"Yes you heard me right, Clarissa. Why are you so obsessed with making more money? Am I not a good husband enough?" Jared repeated.
Clarissa had to rephrase her statement again, just in case he had been too daft to grasp. "Jared, she is taking away the opportunity of me being hired. The audacity, why aren't you questioning it?" She saw a faint smile appear on Desdra's lips, and it hurt even more. "You know how hard I worked for this! How many times I had to retake the exams before I was finally able to graduate two years ago for my Masters Degree! How much I spent, how hard I suffered to raise the money."
"Yes. How can I forget? If only you had done what a good wife should and give me all that money to boost my business. We would have gone far by now. Instead, you were selfish with it."
"Selfish? To pursue my dreams of becoming a sales person? I am a first class student of mechanical engineering, you remember how hard I used to study for this. You know it's my dreams, Jared. How can you talk like this!" Clarissa pressed on. "Why aren't you being supportive right now?"
"Supportive? All I have ever done has been supportive. I could have remarried but I chose to stick with you. When they said for better for worse, you sure took it too far in making my life worse, Clarissa. Must you go and work? Who do you intend to do all the house chores and cook for me, if you start working?"
Clarissa could not believe it. Where was the man who ran across the entire campus just to confess how much he loved her? The man who sold his most expensive wrist watch just to celebrate their three years dating anniversary? For three years they had been a couple, and married for five years. Clarissa had known this man for almost half of her life now, so what was wrong with him?? How could he be so heartless like this!
"Is that even important right now?" She snapped, "I just...Jared? What is going on here?" This wasn't like him at all.
"What is going on is that you should respect yourself, Rissa! Leave my brother." Desdra chirped in after seeing she still had the upper hand. "Let him find peace of mind, find love in another woman. End the suffering between the two of you that is hidden under the trap called marriage. Damn it, the Santiagos have tried with you! For five years? Just what kind of bad luck do you have surrounding you?."
In her mind, a million thoughts were coursing through and they weren't friendly at all. Her mouth opened to spew words directly from her thoughts. "So like a divorce?"
Jared shook his head. "Just clean this mess already. I need to sleep early tonight. It's a big day tomorrow. And please, give up all hope for becoming this sales person. Isn't it too much for you? Leave the career path to me, or someone hardworking like sister Desdra."
A satisfying smile played on Desdra's face, Clarissa noticed. "Oh," she said in a hushed quiet tone. "So it's fair for you to chase your useless dreams of becoming a movie director, and I can't chase my own dreams?"
Anger flared in Jared's eyes, "useless dreams!?" He roared out and marched forward to Clarissa. His hand was raised so high and made an attempt to slap Clarissa that she gasped in shock. Jared would have hit her? He was never violent! Did he hate her that much now?
Clarissa mustered up confidence. "You're right. I'm wrong for you, just as you are wrong for me. I just wish you hadn't wasted eleven years of my life."
Jared growled and muttered under his breath. "Like you have any right to be angry right now. Just clean this mess and don't disturb me again. I need my beauty sleep." He turned and was about to leave.
"Let's get a divorce." Clarissa said with a strong tone that she was even surprised at how she had been able to muster that much courage. Everyone turned to look at her, and Desdra bursted out in laughter.
"Well this just got awkward. I should better leave now. Divorce? Like you have what it takes to make it on your own, you pitiful orphan. Who are you going to run to? Huh? Ha!" With that, she walked out still laughing to herself.
"You must be tired from all of this drama, just stop already. Good night." Jared too, turned and just like that, disappeared. Clarissa was left alone in her pain and suffering. In muffled tears, she cried out her eyes, feeling every last bit of regret and torturing pain.
It took a while, but Clarissa finally managed to stand up from the kitchen bare floor where she had been crying all evening. Maybe she had been too careless with her thoughts. Desdra was right. If she divorced Jared now, where would she go to? Her only friends, she had chased them away with her infatuation over Jared. Would they ever smile and welcome her back like nothing ever happened?
She had forgotten herself as she stepped on a broken glass, the sharp excruciating pain had sent a shiver down her spine. She frowned in frustration, realizing she had not yet packed the scattered plate pieces. "Stupid plate," she limped over to the dining table and sat to acknowledge her leg. Blood was spewing out like tap water by now, the pain causing her brain to stand. It hurt to the very core.
Just as she was thinking about apologizing to her husband for ever saying something so thoughtless as a divorce, her eyes caught something on the table. A dark file, along with a note on it. She opened the file and saw it was a divorce paper!
"What? So...he wants us to actually get a divorce? How did he...why is this with him?" Clarissa felt the stabbing pain all over again.
Then she read the note on the top; "leave my brother already! Let him find happiness elsewhere." It was indeed Desdra's plan all along. That witch woman! She had always wanted her to leave from the very onset. Could it mean that Desdra had forced Jared into filing a divorce before? And he just didn't have the strength to tell her?
Determination hit her bones like hard rock. "Fine. Let's call it off then." She said to herself. There was a pen right there so she signed all necessary place and made sure to grant Jared's wish. She'll leave him and start a new life for herself.
Feeling a hint of bitterness, she shrugged off doubts that came to her mind, as well as the shame that was swelling in her throat, and dialed a number. "Sana? Please. I'm sorry. I owe you and Eve an apology. Will you please take me back?"