"Trouble In Paradise"

October 2017

Tina’s pov

I heard the angry footsteps of my mother-in law as she marched up to my husband’s study, the door slammed shut a moment later.

Although I couldn’t hear them, she was probably yelling at him for the way he treated me, I had tried to keep it from her but that’s kind of hard to do when your business is all over the news.

I looked at my phone at the article that was released about me and Simon Valero.

‘Trouble in Paradise’ the article had my crying picture as the cover. The picture did nothing to accentuate my looks, the head warmer I had shoved my hair into hid the long wavy beauty of it, my tear stained face hid the clear grey that was my eyes, plus I’m sure the picture was taken to show the troubles I was facing, in other words I was ugly. 

I remembered the day the picture would have been taken, I had gone to Simon’s office to confront him when I couldn’t get a hold of him at home, that day I left his office crying as the only words he said to me were harsh and unfeeling words. 

The article headline mocked me as I thought of the fact that there was no paradise in the first place.

My marriage to Simon Valero felt more like a freezing desert and coldness was all I knew from the man I called my husband.

I wanted to end it with him, to get myself out of this icy hell before the cold seeps into my soul and freezes me beyond melting point, but his mother had begged me to stay.

I had a soft spot for Mrs. Alicia Valero, Simon’s mother because she loved me like I was her daughter.

She was the reason I married Simon and despite the fact that I was in a loveless marriage because of her I couldn’t bring myself to hate her.

She loved her son and wanted to do everything for him, she was such a beautiful contrast to my own parents that I took her offer of marriage without second thoughts.

I heard the slap that came from Simon’s study and decide to go and interfere.

I made my way there and was about to open the door when I heard words that finalized my decision to divorce Simon.

‘You know what, mother, Sarah is coming back in two days and the moment she’s here I’m kicking Tina out of my life’.

‘I know it’s the last thing you’ll want to hear but we decided to give our love a second chance’, he added.

The moment he said those words, I made my way back to my room with tears beading in my eyes, ‘To think that he was capable of saying that, to think he wanted to give another chance to a relationship that ended in heartbreak’, the tears that started to form in my eyes began to stream down my face in rivulets.

I had heard about his relationship with Sarah-his ex from the maids, it had ended badly with a lot of yelling. I knew from the maids that they had fought repeatedly before they finally broke up.

‘Something must be wrong with me’ I thought as I hurriedly shoved things into my bag. I wondered why he was willing to give a second chance to someone that caused him heartbreak but he could not even give me one chance to prove his opinions about me wrong.

The two wedding pictures on my bedside table mocked and I slammed them down in anger. I was the only one smiling in them, my husband looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there.

As the tears flowed fast and blurred my vision I buried my face in my pillow and cried.

I cried silently, it was an art I had learned to perfection. From loveless parents I quickly learnt that crying was fruitless and to them my tears was a passing nuisance.

‘To think that I tied myself to one who was exactly like my parents, one whose love was reserved for another.’

My muffled sobs rocked my body and my shoulders shook in anger.

For the first time I was angry with my mother- in- law, ‘she never should have forced me into Simon’s life, she should just have left me on my own, but she enticed me with her beautiful smile and promises that her son would one day open up to me.’

I was angry with her for disrupting the life of someone that was still dealing with heartbreak and shoving me into the cold remains of his heart. I felt betrayed and angry, angry for myself and angry for Simon.

I dried my tears. ‘As always tears did nothing, it just gave me a headache and made my nose runny.’

‘I needed to take action’ I thought, I called my lawyer and applied for a divorce then I packed the rest of my things.

I packed only the things I brought into Simon’s house; I left the wedding gifts his mother got me and everything I bought with his money. I took of my wedding ring and placed it on my bedside table, beside the downturned wedding picture. 

One of them was missing; I had shoved it into my bag together with my clothes while I was packing. Call it stupidity, call me foolish but I still I loved him, despite the fact that he loved someone else. I wanted to hold onto the sham that was our marriage.

I looked around my still fully furnished room. Everything that filled the room were things I bought after marriage. The only things missing were few of the clothes in my closet.

The night, I rolled myself into a ball on top of my covers and cried myself to sleep. I would probably have a headache in the morning but the tears flowed despite that fact.

The next morning, my divorce papers arrived and I signed my name on it. I heard the crunch of gravel as my hus…, no ex- husband drove out.

I wondered if he would be shocked when he came back and found divorce papers instead of me. I imagined what look he would be wearing when he found out.

‘Would he be wearing the cold hard look he had on our wedding day, would it be the cold unfeeling look he had on throughout our marriage or would it be a look of rejoicing.’

‘It’s better this way’ I thought; if I saw him, I would probably cry again. I wanted no one to see me this way, not even him.

I placed the divorce papers on my bed and stuck a note to it wishing him luck in his love life.

I gave my room one final look and my eye lingered on my wedding ring a moment extra, I wheeled my bag to the door of my room about to open it.

The door to my room burst open and Simon entered with a look I had never seen on him before.

He was fuming mad.