Chapter 1 – ENDING AND BEGINNING

ELEAND flipped through a series of paper-clipped pages from a mailing envelope resting on his table, and he furiously clenched his fist.

It was the divorce papers. His wife was not joking when she threatened to file a divorce. They had been married for over five years, and he thought everything went smoothly.

“Damn!” he cussed even more. He drew breath through his flared nostrils and clutched his loose man bun hair.

These past few days, they were arguing about one thing—having kids. Brandy was not interested in giving birth because she loved her almost perfect figure. He could not blame her; it was her ultimate investment for her work.

 Although he understood her predicaments, they had planned to build their own family right after they got married. Why a sudden change of heart?

Brandy Sheldon was a Filipino-American supermodel, and they got married in their early twenties. And this time, he tried his best to convince her to have a child because they were not getting any younger.

They live in California at present. He spent most of his time managing their branch of Altierra Insurance Company, together with his elder sister Elida. While his parents resided in the Philippines along with their other siblings, Erone and Ezekiel. Their family came from a wealthy Filipino-Spanish descent.

“Bro, what’s wrong?” his sister curiously asked. Elida entered his office with important documents at hand.

“Brandy wants a divorce.” He hardly shook his head. His sister knew the current situation about his married life, and she never failed to give him a piece of friendly advice.

“Well, you deserve someone better. There are lots of ladies in line to replace her. If Brandy wants out, then let her be.” Elida lightly shrugged.

“I don’t understand. I gave everything—money, love, and time! I’m certain that she loves me. All I want is a happy family. Am I that selfish?” He harshly sighed.

Eleand had to look in a better perspective, that maybe he should just respect Brandy’s decision to be childless.

But he always wanted an heir. He loved and pampered his wife a lot. Until now, he could not believe that they wasted all their efforts nurturing their marriage for the past five years and led to a divorce.

“Life is not fair. You have to accept that your marriage fails. Brandy doesn’t love you anymore. You see, there are other ways to have a child, like surrogacy or adoption. I bet she doesn’t like the idea, does she?”

“Yeah, I even suggested those. She became more aggressive with that recommendation.”

“Then so be it. Move on. Brandy is just making excuses.” Elida cheered him up.

Eleand remained silent. His sister hit the bullseye. Because he constantly made efforts to win his wife back, but Brandy stayed adamant about her decision.

“I’ll talk with my lawyer and let him handle everything. Brandy wanted this. Then I’ll set her free.” His forehead creased in frustration.

Eleand immediately called his lawyer over the phone. It was hard for him to let go. Well, at least he did his part to make their marriage work. Trying to win her back would be useless because she simply wanted him out of her life.

Elida walked near him after he ended the call. “Come on, get a life! You are trying to kill yourself, drowning in unnecessary works. Why don’t you have some fun like you used to? Just because Brandy left means it’s the end of the world.” She gently tapped his shoulder, “How about playing archery after work?” she suggested.

“Sure,” he exhaled deeply. They loved archery. They could hit the target even with their eyes closed. They played it since they were still kids.

“Cheer up! Would you like to go somewhere to chill?”

“Not now.” He sighed and continued, “I don’t deserve this. But you’re right. Life is not fair. I’m thinking about going on a vacation in the Bahamas or Maldives.” He tilted his head high. He needed to unwind and contemplate his life. Because if he could not properly focus, it would affect his decision-making relating to work or even personal choices.

“That is a good idea. Go on a vacation for a month or more. I’ll handle everything while you’re away,” Elida said with assurance.

“Thank you, sis.” He plastered a smile on his lips. Luckily, he had a supportive sister. His friends were very few that he could just count on his fingers. But he was blessed with the best family. All his siblings loved each other, and they were very close until now.

Eleand should fix his life back to normal. Accepting the divorce made it harder for him because he was so sure that they loved each other so much. However, there were no permanent things in this world. The girl who used to adore and cherished him left for good.

Fuck those beauty standards! He muttered in silence. Eleand did not even care much about her physical appearance. What mattered most was her personality and character. Her beauty was just a bonus.

His head was in chaos. The Brandy he knew would never leave him in this mess and let him feel miserable.

ELEAND gripped the recurve bow and hit the target many times. He only stopped when he ran out of arrows in his quiver. He played with Elida almost two hours ago, after their office hours. And now he just noticed she was not playing anymore. She confidently stood beside him with a beaming face.

“Great shots! Talent like that should play in the Olympics.” Elida smiled. A glint of appreciation mirrored in her eyes even though she could do the same stunt, too.

“Shall we play in the next Olympic Games, then?” The corners of his mouth turned up. He arranged the bow in his hand and gave it to the staff near them.

 “We’re done, thank you.” The male staff thanked them in return.

“Ah, yes! Since we’ve been a champion in National Archer’s Tournament, maybe we should play in the Olympics.” She laughed at her joke, “Let’s eat dinner at my house. I’ll cook your favorite steak.”

He shook his head. “Don’t bother. I need some time alone. Don’t worry. I will do nothing stupid,” he reassured her because it might upset Elida.

“Okay, your choice,” she nodded. She knew him well, and he would not jeopardize himself.

“All right, I have to go.” He softly patted her shoulder and gave a half-smile.

Eleand quickly changed his clothes before leaving the archery range and went to his car parked outside the establishment. Somehow, playing with the arrows made him feel at ease. It helped him to be less preoccupied.

His lawyer went to his office earlier. He signed the documents needed to hasten the process of the divorce. Brandy demanded nothing from his vast fortunes except the custody of their dog Eclipse.

THE keycard lock made a clicked sound when Eleand tapped his card. His eyes widened when he saw someone inside—a person he did not expect to see at this moment.

The fresh-looking face of his wife ran over his vision. Still alluring, even without make-up. Her naturally black hair gently flowed, and her lips tried to curve a smile. Beside her was a huge red traveling bag.

“What are you doing here?” he asked in an icy voice. They had a terrible argument almost a week ago, and she was never home since then.

“I-I came here to say goodbye,” her voice low and still.

He met her gaze. Pain and sorrow were unconcealed in her teal-colored eyes. Or maybe he just imagined things, hoping that they would be back together.

But he signed the divorce papers already. Either of them could not back out that easily.

Eleand simply shrugged. “Okay, goodbye then,” he said as if not interested. He clenched his fist and walked past her. But he paused after a few paces and confronted her.

“Is this really what you want?” he asked. He tried to relax. If this would be the last time to see each other, at least they could talk civilly.

“Yes,” she gently nodded. Her voice sounded sure. She vehemently closed her eyes, unbothered, when tears slowly cascaded into her cheeks.

For a moment, Eleand was speechless. But he was more surprised when the look in her eyes suddenly shifted from sadness to anger. She seemed to glare all of a sudden.

Was she that mad at him? He could not remember a single thing to make her troubled. Well, except for wanting to have kids.

His expression hardened. “Tell me what I’ve done wrong? We were both happy these past few years until recently. I thought we had just a misunderstanding. I don’t understand why you despise the idea of having kids and build our own family. If it is because of your damn figure, then I find it bullshit!”

Brandy looked tranquil again and somehow regretful. Her mouth twitched into a half-smile, “You’ve done nothing. In fact, you are perfect for me. But this has to stop. Fate bound our relationship to end from the start.” Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she continued, “I’m sorry, Eleand. I hope you find your true happiness. Because now, I can’t give you that anymore. I love you, but love is not enough to save us. I will just ruin your life if you continue loving me. We can’t have a child—I don’t want to.”

He hardly gritted his teeth. Indeed, this time it was all over. Eleand found the courage to tilt his head up and forced himself to smile bitterly.

Brandy lowered her gaze, grabbed the handle of the traveling bag, and walked out of the house in silence. Eleand sharply exhaled when he heard the purr of an engine from the garage.

It hurts like hell! He wanted to throw everything he could touch, but he controlled himself. Because even if he threw a fit or even burned their entire house, he could not save his marriage. He was all alone now.