn't resume work just yet since it would be strange for me to start working immediately after my wedding to Gavin, so what that meant was that I was stuck in the house for the time being, and so was Gavin. 

 

 I haven't left my room since our conversation, mostly because I didn't want to run into him and also because I didn't want to end up giving in to him. 

 

 I already tried considering the idea of going on a honeymoon with him, but no matter how many times I thought it over, it was still a bad idea. 

 

 Feeling frustrated, I let out a tired sigh, wondering how long I would have to stay cooped up in here. My room was already starting to feel a little bit suffocating. I honestly wanted to take a walk around the house and see for myself how big the place was since I haven't done that yet. 

 

After almost half an hour of contemplation, I finally made up my mind to step out of my room. Of course, I made a mental note to be careful and to try as best as I could to avoid running into Gavin, and if I eventually end up running into him, I'd ignore him, just like he made me feel ignored earlier today. 

 

 When I was finally out of the room, I walked in the direction that led to the other bedrooms in the house. Since Gavin's bedroom was exactly opposite mine, I tiptoed outside my room, not wanting to call any attention to myself. 

 

  When I was finally far enough, I went ahead to check out all the rooms that I kept passing by, with the exception of some rooms that had been locked.

 

It wasn't until I had checked almost ten rooms that I realized how huge this house was. It wasn't until I got to the end of the hallway and was about to check the last room that I suddenly heard a voice coming from the room I was about to check. 

 

 I immediately recognized the voice to be Gavin's, but what I couldn't understand was why Gavin was in this room when his room, as far as I knew, was on the other side of the hallway. 

 

Instead of walking away and minding my business, I decided to stick my ears to the door, suddenly curious to know who he was speaking to and what he was talking about. 

 

 "I already made her the CEO, so that should encourage her enough for the next step. But for the time being, I think it's best that I stay away from her," I heard Gavin say to whoever he was speaking with. 

 

 Since I didn't hear anybody respond back to him, I immediately assumed that he was talking to somebody over the phone, and it irked me a little that he was talking about staying away from me to someone else. 

 

 I desperately wanted to hear why he wanted to stay away from me, but since I couldn't exactly barge in or anything, I simply stood still, hoping that whoever he was speaking to would be sensible enough to ask him questions that could give me an answer. 

 

"I'm starting to think that I made a mistake getting married. Maybe I should have just offered to help her without getting married to her, because right now, I feel like I made a mistake," I heard him say again, and my heart dropped. 

 

I couldn't believe my ears. 

 

The fact that he was talking to somebody else and mentioning to that person, who was a stranger to me, that he feels like he made a mistake by marrying me, made me feel extremely hurt and betrayed.

 

  I was hurt because I didn't expect to hear that from him, and what hurt me more was the fact that we hadn't even been married for a week, and my husband already wished he never married me. 

 

 The logical part of my brain kept telling me that I didn't need to listen to any more of what he had to say, but for some reason, I stayed rooted in my position, curious to see if there was any chance that he was going to say something worse than what I just heard. 

 

 And just when I was about to believe that there was nothing worse he could say, he said something that threw me off completely. 

 

 "I know you're probably going to miss seeing me, but I might have to leave the country for a few days, my love. I don't think I can stand being around her for too long, and I need to get away from her to get myself together. But I promise that as soon as I get back, you'll be the first person I'll visit."

 

 I felt the urge to throw up. That was how furious and disgusted I was. 

 

 I didn't mind the idea of him having someone else in his life since he and I were not exactly a married couple that loved each other genuinely, but the fact that he had slept with me and then married me without mentioning that he had someone else in his life already made me furious. 

 

I already tasted what it felt like to be betrayed, and the fact that Gavin knew exactly what I had gone through and didn't find me worthy enough to be honest with me despite our agreement made my head spin with rage. 

 

 I was pissed off beyond words, but instead of barging into the room, I took a step back and turned in the direction of my room instead. 

 

I honestly wanted to cry because never in my life did I think that something like this would happen to me again. I suddenly felt foolish for actually believing in a strange man that I met under strange circumstances and for marrying without checking to figure out what kind of person he really was. 

 

Was I really that desperate? Was I so desperate that I married another man who was also going to end up making a fool of me?

 

Tears streamed down my cheeks, and in my frustration, I wiped them off with the back of my hand, telling myself that I had no reason to cry. Instead of sitting back and pretending like I didn't overhear the conversation, I decided to put an end to this and avoid being used again for a second time. 

 

 Angrily, I changed my direction from heading to my room to heading to his roommate instead. When I arrived in his room, I made my way to the sofa and took a seat while waiting for him to come back. 

 

 I didn't know how emotionally I was going to react, but if there was one thing I was sure of, it was that I had no intention of making the same mistake twice. I wouldn't even mind giving up my plans to get revenge on Cole and Whitney if it meant that I would avoid enduring the humiliation and betrayal I endured because of Cole. 

 

 I waited in his room for another half an hour, getting a little frustrated by the fact that he wasn't coming back. I was even more frustrated because I knew he was currently speaking to his lover, and it upset me so much that someone who was willing to take me on a honeymoon just to sleep with me actually had someone else that he was in love with and was only interested in playing around with me like a doll. 

 

After what felt like an eternity, Gavin finally entered his room. As expected, he didn't notice my presence in the room for a while until I finally cleared my throat to indicate that someone else was in the room. 

 

 When I did, he turned in my direction with a shocked look on his face, visibly wondering what I was doing in his bedroom. 

 

 "What's going on, Monique? What are you doing here?" he was quick to ask, his confusion evident. 

 

 "Where have you been?" I retorted, ignoring his initial question. 

 

"I believe I asked the question first, Monique. What exactly are you doing in my room?" he responded. 

 

I scoffed. "Why can't you answer the question, Gavin? Are you hiding something from me? Is there a reason why you can't tell me where you're coming from?" I questioned him, and I could only imagine how furious I looked at the moment. 

 

 "Is something wrong with you, Monique? What gives you the right to ask me such a question?" he responded. "But if you would like to know so badly, I was somewhere in the house. Is that why you're here? To ask me where I've been?" 

 

 I closed my eyes briefly, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves before proceeding to respond to him. 

 

 "I want a divorce, Gavin. I'm done with this charade of a marriage. I no longer want anything from a disgusting liar like you," I said to him, and the look on his face said it was. 

 

He was shocked.