"W-what?" Xander shuttered and his eyes became glassy.
"I think he has gone deaf?" Hermia's mother, Julia said, snapping her fingers.
"You can't break this marriage up when I did nothing wrong" Xander tried to defend himself from the pack of wolf that came to devour him.
"I actually can, the contract states that I have the say to break our marriage" Hermia stated. Long gone was her sympathy for her husband, her family was right she need to have him removed from their family register so that her family can have more opportunities.
"Oh" was the only word that left his mouth.
She was right.
Their marriage was a contracted one. The first time he met Hermia, she was been harassed by some older men. He did what every gentleman would do, he saved her. Back then, she was the prettiest person he had ever seen. She found him a month later in the diner where he works and offered him a contract. He would marry her and she would pay all his debts.
He agreed to all the terms since it seemed good to him, even when a line of contract state having a child was important.
They spent three years together, in the same bed. Although, she didn't allow him to touch her after their wedding night it was enough for him.
When her family members treated him less than a trash, he endured everything because that was the highest luck he could have if he wanted a family. So he was okay if they called him names, punched from time to time, denying from going out with them or sometimes even ask him not to come home if they were hosting a occasion.
"So everything we had was all f-fake" his voice tightened as he spoke.
"Are you daft, everything was fake! Starting from the marriage to your role as a husband it was all fake, I only needed a child from you" Hermia spat in anger as she felt he was playing victim and making her feel guilty
"Hold on, don't tell me you actually thought everything was real and fell in love with Hermia, I thought you were better than that" Helen laughed, she was definitely high.
"I-I..."
"Why won't daddy love mummy" a tiny voice came from behind Xander, taking everyone attention to little girl who stood at the door with glassy eyes. Her tiny fist squeeze the herm of her gown to hold back tears from falling because it makes her mum angry when she cry.
"What are you saying? You know I love your mum?" Xander coaxed as he knelt down to the little girl's height. The little girl nodded and shyly opened her arm for her dad to carry her. Xander laughed and hugged his daughter.
They wanted him to leave his perfect family, maybe it was not perfect but he had a perfect daughter. Tears he had held on for so long ran down his cheek and sniffed.
"Daddy are you crying" little Emily asked
"Silly, why would I cry? " Xander scoffed
"Are you lying? You know lying is bad" Emily said unconvinced as she tries to pull away from the hug but her dad held her down and stood up and carried her with her head on his shoulder.
"We wouldn't be needing you for today" Xander said to the nanny that brought Emily back from her kindagraten. The woman nodded with a sad smile and left. He wondered if she understood what was going on.
"How was school today? " he asked his daughter and walked pass his betrayer of a wife.
With Emily's head still on her father's shoulder, she replied "I am in kindagraten" Xander laughed and wiped his strayed tears.
"The same thing" he said
"No, it is not, right mum?" she argued and looked at mom to back her up.
"They are different" Hermia said and tried her best to smile. She wondered how he could easily smile I this situation. She didn't know that it was because he always hid his pain behind his smile.
"What do you want to eat?" Xander asked his little girl, leaving the pack of wolves and went into the kitchen.
The wife family stayed quiet when the girl was near but the would whisper when they knew she can't hear them.
She spent hours with her father and trying to make her mother joined them. Hermia always dismissed it and Xander explained that Hermia had things to do.
"This is your family, so what is right for it" Hermia's mother said and left.
"That's my friend calling, I need to leave" Helena said, taking her ringing phone with her as she left the mansion.
"Daddy, I'm sleepy " Emily yawned and her dad carried her to her room passing Hermia and her uncle that hasn't left.
Xander tucked his daughter and in and went back to finish his conversation with his wife and the remaining family member that hasn't left. That was when he heard their conversation.
"Can we wait before we break things off?" Hermia pleaded with Felix.
"The company can't wait and we need to make this deal" Felix argued
"But Emily... "
"Would grow up and have another man as her father, I'm not heartless to leave her fatherless" Felix placed his hand on her shoulder as if he was advicing his daughter.
"Emily would miss her father and she would be sad" Hermia said, her eyes on the floor
"I doubt she would remember that thing in three months. Point of correction, he isn't her father, her father is going to be a rich man would help our company" Felix stayed with something dark in his voice.
"I am not signing a divorce" Xander said interrupting the two.
"Xander, don't be hard now, everything is over it's time we go our separate ways" Hermia said with her lovely voice as she stepped close to him.
"If we are going to go our separate ways after we divorce then let me have custody of Emily and you can marry who ever you want" Xander said bravely.
"This dog have grown a back bone, Hermia, see what I told you"
"I'm not giving Emily to you, she is going to grow up with me and take care of the company after me! " Hermia said in anger as she felt humiliated.
"I'm not leaving my daughter with your greedy family. You want to throw me away, you have to give me my daughter, I'm off for my night shift" he said and walk pass her as he went for the door.
"Xander, come back here! I still talking to YOU! " Hermia screamed, not caring if she woke Emily up.
"Don't worry, we just have to show him that he is nothing compared to us" that was the last words he from Felix before he left the house that night.