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Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 11
Orchard.I woke up to the incessant ringing of my alarm, reminding me it was time for another day of work. Mornings weren’t usually my favorite time of the day, but my thoughts on that, became conflicted since I married Iris. Although, I stubbornly refused to admit it to myself, I loved waking up to see the sunlight caressing her beautiful face. Those faint glows on her luscious lips were enough to keep me going throughout the day. “Morning,” I whispered as I got out of bed, even though she was still sleeping. I took a quick shower and soon fitted into my work clothes. I had them picked out for me already, so I spent a lesser time dressing up. I hadn’t said goodbye to Iris when I was leaving. In fact, I left while she was still snoozing happily, her face buried into her pillow. I made a quick and quiet arc of getting dressed and heading outside, ensuring I barely made a sound until I was in the car and zoomed off to work.As promised, Richard was waiting for me in front of my of
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 12
IrisI woke up to several text messages flooding my phone, completely covering the home screen."What?" I mumbled to myself groggily. I wiped the sleep from my eyes, muttering something incoherent about waking up to too many things and having to look at my phone so early in the morning."Hey, it's Macy. I'm meeting you for lunch today. Here’s the address." Underneath was the name of a rather popular restaurant some distance away from my house. I knew it; it was where Tiffany liked to go and "flex," as she would say, with her friends back when we were in high school.I buried my head back into the pillow, mumbling, "Why me?" I asked myself, until I suddenly remembered I was married to a rich man and that, by virtue of the fundraiser I went to, I had thrown myself into the limelight as a social butterfly."Oh God," I sat up straight. That wasn’t all she had texted. I buried my head back into the pillow and decided it best to take another nap for at least two hours.My eyes suddenly snap
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 13
Iris.The hairs on my skin stood still as her ever irritating voice scarred the walls of my eardrum. I could immediately feel bile rising to my throat, sucking all the air from my throat.My eyes darted to Macy and she stared back, shaking apologetically. Showing that she had no idea Tiffany was coming.So this was a set up? I thought to myself. Wonderful.“Hello, Tiffany,” I turned around to meet her gaze, offering her a wide smile. She, and perhaps everyone else in the room could tell it was fake, but I didn’t care. “Why don’t you join us,” I gestured to a seat at the corner of the room.“No, thank you.” She batted her fake eyelashes, “I’d rather sit beside you.”The reason as to why she was invited remained uncertain, but those days I let her walk over me like I was some carpet at an ancient temple, was long gone.“Of course.” I replied. “Sisters should stick to each other, shouldn’t they?” I turned to the other women, and they each gave their nod of approval. Even the one who wou
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 14
OrchardI need a fucking drink, I thought to myself as I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear the slight fuzziness. For hours now, I had been in what was my equivalent of a situation room.If I had known this was going to be my situation at the office, I would have stayed in bed longer, drowning myself in the scent of Iris and allowing her soft hair sprawl across my face .Instead, I was stuck with these people who kept repeating the same thing over again, while seeking for my approval.After that meeting ended, I attended a couple of others, with the same process, until I attended the one that finally mattered.My lawyer, head of finance, and other important people in the administration of the hotel had been non-stop pouring over files, muttering to themselves regarding a solution to what was not yet a crisis.At least, that was a bright side, I thought to myself. I pulled Richard aside, tapping on the table and gesturing for him to wheel his chair over to me."The financial problems asid
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 15
OrchardI had just finished my last meeting for the day and returned to my office, when I realized I hadn’t spoken to Iris all day, and she hadn’t called me either. Perhaps she had a very busy day as well.I pulled out my phone and called her. At least her voice would serve as some form of respite, an anchor of some sort. She didn’t pick up on the first few rings, causing me to call her again, and then again. It was only then that she finally answered.She didn’t say anything, simply breathing heavily into the phone."Are you okay?" I took the initiative to ask, breaking the tense block of ice that had formed between us through the radio waves.“No,” she said in a clipped tone. “Far from it. I woke up this morning to find a message inviting me to lunch. Silly old me thought it was going to be all peaches and cream, all bubblegum and niceness. Instead, here I am, subject to high-school-level bullying from the popular crowd. And guess who showed up?”I couldn’t help myself; curiosity bu
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IrisI was nervous. So nervous, in fact, that my vision became blurry, and my heart began to thunder in my chest. Was he going to leave me too? Was he going to ask me for a divorce? What was he going to do?He sucked in a breath as though he was about to say something of seismic proportions, disturbing the balance of the galaxy within me. The butterflies in my belly fluttered so much that I barely felt grounded. Ohhh Orchard, why do you do this to me? I asked myself, my eyes widening so much that my eyebrows nearly merged with my hairline."Dinner," he said. "Would you like to join me for dinner with my family?"I blinked once, then twice, then three times, and just like that, my nerves shattered. The tension broke apart like Humpty Dumpty."Oh," I said in a rather anticlimactic fashion, chuckling nervously. "I don’t know why I got so worked up," I mumbled under my breath, turning my face away from him."Tomorrow evening?" he said, a small smile playing across his lips, almost as if
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 17
Iris.“O—Orchard” I gasped as my gaze met his. “What are you doing here?”Orchard stood in the doorway, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was slightly messy and the hairs on his chest sprawled as his chest heaved.I gasped, unable to stop myself from staring. Orchard looked like a god that had decided to grace the human race with his perfectly sculptured body.I felt my face grow warm, realizing I was staring a bit too long, but I couldn’t seem to stop.A small smirk spread across his face as he leaned against the doorway, watching me with a playful look. “You’re the one who told me to come join you, Iris,” he said with a grin and a hint of teasing in it his voice.I opened my mouth to reply but realized I didn’t have a single good excuse. My mind was haywire, and I felt so flustered. My heart was pounding, then I suddenly remembered that I was completely naked. Heat rushed to my cheeks as I quickly crossed my arms over my chest, trying to cover myself up as best as
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 18
IrisThe air was so thick I bet I could slice it with a saw, and it would still be hard. Her eyes bored holes into me with a burning intensity that almost made me squirm, but only just a little bit. I wouldn’t give her that satisfaction."I know they come from you," I said. "The rumors. As in, from you practically, and now I'm certain enough to know that you've spoken to reporters." I caught sight of her eyebrow twitching. She suddenly placed the cup of scotch on the table and stood to her feet, towering over me thanks to the obnoxiously high heels she was wearing."And what proof do you have?" she smiled. "If this was a legal thing, then you’d have proof. Except you don’t. Besides, there’s nothing stopping me from going to a reporter to talk, too."I pulled out my phone at that moment, scrolled through the list of Century News reporters, and found the one I was looking for. Once I clicked on her name and the article linked to her, I turned the phone around and showed it to her."You
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Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 26
OrchardMy hand hung limp in hers. I suddenly felt so cold that I took a step back.“I feel... I don’t know, somehow I’m just jobless,” she nervously chuckled and looked away. “But it’s not your fault. I’m just—I guess—overly critical about things that I shouldn’t be.” She lifted a hand to tuck a stray tendril of dark hair behind her ear. Suddenly, she looked down at her phone.“So, is the dinner with your father still going to happen? I mean, I don’t know. Maybe you should talk to him or something. He didn’t exactly seem too happy after the whole incident. But only if you want to talk about it,” she said. “I’m not trying to insert myself.”“It’s fine,” I said. “I do want to see Dad. I have a few things I want to tell him.”“It’s only if you want to,” I added, reaching for her hand once more. Instead, she took a step forward, walking ahead of me.“Then let’s go get ready,” she said, briefly turning back towards me with a smile. The woman didn’t know what she was doing, I thought to m
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 25
OrchardFlashing lights may cause epileptic seizures, and "all that jazz" could best describe the exact thing I was currently facing. Flashing lights, over and over again from nearly a hundred cameras in front of me in one of the conference rooms of my hotel, nearly blinded me. I shut my eyes briefly, turning my head and finding Iris not so far off to the side. Her eyes were on me, brimming with support of some sort. If only she could come closer, I thought to myself as I shot her a small smile."Remember," I felt a hand on my shoulder and my uncle’s voice in my ear."Offer an apology, tell them...""I know what to say. I'm not a kid, you know." I shrugged his hand off my shoulder and turned once more to the flashing lights. I snapped my fingers in front of the nearest microphone, causing the flashes to momentarily stop."My name is Orchard Hector." I cast my eyes briefly towards the crowd of vigorously typing reporters. "A few things have come to light recently," I said. "A few vid
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 24
Iris….I was left alone in the passenger seat, tapping my fingers against my thigh, counting the seconds as they ticked by. The silence wasn’t terrible, just… dull. I let out a sigh, glancing at my reflection in the side mirror. My face looked tired, and a little boredom stretched across my features.“I’ll just take a quick look around,” I muttered to myself, pushing open the car door. My curiosity was getting the better of me. Besides, staying cooped up in that car wasn’t doing me any favors. I stretched, feeling the stiffness in my muscles ease as I stepped out. The surroundings were simple but lovely—greenery lined the paths, and a few birds chirped here and there, flitting between the trees. It felt peaceful.I wandered along the path, admiring a bed of bright flowers, bending to examine them closely. Nature always had a way of calming me down. The fresh air, the soft rustling of leaves—it was like a gentle lullaby.But soon, I started to feel tired, my legs ached from the walk.
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 23
Orchard…The drive to the restaurant was quiet, a tense silence settling between Iris and me. I kept my eyes on the road, watching the streetlights slide past in a blur of light and shadow. Iris fixed her gaze outside the window, neither of us said a word, but the unspoken tension filled the car, like a storm gathering in the distance.When we arrived at the restaurant, I spotted Dave, Tiffany, and her mother already seated by the large windows, their silhouettes framed by the glow of the chandeliers above. I turned to Iris as I unbuckled my seatbelt. “Will you be okay here on your own for a bit?”“I’ll be fine,” she replied, offering me a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.I gave a nod, reaching out to squeeze her hand briefly before getting out of the car. I knew she could handle herself, but I still felt reluctant to leave her alone in this tense atmosphere. As I made my way inside, I caught sight of my uncle, sitting at the far end of a private room, his eyes immediat
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 23
Orchard…The drive to the restaurant was quiet, a tense silence settling between Iris and me. I kept my eyes on the road, watching the streetlights slide past in a blur of light and shadow. Iris fixed her gaze outside the window, neither of us said a word, but the unspoken tension filled the car, like a storm gathering in the distance.When we arrived at the restaurant, I spotted Dave, Tiffany, and her mother already seated by the large windows, their silhouettes framed by the glow of the chandeliers above. I turned to Iris as I unbuckled my seatbelt. “Will you be okay here on your own for a bit?”“I’ll be fine,” she replied, offering me a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.I gave a nod, reaching out to squeeze her hand briefly before getting out of the car. I knew she could handle herself, but I still felt reluctant to leave her alone in this tense atmosphere. As I made my way inside, I caught sight of my uncle, sitting at the far end of a private room, his eyes immediat
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 22
Iris’ Pov I stood on our room’s balcony, inhaling and exhaling, as I soaked in the evening breeze. Outside, a few stars were visible, twinkling softly. Orchard had excused himself to make a call in his study, and as much as I respected his privacy, I couldn’t help the worry that gnawed at me. He had been tensed since we arrived home, which was a few hours ago. He was silent even at the dinner table, and barely said a word to me when we came back our room. I may not know him too well, but I knew something was troubling him, and it bothered me that he wouldn’t share it with me.I sat in silence, listening to the distant murmur of his footsteps as he headed down the hallway. After a few minutes, I couldn’t resist. I was curious to know what was going on. I got of bed as quietly as I could, I tiptoed down the hall to his study. I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t stand the thought of him bearing a burden alone.When I reached his study, I saw that the door was left slight
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 21
OrchardI rarely ever regretted things in my life. Most of my actions were done with careful deliberation. But for the first time—well, one of the first times, save for dating that girl called Cindy Crawford in high school—I regretted my actions.I regretted not punching Dave hard enough. I regretted not knocking the living daylights out of him until he begged me to stop. Maybe if I had done it well enough, he wouldn’t be so proud as to go and call the damn police on me.My eyes found her parents and then Iris. “Is this true?” Iris’s father said, rising to his feet.I should have hit him harder than that, humbled him, I thought, only within earshot of Iris herself. She, in turn, pinched me slightly on the thigh, sending jolts through my brain—not the kind that would be best discussed on a family-friendly channel, to say the least. Iris stood to her feet.“It was all for good reason,” she said. “He tried to assault me, and my husband was defending me. Last time I checked, none of that
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Iris"Oh God," I mumbled out loud, stopping dead in my tracks, as I took in the sight before me."You good?" Orchard bent to look at me, his worried eyes filling my line of sight. "You’re going to be fine," he said. "Besides, we've got some things now, don't we?" I wanted to say "yeah," but I knew my father. I knew he wouldn't understand things like this, but still, I’d give him the benefit of the doubt. I followed as Orchard led me into Tiffany's office. Tiffany initially began to smirk, but as soon as her eyes landed on Orchard behind me, her smirk fell just as quickly as it had appeared. My father turned with surprise on his face. My stepmother’s reaction was quite comical, too; it was truly a day of comical moments. In their defense, I was surprised as well, I totally hadn’t expected Orchard to show up out of the blue, beat Dave up and request for a family meeting. There had been a crazy turn of events and I still wasn’t sure what the meeting was about."What are you doing here
Let Me Go, Ex Husband! 19
IrisI didn’t care that my dad was standing there, I was more focused on how my words affected Tiffany, and briefly glancing at her, I found her face completely pink.Oh, it was a perfect sight, I thought to myself: Tiffany’s face, utterly embarrassed. Even if I was practically calling a bluff, it was a good bluff nonetheless.By the time I was leaving the building, I simply couldn't help the giddy smile on my face, even to the point where the receptionist I'd encountered before cocked her head at me. It felt good to be on the winning side at least once in a while, I thought as I pushed the door open.Just as I was stepping out onto the street to find my chivalrous driver, I thought to myself that I couldn’t have a worse fate than the one I had now—right as a red Ferrari pulled up in front of the building, and none other than my ex slid out of the door as if he were the main character of some romantic comedy.Surely he knew exactly what he was doing, I thought, rolling my eyes at the
