05 I signed the damn papers

Alexander’s POV

As the alcohol wore off, reality seeped in.

I find myself staring at the ceiling, the weight of my actions settling heavily on my chest.

What have I done? I say, covering my face with my hands.

My heart is beating inside my chest.

Last night was I and Isabel’s anniversary, and instead of spending the night with her, I’m here with her best friend!

My eyes widened.

Not when I have decided to let go of our marriage. 

There is no point in celebrating an anniversary. I thought to myself, trying to escape the weight of what feels so heavy to accept.

But I shouldn’t have done this.

I turned to look at Cynthia, now sleeping beside me, and I felt a pang of regret.

Did I really do this?

My thoughts were interrupted when Cynthia rolled, placing her hand round my body.

I immediately swung it off, feeling irritated by her touch.

“What’s it Alexander?” She says, her voice shaky.

“You can’t seriously treat me this way, after what happened between us last night.” She ventured out, a flicker of sadness ran across her eyes.

“Nothing happened between us!” I retorted.

“You know what you did Cynthia, you can’t deceive me.” I gave her a glare look.

“I did?” She says, rolling her eyes.

“Not like you didn’t want me. You came to me yourself, because you like me. You wanted me, and yearned for me….

I quickly grabbed her before she could finish her sentence.

“What did you do to me?” I say, squeezing her by the throat.

“I immediately started feeling dizzy, weak and…. Something I just can’t explain. I wasn’t in control of myself, and unable to remember everything from last night. Everything started after I took the vodka you gave me.”

I snarled, unable to hold my breath.

“I can’t….ttt breathe,” She says, holding my hands as she struggles to get my hands off.

I push her back into the bed, letting my hand off her throat.

I’m flustered.

How did I get to this point? 

I hate Isabel for cheating on me, and I’m ready to divorce her.

How can I do the same thing that Isabel did? I say rubbing my hands on my temple.

“You can’t say nothing happened between us Alexander! That’s not possible. Something did happen!” Cynthia says, snapping me back from my thoughts.

“You have to take responsibility for what happened, I’m sure you won’t want Isabel knowing about this?” She says, with a sly smirk.

I glare at Cynthia, feeling disgust. I can’t believe Isabel took her as a friend, best friend at that.

The thought of Isabel knowing about this night, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. The last thing I want is for her to see me like a cheat, even though we will be getting a divorce.

“You’ll leave Isabel out of this.” I say, snapping back at her underlying threat. 

She gives a humorless laugh, sending a cold shiver down my spine.

I see a flicker of something run across her eyes — maybe mischief, I just quite pinpoint.

It’s crazy.

I have to end all of this now, I can’t tell what Cynthia will have planned next. 

Before Isabel and the public get to learn about this, I have to divorce Isabel right away, and put an end to everything.

*********************

I slide into my BMW 7 series, driving home, my heart racing. 

One hand is my divorce with Isabel, on the other hand is Cynthia. 

I can’t stand the sight of Cynthia, and definitely can’t be with Isabel who derives joy in being with another man. 

I grip the steering wheel tighter.

I shouldn’t have bothered finding out more about Isabel’s cheating. 

Now I’m in this situation because I came, hoping to find out more about the man she had slept with, and to know who could have sent those messages to me.

I would have doubted it if anyone told me it was her best friend, if i didn’t get to find out about it myself.

Gosh!.

I take a deep breath.

Soon, I arrived home. 

It has been crazy, my mind filled with regret, anger and betrayal, but none of that mattered now. 

I have to face the reality of it all. 

Walking through the hallway, the familiar scent of home greeted me. 

The air is filled with a subtle scent of fresh flowers, but my heart is heavy with worries, a weight the delicate fragrance can’t lift.

As I walk in, I see Isabel sitting in the living room, her back straight, her eyes fixed on the book in her lap. But she wasn’t reading.

She stares blankly at the pages, but it’s clear her mind is elsewhere. 

Could she be missing her lover? I thought to myself. 

I clenched my fist. 

I can’t believe she looks this way because she’s possibly missing him.

“Isabel,” I called out, clenching my jaw.

She looked up, her expression was hard to read. 

A flicker of something— maybe disappointment, or anger, ran across her face, I just can’t tell. 

Her looks seem different from usual. 

“You’re late, you missed our anniversary last night,” she says, her voice flat. 

I knew now is the time, the time to finally get it done with. 

“What anniversary are you talking about?” I reply, trying to keep my voice steady. 

Handing the divorce papers to her, I say, “I no longer want this marriage, and I’m sure you also don’t want it too. So let’s stop pretending like we’re both happy together and end it all now.”

Her gaze still, not saying a thing. Watching me with those inscrutable eyes. 

She took the divorce papers from me, her fingers brushing mine for a moment.

A spark of something—regret?— passed through me, but it was gone before I could grasp it.

Isabel glanced at the divorce papers, then back at me. “You want me to sign these?” She says.

I nod, “of course, let’s get it done with, once and for all.”

“Alright, I’ll definitely sign them.” She says, picking up a pen from the coffee table and signing her name with a flourish. 

Her look seems confident.

She handed the papers back to me, as she stormed into the room, leaving off a strong force behind.

The room tension is palpable.

The scene keeps replaying in my mind, questions swirling up.

Has Isabel always wanted to divorce all along? 

I’m shocked, she just signed the divorce papers without a flinch.

Maybe I made a mistake giving my heart to Isabel and marrying her against all odds.