Chapter 1

The Divorce

“You good for nothing!” Elena poured and in turn, Sylvia felt the hot palms of Elena connecting with her cheeks – a resounding slap that sent her ears ringing.

Sylvia gasped as her hands ran up to hold her cheeks to mellow the impact of the slap. She looked at her mother-in-law with teary eyes.

“How could you be so clueless?” Elena barked, her whole body shacking as a result of her raging anger. “Don’t you know how to do anything right? How dare you tell me you want to quit your job? Do you have any idea how much help that particular one has been to us?” she yelled at Sylvia, with reverberating sound echoing through the hallways.

Sylvia couldn’t help but stare at her mother-in-law as tears began to roll down her succulent cheeks. She just couldn’t bring herself to utter a word. What had she not done? Sylvia worked four stressful jobs weekly and practically provided for the family. Ever since her husband’s company went bankrupt, Sylvia took over the breadwinner of the house, working four jobs; two Mondays to Fridays, and the remaining two during weekends. This had tremendously affected her mental health.

After quitting the fourth one as the doctor instructed, her mother-in-law assumes she’d committed a huge offense.

Sylvia had been married to Jasper Blackwood for four years now and on no account had she had any iota of peace since her assumption of the position as the wife of Mr. Blackwood. He promised her heaven and earth, she ignored her family’s warnings and got married to him, and ever since, she’d been rather a punching bag to him while his family turned her into an object of ridicule, blaming her for the collapse of the family’s company.

She wondered if all this happening to her was heaven’s way of punishing her for ignoring her family’s warnings. And for the fact she still loved Jasper, she was ready to bear all the pains she’d gotten used to for the past four years.

“Forgive me, Mother,” Sylvia apologized, but Elena scoffed and stared at her like she was some piece of trash.

“Sorry can’t solve this, Sylvia. If you know what’s good for you, you better return to that company and withdraw that resignation letter you submitted. How can you be this heartless? You’re the reason we’re in this mess today. The very moment you came into this family, things fell apart. Go back and retrieve that letter now. Do not make me repeat myself.”

“Please, Mother, I can’t afford the trauma of four jobs anymore. I can still support the family with these three jobs. I supposed you need me alive to support the family, right?” Sylvia asked, hoping there was an understanding between them.

“Do I look like I care? If you die now, I’ll gladly sponsor your burial. And will be the happiest person at your funeral!” Her mother-in-law sneered to her utter shock. This was the same woman that almost died in the hospital if Sylvia hadn’t donated her blood to her. How could she be this heartless to her?

“You need to get the hell out of my sight right now! Get lost!” She pushed Sylvia away while moving to wash her hands in the tap in the kitchen as if Sylvia was some kind of dirt.

Sylvia walked to the sitting room to get some painkillers for her aching body, still with the resolve to make the marriage work as long as she still believed that Jasper loved her.

Before she could push open the drawer, her hand was slapped behind her as she quickly turned.

“What do you think you’re doing? Who gave you the right to access this drawer?” Thomas – Jasper’s younger brother asked.

“My body is in pain. I need the pain relief. Please…”

“Does that look like any of my business?” He said with no emotion and Sylvia flinched. “Mum asked us to stop you from touching anything in this house. Your bad luck is beginning to rub off on everybody. Please, leave.” He said mockingly.

That was the same drawer Sylvia bought with her hard-earned money. That was the same boy whose education Sylvia sponsored with her hard-earned money. This time, she was not going to let this one pass.

“There is no way I’ll let you touch this drawer. I don’t care if you bought it with your money. This is our house. Anyways, I have a big game coming up later tonight, and I need some a thousand dollars from you,” Thomas added, clicking his tongue.

“In your dreams!” Sylvia scoffed. “You aren’t getting a dime from me this time.” She turned to leave.

“I know you’d refuse that’s why I already helped myself with your credit card,” he added, beaming with a smile.

Sylvia grudgingly picked up the credit card from the floor. Another card had just been emptied. How was she going to survive such a condition? As she was about to make her way out of the living room, she heard the entrance door open, she turned and saw Jasper entering. She ran towards him with a wide smile to welcome him home; a smile that wasn’t returned. She was used to it already.

“Welcome back, babe,” she reached to take his suitcase from him, but he pushed her away, his face flushed with sadness.”

“Haven’t I warned you not to welcome me, touch me, or any of my things?” He asked with anger in his voice, and Sylvia’s breath cut in her throat.

Sylvia lowered her head apologetically. “I’m sorry.” Jasper entered, walking away. But what Sylvia never expected was the slender figure that followed him in. He took her hand with him and beamed a smile.

A sense of jealousy washed over Sylvia, she wished for such a smile from her husband to her. She took a closer look at the woman and noticed from her dressings and pieces of jewelry that she was from a wealthy family and must be a renowned one in New York and a business associate with the Poshelins. Sylvia wondered what the woman could be up to with her husband. She convinced herself the woman could be here just for business.

Sylvia’s demeanor lit up with smiles as went to join them on the couch. Despite how clung she was seated with Jasper, Sylvia waved it off to avoid awakening her husband’s wrath again.

“Sylvy,” Jasper called with a smile on his face. Sylvia’s heart skipped a bit. She couldn’t remember the last time he called her that name and with such a gentle voice. She quickly returned the smile. “I’d like you to meet Amanda Winston, my girlfriend.”

Sylvia blinked, shifting closer to the edge of her seat.

“Excuse me?” She refused to believe she heard him clear.

“You aren’t deaf, so I know you heard me, but I’ll repeat myself so that it can stick to your empty skull. Amanda Winston is my girlfriend.” He grabbed Amanda’s hand into his and she buried her head into his chest. She stared at Sylvia mockingly.

“Girlfriend?” Sylvia asked with widened eyes in shock. “You must be kidding me!”

“I’m in no mood for kidding, woman. She is beautiful, rich, and elegant, the kind of woman I want. So, I want you to go into your room, pack your things, and get out of my house.”

“What? Oh, goodness!” Sylvia exclaimed with teary eyes. “I’m your wife, Jasper. You can’t do this to me.”

Jasper stood up angrily, brought out a manila file from his suitcase, and slammed it on the center table.

“It is over between us!” he declared. “I’m divorcing you!” Sylvia’s eyebrow widened. Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“Why?!”