Chapter 3 - The Aftermath

'Can I yell to the world about how much of an idiot I am? Paige thought as she rushed out of Cedric's house in utter humiliation and embarrassment. 

Nothing made sense to her at the moment, the realization of a truth she has been ignoring finally sinking its claws into her heart, making her realize there was no escape from the truth, she still had feelings for Cedric! She was still so in love with him, it was as if her feelings never changed and were just overlooked or ignored. 

She was revolted…

Paige has had a huge crush on Cedric right from high school, from the first moment Paige set her eyes on Cedric, she knew she was going to love him for a very long time, if not forever. 

She had wanted him right from the first moment she had set eyes on him. Paige wasn't such a forward person in high school, but she wasn't a totally confident person who oozed pride and confidence too even though she deserved to be confident and prideful like her high school friends had littered it repeatedly to her, and she just dismissed them off. 

But Paige always wished she was confident and prideful, then she would have had the courage to walk up to Cedric and confess how she felt to him.  It would have been easy to talk to Cedric if not for him being always accompanied by Marlynn who always wore a stoic expression anytime someone attempted to converse with Cedric.

But even with all of that impossibility, Paige still held onto her resolve to approach him, and maybe she would have had the chance to approach and tell him her feelings if not for the horrible experience she had.

One night while returning home from late-night lessons, she had been cornered and almost gotten raped by a man, that experience had left her sickened and hateful towards men, and she started to hate men, the thought of men, she hated being even in a close perimeter with a man, because of that, she lost the courage and the resolve she had to approach Cedric even though she was still in love with him.

Three years ago, luck seemed to shine on her, it was destiny and it was everything Paige desired, it made her so happy. 

Since she wasn't able to win his love during high school, maybe now, she will have the chance to love him, show him love, and will win his love too.

So when asked to get into an arranged marriage with none other than Cedric, Paige didn't hesitate to say yes. Marriage with Cedric was going to be the best thing that has happened in her life, or so she had thought.

But it also made her nervous and confused, "If I'm getting into an arranged marriage with Cedric, what about Marlynn?" she often asked herself this question but she also didn't have the time to process it. 

On their wedding night, Paige was nervous, she still held her resentment toward men but she loved Cedric and was willing to give him all and pleasure, but then, Cedric had sauntered into the room they were spending their wedding night in a drunk state, to and had domineered himself on her, he had taken her virginity forcefully and that had left her in a depressed state but she had dismissed his actions and still held on to the notion that as time passes in the marriage, she will be able to make him love her completely. 

They were going to be happy couples later.

But three months after their marriage, Cedric suddenly traveled out of the country without informing her, she felt so used, heartbroken, and confused. How could he travel out of the country without even a word or even a text message for her?

Paige was in utter despair, and it didn't help that Cedric's mother doesn't like her, when she asked her about Cedric, she simply mocked her along with Marlynn the woman she had loved and wanted for her son. 

Paige was left with nothing.

Six months ago, he returned home and the first thing he asked her for, was for her to sign divorce papers. To say Paige was shocked was an understatement, three years of waiting for him to return home only for him to come back and ask her to sign a divorce paper, so what about her? 

She has put her life on hold waiting for him to return, all that was just a waste. 

Cedric didn't love her or even give a shit about her, that was a bitter pill she had to swallow. She should have known, she had been so stupid to have hopes, Cedric loved someone else, she was just a means for him to fix his company, which had been the foundation of their marriage, Cedric only agreed to marry her so he could have the freedom to run his company. 

He loved Marlynn. 

How stupid of her to have thought otherwise, how stupid of her to still be in love with him after everything, she thought as she stood in front of her full-length mirror watching the reflection of herself, she noticed all the marks that Cedric left on her body, it made her feel weird in a good way even though she did not want to. 

She prayed not to find herself in a position like that again, right now, she will just wash off, sleep, and will wake up a new person and all of this will pass. 

And that was exactly what she did.

The next morning found Paige at the hospital where her mother was hospitalized, after discussing with the doctor and making payment for the surgery, she discovered that she still had to find a job soon, and the subsequent treatment that will follow up the surgery was expensive and she needed to be financially prepared for it. 

She needed a job.

She started to apply for jobs and went on interviews, and she was unsuccessful, after one particular interview as she was exiting the building, she was intercepted by Cedric's men.

They asked her to come with them, Cedric had asked for her,

"What the hell does he want?" She complained, already stressed from the countless failures she has experienced during interviews. 

But the men just watched her without a reply. She knew they only answered to Cedric and they also won't leave her alone. She had no choice but to follow them and hear what Cedric had to say this time around.