Alicia's POV
After I left Nathan's office, I couldn't comprehend or understand what I was feeling or what was going on exactly. I know I'm supposed to be excited, I finally got the freedom I always craved but a part of me was sad.
Throughout the entire ride from his office to my home, I couldn't shake off the sad feeling. It kind of stuck with me for a long time even after I got home. I sat back to watch a comedy show in my room but it didn't appear funny to me.
When my eyes moved to the framed picture of Grandma Mary sitting on my bed stand, that was when I realized where the sadness was coming from. I feel like I'd disappointed her with my decision. If she was alive, my decision would've killed her. It would've been written on her gravestone that I was the cause of her death.
Tears welled up in my eyes and I quickly wiped it off with a finger to stop myself from crying. I picked up the divorce document I'd gotten a day after Grandma Mary died and dropped it off on the kitchen counter so Nathan can find it whenever he gets back home.
I walked back to my room and decided to make myself happy. I played some music, poured myself a glass of wine, and started dancing around the room. I knew all I should feel was happiness and nothing else. Feeling sad after getting what I always wanted should be a criminal offense. I should be arrested for feeling sad when I'm supposed to be happy.
I kept dancing till I was tired and exhausted. I switched off the music, turned to lock my bedroom door, and retire for the night only to find Nathan at the door, his mouth hanging open, almost reaching the floor.
My face burned red from embarrassment, I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. While I was dancing stupidly, Nathan was out there watching me, thinking I was probably losing my mind or I was going mental.
My feet that were previously stuck suddenly found themselves moving towards the door.
"Goodnight" I muttered as I held the handle ready to close it.
I was halfway into closing the door when I heard him speak.
"Ahm, we should talk. Downstairs,"
I raised my head to look at him and ask him why but he was long gone just like always. I'd hoped the conversation wouldn't come up because I honestly don't want to talk to him any more till I move out of the house. He's now in the past and I would love to keep him there.
Reluctantly, I followed him. He wasn't sitting, he was standing, facing the wall, the document I'd left for him earlier was in his hands but his hand was on his forehead as if he was trying to comprehend something.
"How long had you been thinking about the divorce?" He asked, still not facing me.
"Since we got married,"
"Why?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? The fact that we didn't even know each other enough when we got married is enough reason for the divorce,"
He turned.
"I made it easier by signing that contract with you that night. I allowed you to state your terms, things that'll make you happy in the marriage and I did my best to stick to those things,"
This was my fear, my deepest fear. I feared him bringing up the contract and now that he did, I have to find a way to get him back on track.
"You already agreed to get a divorce. Why are you changing your words?"
"I'm not begging you to stay in the marriage, I'm just….. nothing makes ….."
He stopped, stared down at me and I looked away.
"You got the divorce letters behind my back a day after my grandma died,"
"Yes," I whispered. That part made me appear to be a bitch or a heartless bitch.
"Did you even mourn her a little? I thought you always talked about how she was your favorite person and how much you loved her and yet, you got divorce papers ready for her grandson a day after she died?"
How did he know that? I tell a lot of people about how much I loved Grandma Mary but I only told one person about how she was my favorite person.
"I know that sounds bad but I had to do what I wanted to do," Moreover, it was her who wanted the wedding the most.
"Fine, she was the one who advocated for the marriage so you couldn't wait for her to die before you got your hands on this, I bet you wished for her death as well,"
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"NOTHING IS….," He yelled at first but stopped.
"I don't want to talk to you right now," he started walking away, "In fact, I don't want to see you right now,"
He stopped at the kitchen aisle, brought out a pen from the chest pocket of his suit, and signed the paper on each page that request his signature.
"I'll stamp it at the office tomorrow and send it back to wherever hell the papers are coming from,"
"Thanks," I appreciated even though the word was heavy on my tongue.
"Do me a favor by not being here when I return tomorrow. From now on, Alicia, let us endeavor not to meet ever again after we meet with the lawyers,"
"Okay,"
He didn't walk over to his room like I'd expected him to, instead, he walked out of the house. I heaved a deep sigh of relief for an unknown reason. It went well but I still couldn't stop the unidentified feeling inside of me.
I hit the spot I think my heart should be twice, trying to control how fast it was beating, and when I took in the fact that I would be moving out of the space I’d called home in a few hours, I crumbled to the floor, hoping to pick the broken pieces of my heart and fix it right back to its original position.
Alicia's POVThe next day, I moved out of Nathan's home, and out of Lancaster's empire forever. I had some money saved up from the jobs I did before I got married to Nathan and I used some of that money to rent an Airbnb before I started the search for an apartment and a job. After getting married to Nathan, I wasn't allowed to have a job because women in the Lancaster family don't work but we get a black card from the family to pay for all our clothing, trips, and other expensive luxuries of life. While I was living the simple life, the other female in the Lancaster's house lived an extravagant life that was splashed all over social media making other people drool and wish for their life. Since I never got to use the black card, I dropped it in my room before I left Nathan's home. I was going to survive on a savings of less than ten thousand dollars. First off, I needed a job. Going out to search for a job might not pose a problem because my marriage to Lancaster wasn't public and
Chapter Six Nathan's POV Two months ago, I got a divorce letter from my wife, and still, no one in my family knows that I'm divorced. I was waiting for the right time to tell them, maybe tell them all at once that my marriage was over or maybe I was just not ready to let them know about it. The Lancaster family is large. They come from old money so they had no choice but to stick together except for me who decided to build a name for myself outside the Lancaster's name. In the first few years of my startup company, I didn't use my father's surname, instead, I used my mother's. Things didn't come easy but after a while, it all smoothened out. My family still wants me involved in the family business and they won't stop trying to talk me into leaving my company and focusing on the family business. It never worked and I know it still won't work tonight. I've been invited to dinner by my father, I know it's going to be as crazy as before but I'll survive like I always do. Getting cl
Nathan's POV "Good morning, Board Members," I walked into the board meeting as nervous as possible. I received a call from my secretary that we had an emergency at work. I asked her how terrible it was and she told me it was enough to run the company down.I'd worked so hard to build my company from scratch ever since I graduated from high school, watching it crumble right when I'm alive is not something I'm ready for. I knew I was ready to move the earth just to avoid this problem. I told my secretary to call all board members to an impromptu meeting by twelve and to my surprise she called ten minutes later and told me I needed to be at the office immediately. "What happened? What's going on?" I asked as I took a glance at the board room. All board members were available and I realized the matter must be more serious than I'd thought. "Our biggest investors, Silicon Internationals, pulled out last night" my secretary replied "Why?" "We don't know anything about that yet. We on
Alicia's POVThe last time I set my eyes on Nathaniel Lancaster was the day we met at my lawyer's office. So, why is a man who looks so much like Nathaniel standing outside my door? "Hi Alicia," I blinked, not once but twice. I wasn't ready to believe my eyes that it was him. Nathan Lancaster was standing in all his glory in front of my door, a gentle smile on his face and wrinkles on his forehead. He looked like he didn't agree a bit from the day I first saw him. Still a heartbreaker, uhn? Ever since we divorced, I tried my best to stay away from media and anything 'Lancaster'. One time when Grandma Mary's secretary called me, I didn't pick up the call because I knew she might have wanted to talk to me about the divorce.I got a job two weeks after we finalized the divorce at a local, small architecture firm. The salary wasn't anything much but it could keep my clothes on my back and a tiny roof over my head. I work mostly from home, not because of anything other than the fact that
Alicia's POV"What else did he say?" "That was all he said," I replied. I was at Francis', who is my lawyer and my friend. We've always been good friends who meet up at family events but now, we're almost best friends who meet up at restaurants and even his office sometimes. After I told him about what Nathan had said, he stared at me as if I grew two heads for a minute. "So? What have you decided?" I swallowed the chicken rice in my mouth and gulped down the water. I was so hungry I could eat a whole house and still not be satisfied."Nothing yet. I decided I'll see my lawyer before I make my final decision," "Who's your lawyer?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.I glared at him and laughed. "Come on, Francis," "Let me get into my legal mode. I've been activated into friend mode until now so this might take a while," He closed his eyes, placed a finger at his forehead, and pressed it in. He made some funny robotic noises and suddenly stopped. All through, I was laughing so hard I
Alicia's POVWeeks after signing the contract, I moved in with NATHANIEL on Christmas Eve, the same day I would be attending the 'stupid' Christmas party his family was organizing. I wasn't looking forward to anything at the party so I'm nervous.I'd attended different events organized by the family but nothing as intimate as this. I always tried to avoid their Christmas parties because of the drama and all. Nathan texted me earlier, telling me he would meet me at the gate since he would be attending the party from work. As the driver drove towards the street leading to the Lancaster estate, my heartbeat increased rapidly. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. As we spotted Nathan's car waiting outside, I got down from the car and walked towards him. He opened the door and I took a seat beside him. "Are you nervous?" He asked, before starting the car."No!" I lifted. "It's okay to be nervous, Alicia," "I'm not," I stubbornly said. "Did you move in okay?" I nodded. "I don
Alicia's POV"You must be Alicia," My head whipped up to the man at the mention of my name. I turned to look at Nathan but I realized he wasn't even looking at me. He had a hard glare on his face which I'm so sure isn't for the plate of food he was staring at. "Yes, I am," It was at the tip of my tongue to ask who he was but I held it in. He must be the man Nathan talked about. "I'm William Cadry, it's so nice to finally meet you," I gave him an awkward smile. "You must have heard about me from Nathan," "Ah, no. I heard about you from Mary. She was a lovely old woman who wouldn't stop talking about another lovely young lady," Oh! I knew that was possible. Grandma Mary loved me too much more than I deserved. "I hope they were all good things and she left the bad things for me to tell you all about," Surprisingly, he laughed. I hadn't said that to be funny but I'm glad he found it to be funny. That eased the tension that was building up in me. "She told me all good things about
Alicia's POVYour father is an asshole! He's a tramp! Is that even your dad? Are you sure he's your biological parent? Did he hit his head somewhere as a child? How did I miss his ridiculousness all this while? I mean I know your family is ridiculous but your father is in another great level of shitness! "Should we stop at a restaurant for dinner?" I looked away from the car's window as Nathan's words brought me out of my thoughts. I was busy cursing his father out in my head. "What?" "I asked if we should stop by for dinner," I studied his face to see if he was still angry and yes, he was. His hold on the steering wheel was enough to show he was still mad. He was clenching his teeth so bad I know it'll hurt now if not later. "No, I'm good. Are you hungry?" "No! I lost my appetite," he answered and continued driving. After we left his parent's house, I wanted to ask to drive but then remembered it's been a while since I last drove. Silence regained itself in the car and I turn
Alicia's POV"Are you sure it'll be okay for me to go empty handed?" I asked Nathan for the tenth time tonight"I'm sure," he gave me the same answer. We were right outside Lancaster's mansion. This wasn't grandma's home, this was the Lancaster home and I can't even remember the last time I was here. When Grandma was alive, most family dinners were at her house or at event halls around town. I guess now that grandma is dead the responsibility to hold dinners will fall to Mr Lancaster, Nathan's dad. "Are you sure we should go to this thing?" He asked. He'd been begging me to say no to the dinner plan so we wouldn't have to attend but I kept on disappointing him and he didn't hide his disappointment at all. "Yes, Nathan. Your brother is getting engaged tonight and moreover, it's Sunday night, I don't have anything I'm doing or will be doing," I made the quote sign in the air. He mumbled something under his breath but I didn't quite get a grasp of what he said. "What?" He shook h
Alicia’s POV “Talk to me, Love. What’s wrong?” He asked. His hand was placed on my shoulder and I bit down on my lip. Why did I start something I couldn't finish? I know he wouldn't let go until he was sure that I wasn't mad anymore. “It’s nothing, Nathan. I’m good,” “Was it because of what I said about your parents?” “No, it wasn't,” I answered. I couldn't even turn to look at him because of how guilt was eating away at me. “I’ll drop it but I'll keep thinking about what I did wrong on the way. Once I get it, I'll apologise for making you feel bad, alright?” I didn't answer. I couldn't even nod or hum or say yes or no because it wasn't supposed to be that way. As he started the car, I turned to look at him. He didn't look sad or angry, he just had a normal expression on his face. When our eyes met, he smiled at me. “You don’t feel sick anymore, right?” He asked. Why does he care so much about me? Why does he care if I'm angry or sad or sick? Aren't we supposed to be faking t
Alicia’s pov“Are you hungry?” Nathan asked on our way to the shopping centre. We were supposed to use the one closest to home but I disagreed since the last time I was there, there was no toilet paper so instead, I suggested we use the next one which was a bit far from home. “Not really. I saw some snacks in your room and i took them,” He frowned. At first, I thought he was angry because I took something from his room but I soon realised that wasn't the case. “What snacks?” It was my turn to frown. “The ones on your table,” He shook his head as if he was thinking about something. “I don't remember putting any snacks in my room and moreover, I don't eat junk food so why would I get them?” I turned to look at him better because I thought he was joking but the indifferent look I met on his face made me realise he was serious. “The green and red snacks, seaweed, something, I've forgotten the name. You saw it with me when you came in,” I said at the top of my voice. “Maybe someon
Alicia's POV I was watching some episodes of Big Bang Theory when Nathan called me. When he asked where I was and I told him I was home, I didn't expect his next words to be what he said. "I need you," his voice was unusual. He always had this raspy voice that put me on my toes but today he sounded like a broken record and I hated that."Come home then," I answered. He dropped the call and I placed the phone back beside me. I knew I told him to come home but I didn't know what I was supposed to tell him when he eventually did. I knew something was wrong also but I didn't want to think about what it could be. I wanted him to come home and tell me. He's always there for me and I believe I should reciprocate that as well today. Earlier, I'd planned on going to the store to get some groceries. Since we stopped hiring maids, our fridge has been mostly empty. It reminded me that I've been neglecting so many things around the house. I left work early today and after I got back, the fi
Nathan's POV It's been three months since I asked Alicia to be my fake wife. Each day, I keep learning new things about her and I knew the woman I fell in love with better than I did. Alicia was like my obsession and letting go would be a sin. I knew if I told her outright that I liked her, I might end up losing her so leaning in to her was all I could do. There were days when I wanted to kiss her, hold her and take her but I knew patience like I was supposed to. There were also days when I get jealous and want to punch the living daylight out of anyone who touch her but then I knew it would be disastrous and Alicia would end up hating me more. "Hello mother," the irritating sound of my phone had dragged me out of my thoughts. I was in my office, going through some work when my mother called. I've ignored her calls several times this week but the woman is stubborn and persistent. "Nathan. You've bee
Alicia's POV As soon as the tears reached my face, I dabbed them away with the back of my hand. Tears wouldn't solve anything, it wouldn't even take me back to the past and make me make a different choice. This wasn't even on Nathan. It was on me. I placed my job before those kids and trusted someone else with it. I should be ashamed of myself. Crying wouldn't make me feel better either, I already feel like I've been rammed over by a train. I suddenly felt helpless and weak. What if something terrible had happened? What if I was the only one who could fix the problem and since I wasn't there, everything was damaged? I don't think I'll be able to forgive myself for the choice I made this afternoon. Mrs Cadry might have gotten her shareholders happy but my own kids are not happy. I knew I couldn't take care of those kids. Why did Grandma Mary trusted me with them? I looked at my phone again, hoping Nathan would reply and tell me he was there already but nothing came in. I signed in
Alicia's POV I stood outside the door and I was more confused than I've ever been in my life. I looked at the boardroom and from the way the door was slightly opened, I knew Mrs Cadry was still waiting for me to walk in. On the other hand, I received another text from George, asking if I'll be able to come. Whatever it was that made George to text me like this, is probably out of his hands or control. I didn't want to give him a negative response so I stopped myself before I could send a message. Fear gripped me as I paced back and forth the boardroom thinking of where my loyalty should stand.If I walk out and Mrs Cadry loses her shareholders, I would forever hate myself for destroying someone's life. Moreover, walking in to explain wouldn't do any bit of help for me. These old men love to be respected especially where they spend their money and disappointing them is the same as disrespecting them. On the other hand, If I don't go to the orphanage to sort out the emergency, it m
Alicia's POVThe next morning, I woke up in Nathan's bed. The light streaming in from the window caught my eyes as I opened them. I quickly closed my eyes and turned to the other side of the bed. My eyes went wide as I took in Nathan's sleeping form. I looked around the room and realized it was his. Before I could think too much about it, my brain went to the memories of all that happened the previous night. I guess I got tired at some point and ended up spending the night in his room. And on his bed! Shamefully, I took a second look at Nathan who was sleeping so soundly like a baby. My eyes traced his face and I wished I could trace his face with my fingers. I snapped out of my stupidity before I could do anything I'll regret. I stood up from the bed and walked out of the room. I gave Nathan one look to see if he was awake and had caught me leaving his room. It was when I got to the living area that I saw my laptop still sitting on the table I left it. I glanced at the unfinish
Nathan's POV "How bad was it?" Alicia asked. She would be the first person I'll be telling about the horrible event of that night. Even the police and college administration body couldn't bring it out of me, not even my old girlfriend. They all had their suspicion of it being a hazing but I never told. It was the most embarrassing event of my life and it left me with some unspeakable aftermath. I felt a touch on my scar and when I looked down, it was Alicia. She was already beside her and I watched as she gently traced the outline of the scar with her fingers as if she would hurt me if she wasn't careful enough. "Pretty bad. I had to be stitched up and spent the rest of the semester at the hospital. I only went back for my exams. I almost lost my life and the doctor said I was lucky to still be alive," I narrated as I recalled the event. Even though I was able to summarise the story in a few words, it was more horrible than that. "It must have hurt so badly," Alicia said. I look