*CORA*
In the next couple of days,I took over the department store and I did my best to distract myself with work.
Just as Jerome had said,my employees were indeed glad to have me back and I was having quite a great time working in my store.
It was one of the biggest departmental store in the city.There were different section in it,ranging from the jewelry section,clothing section,bag and shoes collections,hair accessories and lots more.
I wondered what ever made me give this all up to be with Tristan.
It was quite a stupid decision.
***************
I had just gotten off the escalator when I ran into someone.
Celia Godoy.She was Tristan's mother.
I sighed heavily as I stared at her.
She stared back at me and then around the store as if I was in a place where I wasn't supposed to be.
"Did you seriously come to shop here?"She began.
I only continued staring at her,reeling in all what she had done to me for the past three years.
"So this is what you do all day?Spend Tristan's money lavishly?You have been ignoring my texts but you had the guts to come to this place to shop?"
I knew why she was so upset seeing me here.
My departmental store was considered as a store for the elites because the elites loves getting products in limited edition.
Hence,most of the people who shop here were from the upper class.Celia had always seen me as a pauper and gold digger and that is why she feels that I'm not supposed to be here.
I wondered how she'd react if she finds out that I own this place.
I still wondered why she always saw me as I gold digger,I never lived an extravagant life with Tristan but no matter how much I tried to prove that I wasn't in it for the money,Celia just hated me more.
"I have so many dirty dishes and dirty clothes plus my house is dirty,when are you coming over for your monthly clean up?!"Celia asked,looking at me disdainfully.
She had so many servants,she had washing machine and dish washers but somehow since I married Tristan against her wishes,she had turned me to her washing machine,her dish washer,her gardener,her servant.
At first,I thought doing everything she wanted would make her like me.I thought that if she could like me,Tristan would too but no matter how hard I tried to please her,her dislike for me increased.
Looking back now,I felt so mad at myself,I felt so angry at how low I had stooped to get a man's attention.
"You're such a dirty being!"I shot at her.
I watched as her jaw dropped.
This was the first time I was talking back at her and even insulting her and it seemed to have stunned her beyond words.
"How dare you..?!"
"No!How dare you think you can treat me like trash?I may have been a pushover to you but not anymore!Do not ever in your fucking life see me as a slave!"
"Do you realize who you're speaking to?Are you high on something,Cora?One call from me and Tristan would file for a divorce immediately."
That made me laughed."That threat doesn't work on me anymore."
Celia eyed me."You think I'm joking?I'm going to call him right now!"
"To hell with you and Tristan.I just need one favor from you,get lost and do not ever bother me again!"With that,I walked off,I didn't want to bother with her anymore.
And seeing her now made me more determined not to waste anymore time.
Tristan and I had only signed the papers,we still needed to get it stamped at court.So tomorrow,I would go see him so we can get over the divorce proceedings as soon as possible.
I didn't want to have anything to do with him or his family ever again.
**********
*TRISTAN*
The following morning as I got ready for work,I am a bit surprised to be informed that my mom had come to me house and she wanted to see me urgently.
Sighing,I headed downstairs to meet her fuming.
What now?
"Good morning,mother."I began.
"Tristan,you won't believe what happened yesterday."She began.
"What happened?"I asked,pretending to be interested.
"I ran into your wife at CW Departmental store,I barely said anything to her when she started insulting me,she called me dirty and all sorts of names,she even said to hell with the both of us."My mother lashed out."I've always told you,Trist that she is a terrible woman."
I rubbed my temple."Cora wouldn't do that."
Even if her outburst the last time we saw was still shocking to me but I knew Cora wasn't the type to verbally abuse anyone.
"You don't believe me?You honestly think I'm lying?Then get her here right now?She had better be truthful and say everything that happened yesterday.Where's that bitch?Cora!Cora!Co…"
"She's not here."I cut in,calmly.
"Where did she go to?To continue squandering your money?"
"She moved out.We're getting a divorce."
I saw the shock in my mother's eyes.
She was clearly not expecting to hear that.
Her voice was low as she asked."Really?Are you being serious right now?"
"Yes.We already signed the papers."
"What…what happened?For three years,I tried my best to convince you that she wasn't right for you?Did she finally show her true colors,son?Was that why you divorced her?"
"She kinda suggested we get divorced."I drawled.
My mother's face contorted in a frown.
"She suggested the daughter?What was the lowlife feeling like?Anyway,that's not important.I'm glad that evil woman is finally out of your life."
I just sighed,not really in the mood for the conversation.
"That means it was a good thing I did inviting Phoebe over this morning .
I glanced at her."Over to where?"
"To your house."
"Why?"
"She had called me on the phone and she said she got me nice presents from Spain so I told her to meet me here."
I sighed,heavily.
This mother of mine.
What if I was still married?
It wouldn't have been right for Phoebe to come to this house.
I quickly shook my head.
When did I ever care about my marital status?
**********
*CORA*
I honestly didn't want to meet Tristan up at his house.But when I got to his company,his secretary had informed me that he was still home.
I really needed to walk through this divorce proceeding with him so we can get this over with once and for all so I headed off to his house.
I mentally prepared myself to face him and not to be affected by anything.
I have to get over him no matter what.
The guards opened the main gates for me without any questions,it seems he didn't tell them we were divorced or anything.
As I got to the front door,I was about to knock when I heard a woman's laughter.
It was Celia.
Great!
Does she have to be here right now?
And then I heard another familiar voice.
"Do you like the bag,Mrs Godoy."
"Oh,Phoebe,I love it.I had actually gone to CW departmental store yesterday to get it but it was already sold out,you know this bag is only ten in the world,I can't believe you got me one,you're such a darling."
Phoebe?
Phoebe was here too?
How long had she been here?
Did Tristan call her over the moment I left?
Had they been having sex in every part of his house?
I felt a sharp pain on a chest and I was about to turn around to leave when the door suddenly opened.
I swallowed seeing the housekeeper.She had trash bags in her hands.
"Oh,her,Mrs Godoy."She began,smiling sweetly at me.
"It's…Cora.Just call me Cora now."I said in a shaky voice.
Since she had already seen me,I couldn't flee now.
She was certainly go tell Tristan that I came by and he might think I was stalking him.
Lifting my chin up,I decided to go in and focus on my reason of being here.
"I'll go in."I said awkwardly to her and walked in.
Walking into the living room,I saw Celia,Phoebe and Tristan all sitting down,laughing and chatting.
They all seemed to be in a good mood.
He didn't even wait for us to complete the divorce proceedings before bringing her into the house.
I really had no chance with him.
It pained me so much that I wasted three years dreaming of what would never happen.
"Oh look,it's your ex-wife."Celia drawled,mockingly.
Tristan turned to stare at me."What are you doing here?"He asked.
He sounded so cold.
He wasn't happy to see me at all.
Was it so easy for him?
Was this divorce process so easy for him.
It hadn't been easy for me at all.
Even if I had been trying to distract myself with work but at the end of the day when I lay down to sleep,all I think of was him.
My thoughts of him never end,my thoughts about the life we could have together.
But now,standing here,in the presence of his mother and his mistress,he was making me feel so small.
I glanced at Phoebe and she was smirking at me.
That video flashed through my head and my fingers clenched around the document I was holding.
*CORA*"I…I came to…the divorce proceedings…"My voice broke as I tried hard not to blink.I had tears on my eyes and I was trying so hard not to let them fall.I couldn't cry in front of these people.They've already made fun and played with me enough.I couldn't give them the satisfaction of watching me break down,completely.So I let out."I need to use the restroom."With that,I hurried off.I had to calm down.I had to get back my composure.I walked into the restroom and splashed water on my already red face and then I retouched my make up.I took a deep breath as I stared at my reflection on the mirror."It's okay,Cora.You can do this.You're going to go over the divorce procedures with him and then,get the hell out of here."Sure it hurt a great deal that Phoebe was here and they might have officially gotten back together again,but it was fine.I was going to be okay.I was going to get okay him soon.After managing to build back my confidence a bit,I walked out of the restroom to
*CORA*"My mother was right about you.You know,she was just tell me about how you insulted her at a departmental store and I defended you but look at you,I caught you hurting Phoebe for not reason at all and you can't even apologize to her."Tristan said,disdainfully.My teeth clenched."I do not care about what you or anything think of me anymore.My days of pleasing you are over.I came here to go over the divorce procedures so let's go over that right now.""What's taking you guys so long?"I heard Celia's voice as she walked up to us at the hallway and then she exclaimed,dramatically."What the hell?What happened to you,Phoebe?Why is your hair scattered?What…?"Phoebe sniffed and then let out."I'm okay,Mrs Godoy.It's nothing."She let out,clearly pretending to be meek but Tristan and his mom couldn't see that."What do you mean?This isn't nothing.Who hurt you?"And then she turned to face me."Did you do this to her?!"I rolled my eyes and looked away."You little wench!How dare you put y
*TRISTAN*I was heading for my car when I heard my name being called."Tristan."I turned around to see Phoebe running up to me."What is it?""I have something to tell you.Something that I should have told you a long time ago."I grimaced.She had to be fast about it.I've got work to do."What is it?"I asked again."It's about Cora.The truth is she didn't just marry you because that was what your Grandma wanted.She had actually had this planned all along."That got me confused."What do you mean?""Cora made me go to Spain.She threatened me.She's the cause of our breakup."I crossed my arms."We broke up on a neutral ground,Phoebe,you told me you were going to pursue your dreams abroad and how could Cora possibly threaten you?"Not that I was ever one to look down on anymore but Cora had nothing and Phoebe was from a powerful family like me so how could Cora possibly threaten her?"She might look weak,Tristan but she's far from weak.She's a devil.She threatened to ruin my life if I di
*CORA*I rolled my eyes as I stared at Phoebe acting like a fish who just got taken out of the water."Since you physically assaulted her that day,she's been having constant headache."I rolled my eyes."That's none of my business.""It should be.I wonder if you ever feel guilty for any of your actions."I was utterly confused and angered by Tristan's behavior."You…""Don't you even have any regards for your family name.The Watsons is quite a prestigious name.First,you pretended not to be related to them and now,you're perambulating with this man while being married to me.I guess there must be nothing prestigious about your family."My jaw dropped.That was a low blow."You have no fucking right to talk about my family."I snapped at him.My grievance,humiliation and stubbornness surged out from the bottom of my heart.Lifting my head slightly,I raised my eyebrow at him."Just so you know,I have done nothing to tarnish my family name and I never will.Not before and definitely not now."
*CORA*Even if I tried to look calm on the outside,I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that me and Tristan were now finally divorced.It was impossible for it not to hurt.I had loved him for years.Rubbing my chest,I felt the pain becoming more and more unbearable.I glanced back at Tristan who had his back to me and seemed to be making a call.He must be so happy right now.He can completely be with Phoebe again.Sighing,I made to leave but he stopped me."Don't announce our divorce yet for the meantime."He said to me.I frowned at that."Why?""For my Grandmother's sake.I do not know how to face her with the fact that we've gotten divorce me."My face paled."Still,she has to know.We're divorced so everyone should know that.I do not want anyone that ever knows about us to still think we're married.""Seriously?What's the big deal in just agreeing to this small request of mine."He snapped.I glared at him."Well,that request isn't small anymore!I do not want to waste any more
*CORA*"Stop acting as if I owe you anything!I owe you nothing.You knew it from the start!You knew that there was never going to be anything real between us."He shot at me."But you promised…""I promised nothing!"He snapped.Now,I was starting to regret everything I had blurted out.It was all a spur of the moment and I wasn't thinking before I spoke.And now it dawned on me that he never felt even the slightest bit of love for me.Taking a deep breath,I looked at him straight in the eye with the same vigor I had before."I get it now.But you still have no right to tell me to hide our divorce and I'm not going to hide it."I said,firmly.He rubbed my temple while holding my gaze.************TRISTAN*I didn't know what to say to her at the point.So I just stared at her and it was only then,standing inches away from her did I realize that I had not closely looked at her before.I noticed that her eyes were slightly red and swollen,and there were pink blood streaks around her eyes.He
*CORA*Tristan walked up to me and glanced at me.Without saying anything,he suddenly drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.Confused,I asked."Are you showing me how good you can drink?"I was still mad at him for forcing me here.I was going to have so much fun with Dylan.Tristan didn't show any other expression on his face as if he was used to my cold attitude now."My wife, do you know how important your image is?This is the image of the Godoy group."After that,he slung me a look of disgust.I rolled my eyes."I am not your wife anymore so you and your company can go to hell."His jaw dropped."You…"And then he glared at me."You never show me how mouth of badmouthed you were when we were married.You words are so infuriating."Suddenly,Zayn's voice sounded from behind them."Look at Tristan and his wife.Even after three years of marriage,they seemed to be so much in love,you guys are going to torture us singles to death."I glanced back at him.As usual,he was in the midst of some b
*TRISTAN*Seeing Marcus' eyes widened,I knew he was trying to make sense of what Cora had just said.He was trying to figure out if we had gotten divorced.Damn this woman!I knew clearly that nothing really happened between Marcus and Cora few minutes ago.Cora should know that I'm fully aware of the kind of person Marcus was.I had planned to follow his truck and see what he wanted to do but I didn't expect that this woman would be so stupid that she didn't see through my intentions and even said such harsh words to me.I was pissed off by her provocative tone and I lost control of my temper."You make me sick!I wish I was never entangled with you!"She glared at me."I make you sick?Well,you make me feel comatose, in fact,I cursed the day I met you."I blinked,stunned by her words.She crossed her arms and continued."You're not one to talk to me about regret at all,I wish I can turn back the hands of time.I wish I can erase you from my life!You have another woman and…"I glanced at
*CORA*When I walked into the dining table with Lily.I saw the crabs and crayfish on the table.The meal was mouthwatering."Winnie,come eat with me.It'll be such a waste if I can't finish everything."I invited Winnie to dine with me."Thank you,Cora but I've had breakfast already."She rejected.I smiled and didn't push her.After washing my hands,I picked up a crayfish and began to eat.My appetite became better,and it seemed that my emaciated condition did not not continue to deteriorate.This was a good sign.I thought that I would starve to death because i couldn't eat all the time.Afterall,man was iron and rice was steel.Fortunately,I had appetite to eat now.Lily crouched down and looked at me with her big watery eyes.Taking a look at Lily,I couldn't help asking."Winnie, has Lily eaten yet?"Winnie raised her head and replied."Yes.Don't let it have any more,Cora."Nodding,I said in a playful tone."Lily,Winnie said that you can have any more because you already had breakfast,
As soon as Tristan saw Alvin and Cora conversing in the hall,he frowned deeply and walked up to her,grabbing her by the arm.He gave Alvin a warning look and then tugged Cora away."How many times will I tell you to stop fooling around with other men?"Cora glared at him."You came here with Phoebe but I'm the one fooling around?"Tristan looked embarrassed. This was not the Cora he knew."Cora." It had been a long time since Tristan called her that calmly.Cora's heart was throbbing. This dangerous man was so terrible that she could be moved by his one word.Raising her head,she had a charming face. She wasn't expecting what Tristan would say next."As long as you behave well and don't cause me any trouble, I will give you a large sum of compensation after our divorce is announced." He looked gentle, but his words were chilling.Compensation! It turned out that no matter what, their relation was a deal. There was no need to pretend."Okay, I understand." The stubborn look on her face
*CORA*After returning to the company,I went to my father's office to report the recent progress of my cooperation with Dylan.It turned out that my dad was already seeing Dylan in another light."My dear,I know you and Dylan has been friends for years,but be honest,what do you think of him?"I frowned and curled my lips."What should I think of him?"I feigned ignorance as if I didn't know what he was talking about.My dad sat upright and said."I think he'll make a good partner for you.He is so much better than that Tristan.""Dad,I'm not in the mood of think about that now.Dylan is just one of my friends and a business partner now.That's all I see him as."I said, firmly."Go ahead with your work then."He said with a smile.I went back to my office and revised the profit allocation of the previous contract.I thought that I would sign the contract soon.Finally, the first step to get a better standing in my company was to get rid of Tristan.But why couldn't I feel happy?I was still e
*CORA*When I opened the door, I looked up at the living room and saw that Phoebe was sitting on the leather sofa as if she was waiting for me.There was no sign of Winnie.Maybe she had gone to bed.Afterall,it was so late.Raising my eyebrows, I thought something bad was going to happen.I didn't want to talk to Phoebe so I went straight to the second floor.As soon as I was about to take the first step upstairs.I heard Phoebe's voice."Cora,thank you so much for your understanding,today.You didn't say anything to hurt Tristan and I."I rolled my eyes and turned around."Even if I'm in dire straits.I won't do anything unscrupulous like you."Phoebe frowned and let out in an angry voice."Stop pretending.You're so downcast yet you're acting so proud.Do you even know what's going on with you?Don't you understand ‘find shelter under other's roof'?"Hearing that,I was stunned.There was an indescribable indifference in my eyes."Well, we're the same.Don't you live under other people's roof
Without saying anything,Cora started the engine. The restaurant was not far away from his supermarket, so they arrive there soon.Dylan got off the car and stood at the roadside. "Drive slowly when you go back, Sara."Cora nodded.She had always knew that Dylan was so considerate.He watched Cora drive away until she was out of sight. Then he went to the supermarket which was being decorated.Dylan took the packaged food to the construction workers hadn't eaten yet, so after handing it to them,He left. Several workers exclaimed that the food was delicious.He was in a good mood today. Unexpectedly, when he came to the supermarket, he met Cora. The two had stayed together for a long time. Dylan could not help recalling the blush on Cora's face. Her side face, Her beautiful curve., She was so beautiful.Cora had to go to the company. She hadn't been there the whole morning, and there were a lot of documents waiting for her to review.As soon as she arrived at the company, her assistant t
*TRISTAN*My heart sank.Cora's response made me feel an headache.She had just accepted my arrangement without arguing as if everything that happened today meant nothing to her.I had thought she would reject it but she accepted so smoothly,it was beyond my expectation.As expected,she really wanted nothing to do with me.*******************CORA*As soon as I left the company,my suppressed feelings erupted.I didn't want to talk to anyone.Although I had pretended to be nonchalant and cold in front of him but I was very broken.I drove my car between the traffic,tears streaming down my eyes,uncontrollably.Why was I crying?Because I felt wronged,tired and sad.The car was only a few hundred meters away,and I could no longer see the road in front of me.I had to pull over by the roadside.Unfortunately,a traffic policeman came up to me.The policeman knocked on the window but I didn't want to open the door.He then used a loud speaker to shout outside."Hello,Miss.You can't park her
*TRISTAN*I raised my head during the meal.The atmosphere was so weird.It was like a showdown.I had decided to keep Phoebe around.Afterall,because of the nature of my family,I would need a wife and an heir someday and Phoebe was like the best candidate for me right now.She was someone who wouldn't give me much trouble.I caught a glimpse of Cora's face which looked much haggard than I had seen yesterday.My heart twitched.Obviously,I didn't love her but I still felt sad to see her like this.Even if I didn't say anything,I could feel her grievance.But she didn't say anything to show how aggrieved she was.In the past three years,Cora had been so obedient to me.She was a good wife.But then she had found the divorce papers in my room,papers I had prepared years ago and forgotten and she stated she wanted a divorce.When did it go wrong?Was it when she got involved with Alvin?When did she even start seeing him?How long had they been seeing each other?I was so fucking curious.And
*CORA*The sense of failure was magnified infinitely,as if it was about to explode in my mind.I had no choice but to continue sorting out my contract with Dylan.I tried to numb my nerves by working hard.Before I decided to cooperate with Dylan,I had some scruples before.After all,I knew that Dylan would occasionally show affection to me,but he was just a friend to me.A very good friend.He didn't make things awkward at all though.I could only hope that I had misunderstood my friend's kindness by thinking too much.I was going to accept the offer of being a manager of the newly opened supermarket of Dylan's company.On one hand,I could improve my ability to,on the other hand,I had wanted to expand new market for my company and evade Tristan's control as soon as possible.Now,I loved and hated Tristan,but at the same time,I missed and was afraid of him.But I didn't dare to express my feelings.What was the use of telling him?It was just that my self-esteem would continue to be trampl
*TRISTAN*"She did that purposely."Phoebe let out."Did what?""Pretended as if she was about to vomit.She definitely implied that you and I are disgusting."I sighed."Let's just eat and go to work."I didn't want to deal with Cora right now.Even if I felt her behavior was very exaggerated,I didn't find it enough to argue with him.Part of the reason why Phoebe was in this house was because I wanted to get a reaction from Cora.I wanted to see if she never ever considered me as her husband and so far,it seemed she didn't.She was okay with Phoebe's presence in this house.When Cora walked into the dining room,I noticed how pale she was.She might not be pretending afterall."Are you okay?"Yeah.I didn't mean to interrupt you two's breakfast.You can go on without me."With that,she walked off.Was she sick?**************CORA*The more I smelled oil,the worse I felt.I didn't want to have greasy food.I came to a conclusion to go to the hospital to get checked up once I was chanced.Befor