3: Cry A River

"So you already found out?" Axel spoke calmly as he left the bed and picked up his clothes.

Sherry went back to her bed and donned her clothes. She looked at him. "You are cheating on me! Since when? Answer me!" She yelled, her body trembling in anger.

Axel sighed. He is now faced with the full wrath of his wife. "Meghan is my girlfriend, the love of my life. I have to give her up because they want me to marry you. This is what I get for being a good son," he said calmly. His tone was filled with anguish, sadness, and regret.

Sherry swallowed the lump in her throat. The pain she saw in her husband's eyes mirrored the pain that she felt the moment she discovered his infidelity.

"But you are already married to me. You are a married man! You can no longer continue your relationship with her!" she said exasperatedly, continuing to throw valid arguments at him.

Axel shook his head sadly. "I know. But until now, she's still the one I love. Until now, my heart still beats for her and I can't forget her. She is the woman I truly love," he said in a dispirited tone.

Sherry felt the pain instantly the moment her husband admitted to her face that he still loved his 'ex' dearly. "But how about me? I'm your wife. You feel nothing for me?" she asked as tears swarmed her eyes. She was afraid of what his answer would be to the question that she had been hiding in her heart since they got married.

Axel stared at her face. "I do have feelings for you but not as strong as the ones I feel for Meghan. She is the woman I want to marry," he said solemnly. "I'm sorry, hon, we can no longer continue living as husband and wife because there is no love between us. We need to divorce ASAP!" he said with urgency in his tone.

"Noooooooo! That's not true. I love you! We can make our marriage work if we only try harder. Let's try again, please..." she begged.

Axel shook his head. "I'm sorry, we can no longer continue this facade. It's over between us. I will get the divorce papers from my lawyer tomorrow. You have to sign it and after that, you are free to do anything you want with your life. I wish you happiness and success in everything that you do," he said in a tired voice.

She glared at him. "Are you crazy? I won't sign the divorce paper, even if you kill me! You will be my husband for life. No one and nothing can separate us!" She shouted vehemently, her voice echoing around the room.

Axel sighed heavily. "Why do you have to continue being married to me when you know that I love someone? Why?"

"You asked me? Didn't you hear what I told you earlier? I love you! I want our marriage to work! Can't you give us another chance, please?" She begged between tears.

Axel ignored his wife's pitiful pleading and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going? I'm not done talking to you! Come back here!" Sherry ordered in a shrill voice.

"I'm going to sleep in the guest room from now on," Axel responded without looking at her. He opened the door and exited the room, leaving behind his distraught-looking wife. Being with her inside the room suffocates him.

He feels guilty for hurting his good wife; she is perfect in so many ways but he can no longer hide the truth from her. His first love came back into his life three months ago and he will never let her go again.

If the arranged marriage with Sherry hadn't happened, he and Meghan would have been the one living in this house as legally wedded husband and wife.

Back in the master's bedroom.

Sherry can't believe that he just left her like that.

He really doesn't care about her feelings at all. To him, she was like a rag doll that could be thrown anytime he likes.

This is unfair! She is his wife!

Enraged, she began pacing back and forth in the middle of the floor. She can't be discarded like this, as if she doesn't matter to him at all.

She is suffering badly right now and her cold husband left her just like that after inflicting so much pain on her already dying heart.

He is so cruel!

How did she even fall in love with him?

She lowered herself onto the bed as she clutched her chest. She had difficulty breathing as rage and pain merged in her consciousness. It created a blanket of misery, covering her entire world with darkness.

She lay down on the bed and breathed slowly, trying to calm her chaotic nerves.

She needs to be in a sane state of mind now that her husband is going to divorce her. She has to find a way to stop the divorce!

'I don't want to leave Axel's side. I'm his wife! I have all the rights to stay here!' she told herself.

After a few minutes of thorough analysis of her situation, she finally calmed down.

She doesn't want to get separated from her husband, but her husband is determined to throw her out of his life.

What is the best thing to do with his situation right now?

She rose to her feet and left the room, heading to the guest room. She didn't even bother knocking on the door. She entered the room and saw her husband lying on the bed, facing the wall.

Sensing his wife's presence in the room, Axel looked at her and said, "Why are you here?"

Sherry hides her contempt. "Go back to our room, please? We are not formally divorced yet. You are still my husband and I'm your wife," she said calmly.

"I will stay here for the night. Go back to our room, go to sleep, and don't disturb me again!" Axel said, his eyes flashing in irritation.

Sherry ignored his command; instead of leaving the room, she joined him on the bed. "I will sleep here as well. I'm your wife," she said casually, lying on the bed comfortably beside him.

Axel took a deep breath. "Just agree to the divorce, okay? Let's not torture ourselves any longer," he said, looking at her indifferently.

"Don't rush me into giving you a divorce. Why are you so cruel to me? You don't have an ounce of pity for me? I've been a good wife to you. I tried to please you in any way I can. You have no idea that you just killed me tonight," she said, whimpering in pain.

Axel groaned in dismay. This time his wife's pitiful sobbing pierced his heart. "What do you want? Lots of money?"

"I don't want money!" Sherry shook her head. "Why do you have to divorce me in a hurry? Did that woman force you to leave me?"

"I want to marry her because she was already carrying my child. Meghan is pregnant and I want to marry her and make our relationship legal," Axel explained.

Oh, noooooooo!

Fresh tears sprang from her eyes.

She gasped in pain as another wave of pain killed all her hope instantly. The tiny dream of achieving a happy marriage life with her husband evaporated into thin air. The love that she was nurturing in her heart was shattered after learning that his mistress was already pregnant.

The devastating news hit her hard. She burst into tears and cried inconsolably in bed.

Axel felt frustrated and at a loss for what to do with his wife's hysterical outburst. Should he comfort her or let her cry a river? He cleared his throat. "Why are you still here? Go back to your room! You're so damn annoying!"

Sherry continued crying, ignoring her husband's cruel remarks about her condition. Her loud sobbing filled the room.

Alex stood up and looked at his pathetic wife with contempt in his eyes. "You are a crying baby! Grow up!" he yelled at her.

She raised her head and looked at him with tear-stricken eyes. "What do you expect me to do? Laugh and smile because you cheated on me. Is that what you want me to do? I'm crying because you hurt me! You cheated on me! I don't deserve this pain. You are killing me inside!" she said between tears.

Axel closed his eyes, trying to block his wife's pitiful crying from tugging at his heartstring.

"You cheated on me!" she said over and over again, swimming in the pool of her own misery.

"Hon, please leave the room now. I want to sleep," Axel said in a much softer tone.

"No! I won't leave this room if you don't return to our room. I will sleep here with you," she said with firm persistence.

Axel sighed, shaking his head in annoyance. "You are such a stubborn woman!" He walked to the door and left the room, heading back to the master's bedroom.

Sherry followed her husband, smiling a little.

Once inside their room, they settled on their respective beds.

Axel looked at his wife and asked, "You are ready to sign the divorce paper tomorrow?"

Sherry shook her head. "No. I will never be ready. I will always be your wife, no matter what. Let's see after one year..." Her voice trailed off.

Axel looked at her with a raised brow. "What are you talking about?" he asked in puzzlement. He looked at her as realization dawned on him. A heavy feeling sank into the pit of his stomach. "You will sign the divorce paper after one year? Is that what you mean?"

Sherry nodded her head. "Yes. I'm still hoping that after one year you will change your mind. I will only sign the divorce paper after one year," she said with finality in her voice. Her eyes glowed brightly as plans began forming in her mind.

She closed her eyes, ready to sleep for the night.

She fell asleep one hour later, still nursing a broken heart.