Asking for Divorce

Olivia's POV

My alarm went off at 5 a.m., waking me early enough to carry out my expected duties. I slipped my feet into my slippers, then ran my fingers through my messy hair and tied it up with a ribbon from my bedside table. I staggered to the bathroom, quickly brushed my teeth, then stared at my reflection in the mirror.

It ends now.

Three years was enough time for me to learn Alexander would never love me the way I loved him. In all that time, my husband and I only shared a room once, the night we wed, and the experience was memorable but not in a good way.

Worse, even beyond having to deal with my loveless husband, my marriage had been the equivalent of signing a contract to become a slave to the Williams family. They barely treated me like a human. Meanwhile, I had done everything I could to serve him and them. At only twenty-six, I deserved something better, and I didn’t want to waste any more time. Still, I couldn’t hold back my tears.

After indulging in a good cry, I said, “Enough, Olivia,” to my reflection. “Today you break free.” I wiped my tears—he wasn’t worth them anyway—and left the bathroom and then my bedroom with determination.

That I had to ensure the house was spotless and breakfast was served before 7 a.m. only fueled that determination. Today would be the last day I’d be the equivalent of their slave. And slave was no exaggeration. Right after we wed, Alexander’s mother had tasked me with cleaning the entire interior of the Williams’ estate by myself while sixteen servants took care of the compound, garden, and their ridiculously opulent fleet of vehicles. I had to do the cooking as well. Crazy, huh? It wasn’t like they couldn’t afford more servants.

Nothing changed for me after Alexander’s father passed either. Alexander took on his father’s role as CEO of Silver International, a multibillion-dollar corporation that, among other things, owned the two most expensive estates and three most expensive hotels in Florida. Alexander’s mother, my slave driver Matilda, didn’t work, either. Instead, she lived a life of lavish leisure off the fortune her husband had made over God only knew how many years. Then there was Alexander’s annoying little sister, Lydia.

She was a successful actress just three years younger than Alexander. She was also utterly gorgeous, with her face plastered across billboards throughout Florida. However, she was also spoiled, conceited, and completely self-absorbed. I was pretty sure most any dictionary would cite Lydia Williams as both the definition and example of the word “annoying.” She also put the “z” in the word “lazy.”

I couldn’t be lazy though. I had no such luxury. So, I quickly found my equipment and began cleaning. It was 6 a.m. by the time I finished. I made my way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the family, then placed everything on the dining room table. From there, I raced upstairs to freshen up and get dressed for breakfast. I barely finished dressing in a white blouse and blue jeans before Matilda screamed my name from the living room. “Olivia!” Her shrill voice pierced my ears, despite that my bedroom door was closed.  

I rolled my eyes, then went downstairs to deal with her.

“Why isn’t the living room clean?” Matilda snapped, tapping her foot impatiently.

“I cleaned it,” I replied calmly, meeting her gaze unperturbed.

“Does this look clean to you?” She pointed to a used cup sitting on the coffee table.

I glanced at the cup, then back at her. “That has undissolved sugar at the bottom. That means it’s Lydia’s. She probably put it there after I finished in here.” Lydia prepared a sugar solution every morning.

A slap landed on my face. My hand flew to my cheek and my eyes widened in shock. I swallowed hard to remain composed and not lash out in anger as rage built within me.

“You need to ensure this place is clean at all times, and this is not clean,” Matilda screeched.

I dropped my hand from my cheek, telling myself not to retaliate. It would the last time she’d have a chance to treat me like this. It was almost over, and I just needed to remain calm. So I simply picked up the cup and headed to the kitchen with it as she threw insults at me.

On the way, I passed the staircase as Alexander descended. His navy-blue T-shirt hugged his well-formed chest. Its short sleeves showed off his biceps. Since college, his physique drove me wild, and it hadn’t changed over the years. But we barely made eye contact as I continued into the kitchen and he made his way into the living room. Moments later, I heard him trying to calm his mother.

Soon, the family sat at the dining table. Well, all but me. I wore an apron as I served everyone. The tip of a brown envelope popped out of my apron’s pocket, reminding me about what I was about to do. Though my heart raced, I remained calm externally. When I reached Alexander, I brought out the brown envelope together with a pen and placed it on his plate.

“What’s this?” he asked with a frown.

“Your freedom… so you can marry your secretary, Maria,” I replied evenly, despite the inner emotional toil it took to say those words. But I was done being treated like I was nothing. Done holding no place in my husband’s heart. Done enduring the insults, the shame, and the ridicule.

Alexander opened the envelope and pulled out the documents. His eyes widened when he saw it was a divorce decree and then widened more when he saw I’d already signed my part. He peered at me. “You want a divorce?” he snapped. “Fine. I’ll give you one. Gladly. I never loved you, anyway.” He quickly signed his name then looked at me and scoffed. “Here’s your divorce.” He shoved the papers at me. “And know that I only married you out of pity… after you begged for my attention. In fact, I did you a favor by marrying you.”

He married me out of pity? I begged for his attention? Was that what he thought? I worked to keep a straight face and hold back my tears.

“Don’t try begging me to take you back, either,” he continued, “because I won’t.”

Speechless, I removed the ring from my finger and placed it on the dining table, then strode out of the room.

“I thought you were going to cling to my brother forever,” Lydia taunted as I left.

“Finally,” Matilda called out. “Get the hell out of our home, you bitch.” She then said, “I hope you made her sign that prenup like I advised.”

“Don’t worry, Mum,” Alexander answered. “She gets nothing from us.”

I went to my room and packed my belongings, then fetched my phone and called my friend, Vera. “Hello, Vera. I did it, and I’m coming to your place,” I said solemnly.

I had taken her advice and asked for a divorce. I wasn’t sure how to feel. Happy? Regretful? I didn’t know. I loved Alexander, but he’d cheated multiple times, with his secretary and others. I’d forgiven him repeatedly and had taken everything he and his family had dished out with the hope that one day he would love me. So why was I questioning my decision? I needed this. Maybe being away from him would make him realize my worth. That was why I took Vera’s advice in the first place.

Once I got off the phone with Vera, I called an Uber to take me to her three-bedroom apartment downtown. One would think someone in the family would say something as I dragged my things downstairs, but none of them even bothered to come out of the dining room. Instead, they continued heartily chatting and laughing like I didn’t even exist. Though it shouldn’t have, that broke me further.

During the lengthy Uber ride, memories of my college days with Alexander flooded my mind, suffocating me. I had confessed my love to him after a girlfriend broke up with him. He had kissed me afterward, and I’d mistakenly thought that was it, that I had found the love of my life.

I even went against my parents, who opposed the marriage. We got married at the courthouse with only his sister and Vera present. Neither my family nor Alexander’s attended. It wasn’t until afterward that I realized that I didn’t get my dream man. Instead, I’d gotten myself a certificate to hell.

Curiously, my mind shifted to Leo Smith, a man who loved me back in college, despite that I had eyes only for Alexander. Maybe he would have been a better choice.

“No!” the Uber driver screamed, snapping me out of my thoughts. A loud bang followed. Then a crunch assaulted my ears and darkness covered me. Faint unintelligible voices echoed far in the distance, but I couldn’t focus to listen. Instead, I slowly drifted off, feeling peaceful.