BEATRICE:
“Sign the divorce papers like what we agreed,” Drake, my husband, ordered, shoving the divorce papers in my hand. We were supposed to be watching a romantic movie in the living room like what he said, but his mood suddenly changed. Was it because of the movie? He asked me to come here because of the divorce. “B-Babe…” was all I could while my lips trembled. I was already expecting this day. A couple of years ago, he also wanted to divorce me. We came to an agreement to give ourselves another time. And now… But why did it still hurt? "I tried to wait for you, Beatrice, but I don't have all the time in the world. I'm a busy man. I'm not getting any younger." “You think I am not?” Tears simmered in my eyes as I continued to stare at the divorce papers. What would my family think after this? Mom will hate me. They will disown me. It was never tolerated in the family to have any divorce. And if this will push through, I will be the first Watson in the family. My relatives will laugh at me. I will not inherit anything at all. No. Scratch all of that. I did not care about any of that. As long as I got to keep my husband. Drake did not know my feelings, but I loved him. So much so that seeing the divorce paper in my hand felt like I was being stabbed a million times. What did I do wrong? What did I not know? "We did go to the doctor, Babe. I'm already taking my vitamins. I'm watching my food intake. All we have to do is to be patient." "Fuck," he cussed, then stood back and forth. "Don't you dare cry? You're always a crybaby, Beatrice. Why do you always make me feel as if I am the evil one here? If there is someone who is evil, it is your family who pushed you to marry me. Your family knows our family. Your Mom knows I impregnated someone in the past, yet she still pushed this marriage even if I don't love you at all." It was an arranged marriage at first. No. Mom was arranged to marry Dad. Everette, my younger brother, was also arranged to marry Christina. The same goes with me. Three years have passed. I thought we would be like Mom and Dad who were able to withstand all the difficulties of married life. But maybe I was only expecting that. Maybe I was the only one who was hopeful about it. In the first place, my husband had no affection for me at all. He was only using our money to their advantage. I wiped the tears from my eyes. No matter how much I stopped myself from being a crybaby, it won't stop at all. "Babe. Please give me a month, okay? I will get pregnant after this. Be patient with me." He gritted his teeth. "You need to accept that the problem is not me. It's on you, Beatrice." "I know. I know. That's why I always have my check up right? You're not the only one who wanted a child, Babe. I do, too. I want to see my son who looks like you. Please. Please. Just a little longer?" I sauntered towards him and grabbed the hemline of his suit. But as fast as he could, he slapped my hands away, as if he did not like it. "You've been saying that for how many years, already." "Babe. Please. Not all women find it easy to conceive." We’ve been trying for three years but failed every time. How come it was easy for others to conceive while difficult for me? He shook his head and stepped back away. "You won't sign the divorce paper?" I shook my head. "I won't. I will never let you go. I love you, Babe. You might not love me, but soon, you will. We are meant to be together. I will give you a child this month. I promise." He scoffed. "You really won't sign the divorce papers? You're forcing me to do this." He pulled out something from his pockets, grabbed my hands, and put something. Pictures? Scanning each of them, my strength left me seeing my sleeping form beside a man whom I didn't even know and remember. When did it happen? Next, there was a picture of me leaning heavily on that man, my buttons unbuttoned while he kissed me on my forehead. My heart hammered against my ribcage. How did this happen? I did not have any memories of this one. Who was this man? My hands trembled as I continued scanning the pictures, all of them showing that I was not faithful to our marriage. “W-Where did you get these?” Drake looked at me with disgust. “Seeing your face makes me sick, Beatrice. Despite not loving you, I am faithful in this marriage! I never take another woman except you! But how could you do this to me? How could you maintain two men at the same time? Is this what your family is capable of doing? Is this how your Mom raised you? To cheat on our marriage? I was about to let go of asking for a child from you. I told myself that it would be okay. You’re good to me, anyway. But cheating? Really, Beatrice? My dick is not enough for you?” he growled. Something snapped at me when I heard my Mom’s name. “D-Don’t drag Mom’s name into this,” I exclaimed while gathering my courage. “I never knew the man. I did not know how I was taken a picture with him and where the fuck did, we go and what happened next.” Drake laughed. “What a load of crap. You want me to believe that you have a twin who looks like you? You don’t have a twin, Beatrice. Your siblings don’t look like you. The woman in that picture is you seeing the birthmark on your chest.” “Who gave you this? Did you do this so that I would sign the divorce papers?” His face turned dark. “How could I bring shame to this family? You are bringing the Hamilton name now. I would never taint our name just because I wanted to divorce you. I received a package this morning. And when I opened it, imagine my surprise to see your pictures all in an uncompromising situation.” My legs wobbled and I fell on the chair. Who was the bastard who would do this to me? It was definitely not my family. They did not tolerate divorce. The only one whom I could think of was Drake or someone who wanted to have him. Perhaps there was also someone who wanted to separate us. But who? "What will you do with these?" "I will show them to your family why they need to accept the divorce." My tears started coming up again. "Don't you have any feelings for me? Aren't you mad because your wife cheated on you? Are you only mad because seeing the pictures hurt your ego?" "Do I look like I have feelings for you?" he asked coldly. "If I have feelings for you, I will not initiate this divorce." I heaved a long sigh and wiped the tears from my eyes. "There is nothing I can do to change your mind." "I finalized my decision when I saw the pictures. I refused to stay in a relationship where my mind would not be at ease if my wife was being loyal to me or not." I stared at the ceiling. Can I just die, because that's the thing I wanted to do right now? How could I face my family after this? Everything was unfair. "You did not even ask if the pictures you see are edited or not." "Don't you remember, Beatrice? Two weeks ago, you asked permission to go out with Christina, your brother's wife. You two went to a club." "I went there because I wanted to forget my problems, temporarily." I got drunk. I remember Christina informed me that she would go to the bathroom. She left me on the table as I waited for her. Then someone sat beside me. We talked, and I did not remember anything anymore. Who was that bastard? What was his intention? When I woke up, I was already in a hotel alone. I did not believe it was Christina’s plan despite having a riff between her when we went on a cruise ship. I was set up. That was the only thing that I could think of right now. But who? "You went there and went home for lunch. Don't you deny it, Woman. I checked our CCTV footage." I balled my palm into a fist. "No matter what I say, it won't change your mind." "Yeah. It won't. Sign the divorce paper." "If I don't?" "Your family will know what kind of woman you are." A threat. Coming from someone who vowed never to hurt me in front of the altar. “I will send these pictures to all your family.”BEATRICE:I laughed bitterly while wiping my stupid tears. "And now you're blackmailing me? Suppose that those pictures are true, you won't even give me a chance? You just grab this opportunity to be out of the marriage.""You are right. I don't want to sleep with a woman who’s not even clean."His words felt like a dagger plunged into my chest. As much as I could remember, he was the only man who touched me. I never knew my husband could be this cruel. After everything that I sacrificed for him? He would just leave me like this? When we got married, I forgot about myself. I stopped working in our family's company just to serve him as suggested by Mom. She said that Drake wanted a baby as fast as I could because of his past in which he wasn't able to hold his baby when his girlfriend gave birth.How could I cling to this marriage if he no longer trusts me? “Fine. Do you want this? I will give in. I hope you will not regret this later on.”He laughed evilly. “Good. Don't make this e
BEATRICE:It was our family dinner which happened once a month. It was also a month since Drake stepped out of the house, bringing the papers with him. I already received a copy of the divorce paper. With my ex-husband out of my life, I no longer bothered to find the man in the picture.The best thing to do would be to move on.Grandfather who would usually host the dinner was absent and said he wanted to rest instead. Yeah. He should. He was already seventy years old, and his body ached all over.Lyndon, the third child among the children of seven who was next to Everette, was watching us through an online app since he was living abroad and was also working there as an engineer. He was eating too in his pad. Mom had been nagging him to return but he had a lot of excuses saying he could not leave his firm. For all I knew, he was enjoying his single life without Mom dictating him. He also did not want to be arranged to marry someone whom he did not know like what Everette and I experie
BEATRICE:My family’s surprised expression was making me dizzy. My vision spun for a moment, and I had to close my eyes for a bit. Maybe this was the result of having a divorce. I wondered was these the same feelings that the others had experienced when they broke the announcement to their family.“Open your eyes, woman, and tell us what you said again,” Mom demanded.I opened my eyes and I felt suddenly sick.“Mom, let's take it easy first. I think Big Sister is not feeling well,” Lyndon said. “A-Are you okay, Bea?” Angelica asked. “You look pale.”“Bea, don’t act like this after you dropped the bomb, who said you’re allowed to divorce your husband? All of you are aware of what will happen to you!” Mom explained. “You will lose your inheritance! We will disown you!? All of us. You're the eldest. You should set an example for your siblings. But what are you doing? You were the first one to divorce!”“Mom! Let’s not get to that, shall we? No one will disown Big Sister,” Lyndon said. “
BEATRICE:Five years later…“Who is Mommy’s favorite?” I asked Grayson, my five-year-old son and I was about to go home after dining in a nearby restaurant. After knowing I was pregnant, in the long run, I was forced to sell my ex-husband’s house and move into a smaller apartment. For my siblings not to be dragged into my problems, I cut my contact with them. I could not afford that they would also lose everything because they sided with me. Grayson raised his hand. “Me! Me!” he said excitedly while bouncing up and down. “Who is Grayson’s favorite?” he asked in return. I acted as if I was thinking. "Hmm. I wonder who Grayson's favorite is.""It's you, Mommy! You're my favorite of all. I love you so much, Mommy! You're the best thing in the world."My heart fell at his sweetness. "I love you, too, Grayson. Did you have a good time with Mommy, today?"We just came from his school and after seeing the restraint, he dragged me inside while saying he was hungry. Grayson was my male vers
BEATRICE:I wondered what my ex-husband would say after I told him the truth that this child he was facing was his own son. Would he ask for my forgiveness? Would he grovel in front of me? Would he regret divorcing me?Would he identify Grayson as his son? You have to remember that the only thing Grayson had inherited from his dad was the color of his hair. Nothing else. The man whom he believed I cheated with was dark color. Don’t you wait for his forgiveness. Why would he do that? Drake was one proud man. Remember how he heartlessly told you that you cheated on your marriage? Who knows? Maybe he would say that the child's father was the man in the hotel. Drake was capable of doing such things. Saying I cheated on him over some pictures? Damn him to hell!If he would stop, he would feel that the child was his and the best evidence for that was a DNA test. The question was, would I allow him to have a DNA test? I did not think so. My love for my ex-husband had dissipated, and the onl
BEATRICE:What the…What was his deal? Why did Drake say I was still his wife?"We are no longer married, Grayson," I corrected before my son could get any ideas. He was smart for his age and I knew he would be able to catch up with what was happening. Or what it meant. Drake stepped forward, lifting his hand, but stopped in the middle, as if he was reminded that he had no right to touch us. "Beatrice...is there something you want to tell me?" he asked. Do you want to confirm that Grayson was your son?"What would I tell you?" I inquired. “Do you want me to tell you that I've been living great for the whole five years? Yes, I did. I was fine during those years. I was happy and met a lot of people who never left me.”There was something that crossed in his eyes before it disappeared. "Other than that? The truth?"He wanted to know if Grayson was his? Then, he had to think about it a million times until he would get mad. "Mommy?" Grayson called, getting my attention. Looking down,
BEATRICE:My strength left me upon hearing Christina's statement. My ex-husband's was starting to ask questions, not believing that the child was his. And it would take a matter of time before he would be able to find out the truth. Given all the money he had accumulated all through the years, searching the truth was an easy feat for him. How could I fight him off?You could not. Given how your Mom had disowned you, you're practically poor right now and Drake could use that opportunity to use against you, Beatrice.I bit my fingernails. What should I do? Now that what my ex-husband was capable of doing fully sunk inside my mind, I did not know what to do anymore. "Hey, Beatrice. Are you still there?"I let out a shivery sigh. "Y-Yes. I am still here.""Good because I thought you already had fallen asleep.""W-What did you tell him?""That I did not know anything because I am not your ex-husband? It was his obligation to know something about it. Like, duh. After everything he will cla
BEATRICE:I was about to slam the door in front of my ex-husband, but Drake was able to stop me by blocking the door. Ugh. He was too strong. No matter how much I used all my strength, he would not budge at all. “What are you doing?”"Aren't I the one who should be asking that? Are you running away from me?" he asked. "Are you guilty?"Anger shook my whole system. The audacity!He had the guts to taunt me and what?“Let go before I will kick your balls until you would never be able to use your dick,” I threatened. With hesitation, he let go of the door. “Beatrice. Can we talk?”"I don't entertain visitors, Drake,” I growled. “So the best thing you should do is to turn back to where you’ve been and go back. Forget that you located me.”No matter what I do, he would always locate me, right? "Where is Grayson?" he asked and peered at the inside. Before he could fully see what was the interior of the apartment, I stepped outside and slammed the door shut. "Why are you looking for my
BEATRICE:Something about the board losing their trust on you? I wanted to ask, but no words would come out of my mouth.Why was it so difficult to ask him?“Hey. Are you okay?”Are you okay? Why can’t you tell me the truth? Why do you suffer in silence, Drake? Don’t you believe that I could help you, too? We are all in this together, right? Why don’t you let me join your suffering? I want to help you with it. So please…at least let me join you.“I am. How about you?”He chuckled. “I am fine. How about you?”“You’re acting weird, Beatrice. But to answer your question. Yes. I am fine. I am always fine whenever you are with me. I forgot all my problems because there is you, doll.”“Tell me how much the company meant to you.”“It’s my life,” he answered. “I worked hard for it. That was the result of working too much because of our absence, doll. I promised myself that I would make it successful so that when you returned, I could offer it to you.”"You did well, babe. I am so proud of you
BEATRICE:Seeing my reaction, Mom clicked her tongue together. "Based on your reaction, I assume that your ex-husband did not say anything to you about it.""He...He did not, Mom.""The board of directors agreed that if he did not do something to save the company, they will pull off the remaining of these stocks and what do you think will happen?""Worse case scenario, the company will continue to have losses and would eventually file for bankruptcy.""What about his people? Do you think he is fine with that? He will blame himself for what happened and he's the only one who knows what will happen."I clenched my fist. "Why are you telling me these things, Mom?" She shrugged off her shoulders. "I was surprised that you were able to have a child.""When Drake divorced me, I didn't know that I was already carrying a child during that time.""I won't question that child. He took a lot after you which is fine with me.""What do you want, Mom?""You? What can you do to save your ex-husband
BEATRICE:Mom and Dad. I wanted to rush to their side and hugged them until they found it difficult to breathe, hoping that a tight embrace would fulfill the countless years of not seeing each other. Back then, I was still debating on whether I would see them face to face, but now... I was glad that Drake had pushed me to meet them. My heart felt like it weighed a ton. Dad's eyes simmered with tears, while Mom... I did not know what she was thinking. She wore a poker face. Mom was always like that. Unreadable. My other siblings called her Ice Queen Mother, for showing rare affection towards us. I always scolded them for calling Mom that, but they would only say that it was Mom's fault for being smart like that.I was the one who fulfilled the emotions my siblings craved. I thought it was enough, but it was not. Despite Mom's personality, they still wanted to feel her affection. "Mommy. Who are they?""Your grandparents," I whispered.They finally reached our table."Beatrice,"
BEATRICE:Guilt washed over my chest, knowing the tragedy that fell on Zereka's life. Poor child. I should have known that she had suffered. If I did, I should have been patient with her."Oh, my goodness, Drake. Are you telling the truth?""I'm the only one who knows about it, and I hope you will not tell a single soul, doll. She will kill me for sure. The tough exterior was only a facade, because she did not want others to treat her weakly. Deep inside, she was still thirteen years old I saw crying for her Mom's name. Please be patient with her, doll. I know it's unfair to you...""It's fine." Now that I know that child's background, how could I be a bitch? "I called her a bitch. She might be hating me for that.""You also cannot be blamed.""I want to meet Zereka again and who knows? Maybe we will be friends in the end. How about children? Does she want children? Do you think she will like Grayson?""I saw her staking your social media account and stare at Grayson. So, maybe she li
BEATRICE:“I told him I was going,” I explained. "He invited me at first, saying he will have a better chance than him being alone.""Oh, great. Does Everette know about that?"I shook my head. "He did not know anything. If you tell him right now, that's the only time he will know about the plan.""There's only a slim chance that they will invest in his company and do you know the percentage? Only one percent, Beatrice. After what he did to you, for divorcing you, do you think they will forgive you easily? You two became the talk among your relatives. They keep on asking questions about you and your ex-husband. However, when your Mom snarled and scolded them, they became silent. However, the rumors of your separation did not stop, angering Clara even more. Everette and I were witnesses to that. When you disappear from the family, the rumors become even worse.""More than five years had passed, Maybe she had forgiven what happened?" I hoped she did. And if she did not? I no longer
BEATRICE:“Beatrice? Are you still there?”What a bastard.He knows that Christina had her miscarriage, yet he called her?“Yes, I am here. What is it again?”“Is there no chance that the two will reconcile?”Exhaling, I inquired, “Did you call because he asked you?”“I was about to call you even if he did not call. But he got the right timing. He called me first before I was able to call you.”“Christina, the next time he calls you, don’t answer it.”“Why?" she asked, her voice full of curiosity. "Did something happen between you two that I was not aware of?"I bit the inside of my cheeks, debating if I should tell her or not.She's still not fully recovered, Beatrice. what if she will be sent to the hospital again, because of stress?There was a point, there. "N-No. Nothing happened.""So why are you evading him as if he is bringing the plague?""I-It's because of Drake. I have decided that I will give him a chance."I heard her mutter a few curses in the background. With a faint v
BEATRICE:Relax. Don’t fret. Control yourself, Beatrice. You will not lose your control because of that woman.“Did you hear me? She pulled my hair!”“Why would Beatrice do that, Zereka? She’s not the type to—”She sniffed. “You never listened to me, Drakey. You always believed that I was making a scene. That I am lying to you. How could I do that? I love you so much that I will never ever lie to you,” she declared, cutting off his words before he could even finish it. Rude. Every time she said that she loved her brother, the hair on my arms would always stand. It always felt like it had a double meaning. “Do you know what she called me? A bitch, Drake. I’m only eighteen years old and someone already called me a bitch!”“Beatrice. Is that true?”“What do you want to hear, Drake?” I asked. “Tell me so that I will tell you right away. Don’t waste my time anymore.”“Doll… I’m not saying anything wrong. All I wanted is you to tell me your side. I don't want to take sides as much as pos
BEATRICE:If Drake was here, I would never know why Zereka was here. If Drake was here, she would keep on pretending to be the sweet little sister of his. She could fool anyone with that sweet face of hers. "I'm sorry, but you don't have a say on that, too. We have chosen ourselves to love each other and even if a million people would be against our path, our love will remain strong. That includes you, by the way."It was a cheesy statement. I never thought the time would come when I would say those words, but here it was.She threw back her head and laughed. "Love? Are you freaking kidding me? Don't tell me that kind of bullshit. Love does not exist. Only lust." I was taken aback at her curse. My forehead knotted seeing how she bawled her palms into a fist. "Are you perhaps..." Did she perhaps not experience how to be in love? That she did not know how it felt? That she believed it was all lies? Right. I remembered. This woman was Drake's half-sister. And Drake's family had n
BEATRICE:DADDY?I admit that this woman could pass as Drake's daughter. They looked so much alike. Their nose. Their eyes. The shape of their faces. Maybe she was the one whom he was talking to in the past? About having a child but then his partner never let him see them?She looked so young. She looked after Drake. The resemblance between them was undeniable. My eyes shifted back to Drake and the newcomer. "Zereka. Will you stop playing pranks? Beatrice might believe that you are my child. You always fool a lot of people already. Quit doing that right now. This is a company and not your playing ground. What are you? A child?” Drake scolded. The child did not say anything at all. Instead, she laughed out loud while holding her tummy. "Drakey! You should have seen the look on her eyes. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. Oh, my goodness. Your woman is so gullible. I don’t like her anymore."I faltered. A child who did not know how to filter her words was the best of all. "St