As soon as J reaches her apartment, he called Lance. Lance is a lawyer. He is J's best friend since childhood. They went to the same school and both of them went to study overseas.
"Hey, what's up?" she heard Lance on the other line.
"Remember what I told you about what grandfather said when he was on his deathbed?" J replied.
"Which one?" Lance asked.
"The marriage," J said.
"Oh right, did something come up?"
J was pacing back and forth in the living room of her apartment brushing her hair with her fingers. "It's real. I got a copy of the marriage contract. I'll email it to you. Check it out for me. And prepare a divorce paper."
"What? Okay, I'll check it out. I'll call you back." Lance's voice was laced with surprise before it was replaced with panic before he hung up without even saying goodbye. And J could not blame him as she was also panicking herself...
J throws her phone on the sofa then goes to her room. She changed into jeans and a shirt. She then takes out a sports bag from her closet then walks out of her apartment.
In a boxing gym, J looked around and saw the person she was looking for. It's a woman with muscular built tanned skin who is taller than her. Her hair is in a French braid, she's wearing a tank-top and boxer's shorts. She then looked in her direction and was delighted to see her.
"J!" she exclaimed and rushed towards her excitedly. "It's been a while. Let me guess, you need a sparring partner?" It's Amanda, J's kickboxing instructor.
"Yeah. Are you free?" J replied. After what happened earlier that day, she needed something to distract herself
"Are you kidding me? I haven't sparred with you for a long time. Of course, I'm free! Let's do this!" Amanda replied enthusiastically as she clapped her hands that are wrapped in a piece of cloth.
J then went to the locker room and changed into a tank-top and boxing pants. She made a couple of circuits before she steps up into the boxing ring.
In the boxing ring, she diverted her anger and anxiety towards the sandbag. She was punching and kicking it harshly.
Amanda noticed it and said "Hey! Easy. What's wrong with you?"
J answered "Nothing. Let's start."
The next two hours were nonstop kicking and punching until Amanda gave up in exhaustion and pain.
"J, what's got into you?" Amanda asked her while lying in the boxing ring gasping for air. J was lying beside her. Her chest moved up and down but she just ignored her.
She thought that going to the boxing gym will ease her anxiety but it only got worse. Because Dr. Jacob Parker's words never left her mind and every time she landed a punch towards Amanda, she would think that it was Dr. Jacob she is punching.
When J arrived home, she heard her phone ringing. She then remembered Lance was supposed to call her back. How could she have forgotten about that and left her phone on the sofa? She got the phone and answered the call.
"Finally! After a hundredth time. Where were you? Why are you not answering my call? I've been worried sick about you!" Lance exclaimed.
"Sorry, I went to the gym and forgot my phone. Have you seen it?" J replied nonchalantly ignoring Lance's scolding.
"Yeah. As you've said. It's real. No flaws. It's even in the civil registrar. Did you know that you are married to the CEO and President of the CLP Group of Hospital?" She heard him say and it made her hand clench tightly on her phone.
"Hmm... I actually got that contract from him." J replied.
"Really, so how was it? How long does he know about it?" Lance asked her.
"It turns out that he just found out about it over a month ago," J said.
"Lance...I want you to prepare the divorce paper and send it over to me tomorrow. And also, find out anything about Jacob Parker and his family. What relationship does our grandfather have? And find out where the Elder Parker is." J ordered Lance.
"No problem. I'll send the divorce paper over tomorrow. As for the rest, leave it to me." Lance assured J then hung up the phone.
After the call, J takes a shower and went to the balcony with a glass of wine. She thought about what happened five years ago. When she came back from overseas, she found out that her grandfather has a terminal stage of prostate cancer. Her grandfather hides it from her all along to prevent her from coming back and leaving college behind. She took care of him personally, but after a year, he died. In his last moments, he told J that he was sorry that he wasn't there to protect and take care of her, that's why he finds a man who could do that on his behalf. He married her off to someone he knew.
When she was ten years old her parents died. She was left to the care of her grandfather. She doesn't have any siblings or cousins. She didn't even know if they have any relatives in the country. Soon she was sent by her grandfather overseas to study with Lance.
J didn't believe him and ignored what he said but deep inside her, she was worried about what if it was true. She never told about it to anyone except Lance. And now the moment she was dreaded for came. A man appeared in front of her claiming that he is her husband. And she was not prepared.
The thought of the past makes her a headache. She made a call to Head Nurse Jing. "Hey, can you find a reliever for me tomorrow? Mmm... I'm not feeling well." She makes her voice sound sick to make it more realistic. "Yeah… okay. Thank you."
It was a tiring day and she needed a whole day to take a rest that's why she pretended to be sick. She needs to avoid Jacob and prepare herself for their next meeting which she'll never know when.
That morning Jacob found out from James that Nurse J didn't go to work. Does it have something to do with what happened yesterday? Maybe she is avoiding me. Jacob thought to himself.
He takes a look at Nurse J's record and memorizes her address. That night Jacob went outside Nurse J's apartment. He was sitting inside his SUV and looked at the 5th floor of the apartment where J lives. The lights were on so he was sure that she is at home.
....
Diana came out of a convenience store which is just a walking distance to her house when she saw a tall figure waiting for her. She felt chills behind her back and her palms began to sweat. She approaches the man who was now looking at her.
"Madam wants to talk to you," he said to her in a cold voice. He then led her to a black heavy tinted car parked not far away from them. He opened the back door and gestured for her to come inside.
Once inside she realized that she was sitting beside a woman in her mid-50's wearing a black lace mermaid dress, her hands wearing a black glove and holding a silver clutch. Her looks are dignified and intimidating even when she smiles.
Diana looks at her and said. "Madam. I'm honored to see you." the woman looked back at her and smiled. "Diana... how is she?" she directly asked.
"She's doing great madam. She just came back from her 15-day vacation leave. I believe she spends her time at the Lodgepole Estate."