Chapter 16: What will be will be

When Karimba Cellon regained consciousness, he found Mr. Markus Cellon and Ms. Mary by his side. Seeing both his parents there at the same time surprised him a little, but he remained unemotional. Ms. Mary was as caring as ever, sitting beside him, using a cloth to wipe his body, her eyes filled with concern. In contrast, Mr. Markus Cellon stood quietly by the window, frequently having to answer the phone due to Janet Cellon's incessant chatter about Karimba Cellon's condition.

A few days later, Alley Houston and Karimba Cellon were discharged from the hospital. From the time they were admitted until they left that antiseptic-smelling place, they never met once. Alley Houston had stopped talking about Karimba Cellon, and she was gradually regaining her spirits. As for Karimba Cellon, he spent the past few days lying on the bed, his mind wandering.

Since that incident, almost a month had passed, and Karimba Cellon hadn't seen Alley Houston. During this time, he had no idea where she went. She didn't cause any trouble for him, nor did she show up at Taylor Kindsley's place. Initially, Karimba Cellon felt like he had shed a burden and didn't care about Alley Houston anymore. However, after just a few days, he started feeling worried, even restless and uneasy.

Karimba Cellon knew that Alley Houston staying at the Houston's house wouldn't be easy. He wondered if they were causing her any trouble during this time. Moreover, Alley Houston seeking him out, trying to hold on to him, had become a familiar occurrence to Karimba Cellon. Perhaps that was why he was now diligently searching for her.

"Mr. Cellon, we've found Ms. Houston." Outside Karimba Cellon's office, a petite figure politely knocked on the door. It was none other than Sam Goodwin, who was assigned to find Alley Houston's whereabouts. Hearing the news of Alley Houston's discovery, Karimba Cellon felt a surge of joy, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Sam Goodwin.

"Really? Where is she?" Karimba Cellon asked eagerly.

Sam Goodwin smiled, her face brightening as if she was about to share the best news of the day with her boss, filling Karimba Cellon with hope. With a smile, she said, "Congratulations, sir. She agreed to the divorce. The court summoned her, and she agreed to the divorce without any disputes."

As Sam Goodwin finished speaking, the smile on Karimba Cellon's face vanished. How could this news be considered good news? Alley Houston agreeing to a divorce meant that she wanted to sever all ties with him, despite him being the one who saved her life!

"Congratulations, my foot! Set up a meeting with her!" Karimba Cellon suddenly snapped, making Sam Goodwin startle and widen her eyes. She hesitated, bowed her head, and mumbled a few affirmative words before rushing out. Karimba Cellon slumped back in his chair, his feet propped up on the table, accidentally knocking a pile of documents to the floor.

"Alley Houston, you're something else! You tried every way to hold onto me, and now you're ending it like this. Do you see me as your plaything?" Karimba Cellon exclaimed in anger, feeling more and more agitated. Fortunately, Sam Goodwin had arranged a meeting with Alley Houston. Therefore, they would meet at the familiar coffee shop they used to visit when they were still a couple.

"You've agreed to the divorce, fulfilling your wish. Is that all it is?" Karimba Cellon couldn't help but ask, hoping that Alley Houston had some other purpose behind her decisive actions.

"Do you think I'm so despicable that I'd resort to any means necessary?" Alley Houston retorted with a bitter smile.

Karimba Cellon shook his head, looking intently at the steaming cup of coffee, feeling as if he had done something wrong.

"Karimba, maybe divorce is the best choice for both of us, especially... when considering the illness you have. I think it's the best if we go our separate ways and never meet again," Alley Houston said after contemplating for a long while. Hearing her mention his difficult illness, he felt hurt and miserable. He knew he had an illness, which was why for over a decade of adulthood, he refrained from being intimate with any woman.

"Fine! We'll get divorced then, and I won't have to endure you anymore," Karimba Cellon sighed, feeling heartbroken as he said it.

"I hope you treat Brenda well. It seems like she cured you or she's the only exception, right?"

As Alley Houston spoke, she smiled gently. She lowered her eyes, looking at the bitter cocoa on the table. Suddenly, Karimba Cellon noticed a deep sense of sorrow and sadness in her eyes that words could not express.

After meeting Alley Houston, Karimba Cellon didn't feel as relaxed and comfortable as he had imagined. He knew that once she agreed to the divorce, the court procedures would be completed swiftly, fulfilling his wish. However, for some reasons, Karimba Cellon felt a profound emptiness. Maybe, from the beginning, he actually didn’t want the divorce… 

Returning to his spacious mansion, now devoid of Alley Houston's presence, he felt a keen absence of her. The place now felt desolate and forlorn, like a pile of ruins.

"Karimba Cellon, didn't you want her to agree to the divorce? Why aren't you happy now?" his inner voice taunted him.

Exhaling a white cloud into the silent night, the cigarette in his hand burned down. Tomorrow, the court would summon both of them to finalize the divorce, but Karimba Cellon suddenly felt like he was not looking forward to that moment.

He suffered from a rare but deeply troubling condition known as Gynophobia - a fear of women. This condition acted as a barrier, preventing him from loving or even getting close to any woman. From a young age, he had been afflicted with this condition, leading him to have no intention of getting married or having children. Yet, unexpectedly, Alley Houston had appeared in his life.

Despite his condition, she had chosen to be with him, to love him. And now, with her agreeing to the divorce, Karimba Cellon felt an indescribable void in his heart. He couldn't help but wonder if this emptiness was a consequence of his Gynophobia, a barrier that separated him from the possibility of true love.

Looking back on their three years together, the number of times Karimba Cellon and Alley Houston had touched each other seemed close to zero, not to mention any other intimate encounters. With Alley Houston, he was distant, and with other women, he was even more aloof. If Sam Goodwin didn't look so much like a man, Karimba Cellon would have never hired her.

However, as Karimba Cellon pondered, he remembered the night Alley Houston attempted suicide on the bridge. He had actually embraced her underwater. Before jumping in to save her, he hadn't thought much, he had just hoped that she would be fine. Yet, once they were in the water, he couldn't act on instinct and instead pushed her away.

Karimba Cellon found it perplexing. Could it be that he felt no fear or revulsion towards Alley Houston? He didn't dare delve deeper into these thoughts and quickly shut his eyes, trying to lull himself to sleep.