SHOCKING NEWS

Chapter 1: Shocking News

My husband, Derek, slammed a wad of papers on my face. “I want a divorce,” he said. His words came as clear as a joke, so they sent me laughing. Because, they is no way Derek could be asking for a divorce suddenly.

“Are you kidding me?” I heard myself questioning him in awe. “How can you be pulling my legs this much?” I chuckled, passing the paper back to him, he is must be joking.

I had no idea what was written on the paper, but I was 110% sure that it wasn’t a divorce paper. Because why would he want to divorce me? And why so sudden? He never spoke about a divorce.

“Don’t act like a fool now, Rose. Sign this paper immediately, so we can get this done and over with,” were the next words I heard from him, as his eyes pierced into my soul when he said this.

“Are you kidding me or what?” I threw at him, already finding his joke boring, it was already becoming annoying, so I thought of ending it.

“Do I look like someone who is kidding, Rose?” His words cut me short, and threw me in more confusion. ‘what could be possibly wrong with this man?’ I wondered.

“I just want you to sign the papers and stop bombarding me with useless and unnecessary questions.” His words hit me, and his eyes grew darker as they stayed on me. And as his eyes glowed on me, something was awkward; they were mean and had no atoms of emotion.

Derek on the other part hasn’t been a good husband for the past 2 years, but I was hoping to work things out with him because I loved him.

When he first came into my life, I was nothing but a poor orphan living in the streets and doing street jobs to survive.

I recalled vividly how I met him. I had gone to steal bread from a fellow street orphan like myself because I was so hungry.

And just when I was escaping with the bread, I was caught. Adam, the guy I stole from, called his friends, and they dragged me to a lonely part, probably to mess me up.

Because he had been giving me the green light, which I had been turning down for a while. And just like I suspected, they dragged me to a lonely part to mess me up, but just when they were about to have their way with me, Derek, who was passing by, saw me and saved me.

As for Adam and his friends? They were arrested, and Derek took me in, took care of me until I was 20, then he proposed to me, and we got married.

When we got married, the first three years of our wedding were the best three years of my life, because he loved me, pampered me, and showed me compassion that no one ever had.

I felt like the luckiest woman on earth; I felt on top of the world, and I felt finally safe. But just when I thought I could be happy and live the life I always wanted and dreamed of, Derek suddenly changed for the worse, and the story has remained the same till today.

“Hey! What are you thinking? How to steal my money?” Derek’s words pulled me back to reality, and I was left to stare at him like a fool.

“Here! Sign these damn papers so we can go our separate ways,” he threw the papers at me again. I watched as the papers hit me on the chest and scattered carelessly on the floor.

I watched as his emotionless eyes pierced deeper into my soul, and I could feel myself getting horrified and concerned. Horrified because I had never seen him stare at me so coldly, and concerned because I was bothered that he could be talking under the influence of some alcohol, since he is a chronic drinker.

But on a second thought, I didn’t see him drink before coming out.

“What’s wrong with you, Derek? Are you good?” I found myself questioned, my concerned eyes darting around him.

“You can’t do this now,” I felt my voice pleading after what seemed like an eternity. The reality was already setting in; Derek wasn’t kidding when he asked for a Divorce earlier on.

“You can’t dump me now, Derek,” I pleaded further, as I hoped for a miracle to take place. I was not ready to be left alone, I was not ready to live alone, I needed a shoulder to cry on.

“Can we not do this here? Can you just give me a last chance to write my wrongs, if I had ever wronged you? You are all I have, Derek. If you leave me, like my parents did, what will become of me?” My eyes were already red from crying, I kneit before him and clutched his trouser tightly. I hoped he would have compassion on me.

“Get lost!” he sneered at me, like I was nothing. “Stop trying to compensate me, because it’s not working. Isn’t it obvious that I am done with you? Well, I am sorry for doing this on your birthday, but I have no other option, Rose,” he blurted, then paused before he continued. “I want you to be gone from my life by tomorrow,” he dropped this bombshell.

My eyes moved to him in pain, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was avoiding my gaze like a plague. Had he quickly forgotten what he promised me at the altar?

“Pick yourself up and move on; I am sure you will find someone better than me,” I heard Derek say bluntly with any sign of remorse.

“We can’t be together again, because my heart belongs to another now; I am no longer in love with you,” he continued. I focused my stare on Derek; his last words caught my attention.

“Who are you in love with, Derek?” I pleaded, as tears bounced down my cheeks. “Just tell me you never truly loved me as your wife,” I screamed in pain and frustration. Everything was finally becoming clear, he really isn’t into me again.

“Sign these papers before I let you see the love of my life,” he picked the divorce papers from the floor and passed them to me. I watched the paper for a while and looked up to him.

“You really want me to sign this, Derek?” I whimpered, tears gathering in my eyes yet again. This had to be the hardest decision I had ever made.

“Stop prolonging matters; just sign this damn paper, and leave my life,” he barked into my face, obviously angered by my persistence.

I watched him for a while in search of something – the feeling that once bound us – and I couldn’t find anything; they were all gone.

This man wasn’t wrong when he said he loves another; he was really sure about it.

And as I sat on the floor there, I knew this was the right time to end it. Even if I refused to sign this paper, it wouldn’t change the fact that this man in front of me no longer loves me.

“Here!” I passed the paper to him after scribbling in my signature. He grabbed them from me roughly, with a sinister smirk playing on his lips.

A smirk that gave me the feeling that he was satisfied with the decision I took.

“You made the right choice, Rose. Thank you,” were the next words I heard from him. “Now, I want to introduce you to my lover and my wife-to-be,” he grinned and clapped his hands.

As his hands slapped against each other, the bright lights that once hung at every corner of the large ship converting us went dim immediately.

And in no time, the spotlight, which was once on us, directed to a sumptuous figure of a lady who had a veil on her head.

I watched as the lady walked up to Derek, my only interest being to catch a glimpse of her face. She looked so familiar, and I just couldn’t fathom why.

The veil slowly came off and I gasped in shock. My heart beating dangerously against my ribs threatening to bore it's way out and shatter. This was the person I never thought could have betrayed me.

My beloved Aunt.