2 - SHE CAME BACK

RYAN BURKE

It was late afternoon, and there were few clouds in the sky. I left the office shortly before 4:00 PM. Morgana would be arriving at "our house" sometime between today and tomorrow; she had been avoiding me for a few months. I hadn't reached out to her during that time, not because I liked her, but because I needed to maintain the farce she and my grandfather had put me in.

I never wanted this damn marriage, but I felt some empathy for her situation when she explained her father's health condition.

I had been deceived from the beginning of all this. So, we came to a consensus; I wouldn't interfere with her life, and she wouldn't interfere with mine. We would remain in this marriage agreement while her father needed medical treatment, and I would maintain my relationship with Elena. The marriage with Morgana had always been nominal. Honestly, I never paid much attention to her; my affections always belonged to the blonde with blue eyes who dominated me.

Since her father passed away a few months ago, I decided to wait for a mourning period before requesting the annulment of the marriage.

I believe by now she had received the email with the documents and terms of the agreement.

I got into my Rolls Royce and drove through Rookgaard until I reached my destination. I had been living there for about a week, making sure everything would be in order when she arrived, as the house would be hers after the divorce.

I parked at the door and hurried inside. I still had to attend a family dinner tonight because nothing in my life could be simple.

As soon as I entered the house, I saw two huge pink suitcases. I knew she had arrived. I walked into the living room and saw her sprawled on the sofa.

The petite woman there was no more than 5’4”, with black hair falling over her wrinkled, neglected clothes, large eyes, and lips red with lipstick as she sighed while napping. I dragged the suitcases upstairs and placed them in the master bedroom. My bedroom.

I went back downstairs, and she was still sleeping. Her peaceful face during sleep gave her a slightly angelic air, except for the red lipstick that made her mouth look attractive.

I watched her for a few moments, intrigued by that feeling. This woman was different from the last time I saw her. I swallowed hard at the sudden urge to kiss her and cleared my throat so she would notice my presence.

Startled, she raised her head and looked at me, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

“When did you get here?” I asked without showing any reaction to her presence.

She stared at me, astonished, and let out a groan as she stretched, aligning her body on the sofa.

“This morning!” she replied, yawning. “Just before lunch.”

She reached out and gave a slight jump as she looked at her phone, probably shocked to see it was already past 5:00 PM and that she had lost almost her entire day napping.

“Damn!” she exclaimed, still looking dazed.

“You should have let me know; the driver could have picked you up,” I said, pouring myself a glass of whiskey and sitting down across from her. “Did you get my email?”

She nodded, keeping a serious expression.

“Just read it, and if you have no objections to the division of assets, sign it, and we'll be separated.”

She looked at me with a blank expression. I wanted to know what she was thinking, but her face was unreadable. She stayed silent for a long time.

I sipped my whiskey and continued staring at her face. This woman seemed nothing like the one I married. She looked more confident.

“I’m sure everything will be fine,” she sighed and looked away. “I’ll sign it tomorrow. Excuse me, I need to organize my things.”

She stood up and walked toward the kitchen. I just watched her every move until my phone rang.

Elena’s name lit up on the screen. I picked up the phone and stepped away to take the call, keeping a look of disinterest as Morgana disappeared into the kitchen.

“Hi, darling. How was your day?” Elena’s soft voice echoed through the phone.

“Normal. Work, as usual,” I replied. “And I’m home now.”

Elena sighed on the other end of the line. I could feel her frustration. Our relationship had always been kept secret, and she longed for more.

“Ryan, we need to talk. Did that woman respond to the email? This isn't working for me anymore. We’ve been in this situation for years, and I’m tired of hiding our love as if it’s something dirty.”

I swallowed hard. I knew this conversation was inevitable, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon, especially on the same day Morgana arrived.

“I know, Elena. I’m aware of the complications, but we have to keep it this way for now. Morgana is here now, and... well, we need to deal with some things.”

The silence on the other end of the line was followed by a resigned sigh. The mention of Morgana as “that woman” left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Actually, I just talked to her, Elena. She’s here and agreed to sign the divorce papers.”

"Really?" Elena replied, sounding surprised on the other end of the line. "No objections at all?"

"Yes, no objections. Don’t worry, I’ll handle this as quickly as possible," I sighed heavily, feeling a bit of resentment growing in my chest. "But that’s not why you called, is it?"

"Oh! No. Actually, I called to remind you not to forget about our dinner tonight."

I had completely forgotten about it. I rubbed my face. The dinner with her conflicted with the dinner at my family’s house.

"Of course, dear, at 9:00 PM?" I asked. "I still need to go to my family’s house tonight."

"Oh... Okay." Her voice sounded less enthusiastic. "I’ll see you later then?"

"I’ll be there at 9:00."

"Okay, I’ll be waiting."

I hung up the phone and went upstairs for a quick shower. The night was going to be long. As the water cascaded over me, I couldn’t help but reflect on the complexity of my life. Two relationships, both based on lies, secrets, and convenience. The decision to finally end the marriage with Morgana relieved part of the burden, but now I faced the challenge of maintaining appearances with Elena.