~ANASTASIA~
I slapped my forehead, which caught Scott’s attention as he turned to me with a curious look.
“Is-”
“Drive.” I cut him; I couldn't deal with him.
“Ms. Anastasia-”
“I'm not Ms. Anastasia!” I yelled, “I mean, I guess now—agh, just drive, please.” I rubbed my forehead and caught my breath. I had forgotten that I was not married to William anymore.
Scott nodded his head and then started the car. I took a deep breath as I tried to calm myself.
I rested my head on the seat and closed my eyes, as I knew it would calm me because I needed to be as calm as possible. I scratched my arms as they were a little itchy—I hadn't had a proper bath in days.
Even with my eyes closed, I didn't miss it when the car came to a stop, I quickly opened my eyes, and without waiting for Scott, I assisted myself out of the car.
“My apologies Ms Ana-Rogers…” I bumped into him as he was about to open the door for me.
“Just give me my bag.” I sniffed, and Scott without wasting time rushed to the trunk, and before I knew it, he was back with my bag in his hands.
He opened his mouth to probably ask but I didn't let him say the words as I grabbed my bag from his hands and without a moment to lose, I hurried to my apartment door.
When I reached the door, I stopped and stared at it for a split second. I used to live here before marrying William; it was my grandma’s apartment, but she left it in my name. Dad and I never got along, so on the bad days I spent most of my days here.
Taking a deep breath, I reached for my keys and then unlocked the door, ignoring its dust. I struggled for a few seconds because the lock was old; it had been like that even when Grandma was alive. I promised to fix it but never got a chance because, after marrying William, I became a housewife, talk of taking care of a baby who needed my attention twenty-four-seven.
When I got in, I threw the bag down and walked straight to my bedroom. I needed to wash my body as my skin was itchy.
My room was dusty, but I didn't have the time to clean, so ignoring it, I took off my clothes and went to the shower. I turned on the warm water and quickly washed my body. Whatever I was doing, I tried so hard not to think of anything at the moment; I had to be strong.
Of course, I will cry, just not now.
The shower didn't take time as I was quick; after that, I wore my comfortable pajamas and then walked to the kitchen. I luckily stocked my fridge with each chance I got, so there was food.
I took the bucket of yogurt and ice cream and placed it on the counter. I walked to the cupboard and tried to get a spoon. I struggled to get a hold of the glass jar that had the spoons, and before I knew it, the jar came flying and landed on the floor, crashing it into a million pieces.
“Fuck!” I cursed out loud, annoyed at why everything had to be so bad today. After sighing, I walked to the broken pieces, paused for a second before I bent, picked up one spoon, and then walked to the counter and took my two bowls in my arms, then walked to the living room.
My couch was dusty, but I didn't bother to clean it as I sat down and started mixing the ice cream and yogurt before I started eating.
I stayed silent, eating before I remembered my phone. I had to check it in case Dad called. I was not ready to deal with him, but I knew there was no escaping that old man.
“Maybe he'll not be too harsh on me when he hears that William and I are getting a divorce,” I said to myself before I stood up and almost walked to the bedroom but stopped at the knock on the door.
My heart started beating fast as I thought of the possibility of William following me here. I didn't have the heart to face him now, and I was not ready to even process the whole divorce thing now.
I took small steps to the door, and as I reached there, I peeped through the doorhole. I could see a person and with the clothes, I could tell it was a man.
I knew it couldn't be William, as when I left him he was in his home clothes. I thought it was Scott, so I slightly opened the door, but when I saw the person, I tried to close it, but they forced their way until they were in.
“Ana?”
~ANASTASIA~“If you're here to make fun of me, then I advise you to leave now,” I said and walked back to the couch while he remained frozen.“I know, yes, I was wrong, and yes, I'm in big trouble, but trust me, I know how to solve my problems, okay?” I said as I picked up my bowl and started eating, the person still didn't respond, and I, not wanting to force anything, ignored him and focused on my food."Ana?” he finally said after a long moment.“Just get over with it Trey, what are you going to say now? That you warned me? Well, I'm sorry for being-”“I'm so sorry,” he said, surprising me. I turned to look at him, and he nodded his head and then came to me."Listen, I'm not interested in your pity.”“I'm your brother; if I don't pity you, who will?” He asked as he sat next to me, and then he placed his arm on my back and started running it in a comforting manner, “This bastard hurt you so much. I'm sorry, sis. I really am,” he continuously said, but I didn't respond as I was still
~WILLIAM~ I took a swig of my drink as I impatiently stomped my feet. What the fuck was taking her long to get back at me? “Just a small task, and it's taking hours," I complained as I stood up and walked to the window, my fingers tracing my jaw. I couldn't believe Anastasia's audacity; what made her think she could divorce me? She's the one who begged to marry me; I should be the one to sign the divorce papers first, not her. I punched the wall, but as pain shot up my arm, I grunted in pain. "Fuck!" I cursed as I tried to soothe the pain. I couldn't wait for her any longer, so I walked back to the table and took my phone. I dialed her number, and she picked up the first ring. “Mr Rogers?-” “I always ask myself how I employed such an incompetent human; I say do this, and you take hours to get it done.” “But sir, it's over ten hotels.” “And so? People get that done in less than ten minutes.” “I'm sorry, sir.” “Whatever, how many have you contacted so far?” “Seven s
~WILLIAM~Where will I even begin? Anastasia ruined my life. I had to marry her. My grandfather insisted that if I hadn't, I could have lost the company. I honestly didn't care much about the company, but my baby.I was going to pull out at the last minute when she told me she was pregnant. I was heartless but would never let an innocent baby suffer for something they didn't do. That's why I went ahead and married her.I sat on the table staring at the ring as I recalled the day I gave it to her, so she dared to remove the ring and leave it behind without my permission. Was she perhaps serious about this divorce? But that wouldn't be possible. Anastasia loved me; she endured years. I didn't give her any attention, so what made her do this?I ran a hand in my hair, ignoring Jimena, who was arguing alone. The only thing that snapped me out of my thoughts was the ringtone of my phone. I quickly reached for my phone and picked it up.“Speak!” It was Vanessa, my secretary.“I managed to ca
~WILLIAM~I never believed in prayer or anything like that, but in this moment, I found myself pleading with the big guy up there, asking him to spare my life—at least to give me a month or even a week to fix this. If I died, Anastasia would tell people she was the one who proposed the divorce first, and I didn't want that.I didn't think it would work as we were seconds from collision, but somehow it did. My car suddenly stopped and so did the truck. I was in shock; I didn't understand how it happened. I calmed myself down as my chest was moving up and down, heavily breathing.Many people came running to my car, and some went to the truck. I could tell they were concerned, but I couldn't let them see me otherwise I might trend online again. I was about to start the car when an idea struck my mind. What if this was all I needed? With this, they will forget about the divorce and soon about everything.With that in mind, I rolled down my window and received the people who approached me.
~WILLIAM~ Why didn't I think of that earlier? “Take me to the Lancasters; I need to speak to my wife.” "Alright, sir, as you wish.” “Good, you're a good boy; I should give you a bonus,” I said in my drunken tone and then closed my eyes and rested a bit as I felt tired. I don't know how long it has been, but when I felt the car coming to a halt, I quickly opened my eyes and looked out the window. James didn't waste time, as he quickly came to open the door and then helped me out. I recognized the house, so I shook my head and asked him to take me back. “I asked you to take me to Lancasters.” "I'm sorry, sir, but I couldn't do that.” “Why? I just want to speak to my wife.” “I'm afraid she's not there.” “Agh, useless…” I grumbled, slumping against James as he helped me stumble to the door. My legs barely cooperated, but he held me up, one careful step at a time. “Now what do you want him to do?” I asked as James knocked on the door, “But at least you did well to brin
~WILLIAM~ I still couldn't believe my ears. Anastasia was calling me; she still cared. I knew it was an act earlier. Of course, she was pretending, but why did she have to pretend knowing I would never chase after her? “Listen if you... If you called to apologize, then it-” “I didn't call to apologize, William.” She cut me, “I just wanted to make sure you are alive; I don't want to be a widow.” “W-what?” I intended to raise my voice but failed as my voice came out as a whisper. “It's impossible to sign anything six feet under, right?” “Wait, so you're saying—” “I'm saying I’d rather you sign the divorce than have people call me a widow; see you tomorrow,” she said and then ended the call. Wow, the audacity. I tried to sit up so I could call her back but failed, so after multiple tries, I gave up and tried to understand Anastasia, so she was serious about this divorce thing. I don't know when I fell asleep. The next time I opened my eyes, I realized it was early mo
~WILLIAM~ Mom looked confused like there was nothing wrong with what she did. “I'm confused, William; you always complained to Mom about Anastasia and that nuisance daughter of-” “Don't you dare refer to my daughter as a nuisance, Nicole?” “Why not? I mean, she's the reason you married Anastasia in the first place.” “Her name is Ivy, and stay out of my business,” I warned I've had enough of her. “Alright, I'm not saying anything again.” She raised her hands in the air and walked to the sofa. She picked up the glass of juice and crossed her legs, and after taking a sip, she placed the glass down, picked a magazine, and started paging. I turned to Mom, who was still confused. “I want you to leave, both of you.” “What?!” “I will deal with the divorce myself,” I said, and without turning back, I walked toward the stairs and headed to the bedroom. Yes, I always complained about how unhappy
~WILLIAM~ I cleared my voice as I impatiently waited for my daughter to speak, but she didn't say a word; it was just silence, and I started to wonder what was happening. “Baby? Are you there?” I asked. “Yes, I'm just making sure these media people got it right,” she said, and that's when I heard the tapping of the keyboard keys, so she was busy searching on the internet. I mean, wasn't she too young for that? If I remember correctly, she was four, even though I haven't attended any of her birthdays. I always made sure I bought her an expensive gift so I knew she was four; in fact, she had just turned four a few days ago, and that was the reason why Anastasia and I got into that fight that led her to be locked up. “They say mom asked you for a divorce.” “W-what?” "Yes, and I asked Mom, but she didn't tell me this; that's why I called you.” She said, and I groaned and rubbed my temples as what I'd feared had happen
~ANASTASIA~I couldn't believe Hudson; I mean, how could he even think that? I stood up from the bed as he tried to touch me.“What is going on?” I asked.“What do you mean?” He sounded clueless like what he was trying to do was normal.“This, you—oh my god.” I rubbed my forehead. “You are thinking of sex with everything going on?”“We need to consummate the marriage.”“And you think this is the best time?”“I mean?”“Maddison is carrying your child.”“I will take care of that; nothing to worry about.”“Well, I am worried; my reputation—Lancaster's reputation—is at stake.”“Don't worry; Maddison will be taken care of.” He repeated, and he was sounding annoying at this point; all I could hear was, [She will be taken care of] but how?“Listen, I really don't have a problem with you sleeping with your mistress, but what I'm asking is that you be discreet about it.”“What?”“I mean—”“No, did you just give me, your husband, permission to sleep with another woman?” He sounded shocked.“You
~JIMENA~I was still determined to follow William, my eyes darting between the road ahead and the screen.We were now out of the roadblock; I didn't want William to notice me. He was very smart, but I was smarter; that's why I let three cars overtake me.I was busy canceling calls from Mom, who called me like I had lost my mind. I knew she wouldn't stop calling; that's why I picked up on the fourth ring and told her I was busy.She didn't want to end the call asking me to go back and be calm as usual, but I was not going to sit and play good wife when William was out here chasing his ex-wife, so I ended the call in her ear and pursued William.He seemed to have arrived, and of course, it was at a hotel; I knew it must mean Anastasia was there too.I waited for him to park his car, and after he left the parking lot, I also went ahead and parked. Then getting out of my car, I snatched a black cap from the man I bumped into; he called me crazy as he didn't chase or ask for his cap. I nee
~JIMENA~Dr. Luke confirmed to Mom that Anastasia was not pregnant, but she didn’t believe him. After ending the call, she told me to keep an eye on Anastasia: “Spy on her if you must; you know what it will mean if she’s really pregnant.”“Mom, she’s not; if she was, he would have told you.” I insisted I really didn’t want to entangle myself with Anastasia anymore. “I just want to get married to William and maybe, just maybe, beat Anastasia in the fashion world,” I said, referring to the new jewelry company William just opened up.He didn’t tell me about it, but I lied to Ana that he opened it for me. I had to convince William to let me manage it so I could prove a point to Ana, and while at it I wanted to beat Anastasia’s jewelry company.There are jewelry competitions, and it has been Ana’s company always wins the competitions I wanted to win and take her position. That way she will know I didn’t just take her home but her career too.“You’re a star; of course, you're going to beat
~ANASTASIA~Hudson opened the car door for me, but I didn't move. I was looking at Jimena, who was now threatening them.“William will not spare any of you.” I felt bad as Vivi asked one of them to give her their phone so she could call the police. “No, I wasn't trespassing; I... I came to speak to Anastasia.” Jimena continued.“Anastasia and you are not friends; why would you follow her here?” Vivi wasn't giving in as she was now waiting for the guard to unlock the phone. “The same way Ana sat in that cell is the same way you'll sit there tonight.” Vivi didn't seem like she was going to give in, and I don't know why I was now feeling bad, but the way they tied her up touched my heart.She was on her knees, her wrists and legs tied together.“If you move, I'll kick you, and you'll lose that stupid pregnancy if you're even pregnant.” Vivi threatened.“Let's go; Vivi will deal with her,” Hudson said, but I couldn't just leave a pregnant woman in such a situation. Yes, this was Jimena, b
~ANASTASIA~“Listen…” Jimena said after clearing her throat, “I followed you from the hotel because I want to speak to you.”“Oh, is that the reason you were eavesdropping?”“I wasn't eavesdropping; I just wanted to get some information, at least something I can use against you.” It was crazy how she didn't even try to deny it.“Mhmm, I wish you were always this honest,” I said and then walked past her.“Hey, hold up. I came all the way here to speak to you.”“I have nothing to say to you, Jimena.”“Well, I have something to say.”“Then set an appointment, speak to my assistant, and see if she can squeeze you into my busy schedule.” I said, reaching the car Hudson and I came in, but I realized it was locked and he had the key, “How the fuck did you pass through guards even?” I questioned running my hand through my hair.“You know that's easy; you only need a hundred-dollar note in Seattle to bribe anyone. Now back to why I'm here—”“As I said, schedule an appointment and see when she
~ANASTASIA~I don't know why her cry didn't surprise me; I mean, Jimena always did the same, although for her it was different, as I never touched her, but this one I did, and I would do it again and again if she repeated the nonsense she just called my daughter.She called my daughter fatherless, saying I wanted to steal Hudson from her so he could father my abandoned daughter, like she didn't know a thing about that, and William, even though he never treated Ivy like a daughter, never once questioned if Ivy was his, as he knew she was, so who was she to?It didn't take long for the door to open and for Hudson to barge in with Mrs. Frost and Vivi. I was shocked that Hudson came to me, leaving Maddison, who was on the floor.“Are... are you okay?” He checked me for injuries while Mrs. Frost helped Maddison up, who pretended to be in pain—I say pretended as I slapped her cheeks why the hell was she holding her neck?I didn't respond to Hudson as I massaged my hand, which was in a littl
~ANASTASIA~Somehow seeing her eyes red made me feel a little bad, as I didn't really get her side of the story; what if Hudson was just painting her as the villain when he was actually the villain? I mean, him taking more than ten minutes just to speak to her was proof on its own.I watched as she took steps coming closer to me; she then pointed a finger at me.“Gabby told me about you; actually…” she laughed, “I looked you up.”“Okay, what's your point?”“My point is I know about your failed marriage with William, how you almost stole him from Jimena, but thank God you found her looking, and trust me, I won't let you spend even a month with my man.” Okay, I still couldn't judge, but she was coming off as guilty: “I'm not Jimena; I won't pity you.”“You don't have to. I don't know if you were told, but Hudson and I have been engaged since we were kids.”“Yes, and it was a joke until you became obsessed with it.”“Excuse me?”“He told me, Ana, how you almost ended your life just becau
~ANASTASIA~I calmed myself as they got nearer.“We can still go back.” I heard Hudson suggest it; I hated that he noticed, but still, there was nothing I could do. Before I could respond, Mrs. Frost got to us.She took Hudson in her arms and kissed both his cheeks before she turned to me and did the same, although I was still halfway in the car as my legs were now on the ground.“Come on, there’s something I want to show you.” She said and helped me out; I didn’t get a chance to stand as she dragged me into the house, leaving Hudson and Maddison behind. “This, your husband, was very naughty; I know you know that, but wait until you see the pictures.” She sounded so excited.Inside it’s like she had everything ready as we found the album in the living room; she helped me sit before she started paging through the album, showing me pictures of Hudson. I wasn’t interested but pretended to be, not that I’d seen them already or that I didn’t love Hudson, but because my focus was on Hudson
~ANASTASIA~No, it couldn't be. Trey would never do that to me. I was going to call his name when someone called mine, which made me turn back.“I was told you came here; is everything okay?” It was Hudson.“Yes, I…” I turned back to where Trey and Nicole were but saw that they had disappeared like they were just there a few minutes ago, so how did they?… I rubbed my eyes just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, and it shocked me to see that they weren't there.“Is everything okay?” Hudson sounded concerned; I didn't respond but instead turned and then walked past him back to our room.When I reached inside, I headed straight to the bathroom; locking the door, I stripped out of my clothes and went into the bathtub.Maybe I was losing my mind. I mean, would you blame me? So much was going on that I didn't even know where to focus.I closed my eyes and rested my head on the tub as I just needed to relax, not thinking of anything.I stayed there for an hour if I'm being accurate; unfort