After five hours of traveling, Odelia finally arrived in South Zondalia. She then took a taxi to a house on the side of the road. She finally arrived at Rona Street, where she pressed the bell of her old friend's house at 223A.
Ding dong!
The bell rang and Odelia waited for her friend to open the door. Before long, the door opened and a woman with short black hair was seen opening the door.
"Odelia? What are you doing here?" asked the woman in confusion when she saw her old friend come to visit her.
"Rihanna, I have something to talk to you about," Odelia said.
Seeing her friend from far away coming to see her, Rihanna agreed and invited Odelia into her house. They went to the living room and there Odelia told her friend everything that happened.
Of course the woman's explanation surprised her because she didn't expect her mother-in-law and sister-in-law to kick her out of the house.
"I don't know where else to go, even if I have to buy a house or rent an apartment it will take time for me to be able to occupy the place. So please allow me to stay at your house for a while until I can find a place for me to live," she explained to Rihanna.
The owner of the house paused for a moment to think about her decision. But it didn't take long until she agreed to Odelia's request and even asked Odelia to stay in her house, so she had a friend to live with.
"Sometimes I get too busy with my work as an artist. I do need quiet but too quiet makes me a little frustrated. So I guess I have no problem accepting you here," the dark-skinned woman replied as she took Odelia's hand.
She smiled very sweetly, making Odelia happy to hear it.
She also remembered how Odelia had once helped her buy lunch when she didn't have any money. She was now successful enough to own her own house.
"Thank you Rihanna, I'll try to do chores for you in exchange for me staying here. I'll help cook and clean the house," she said.
She nodded in agreement and escorted Odelia to her room. Given that she didn't have another bed although there was one empty room that Odelia might be able to use.
"You can sleep in my bed, I rarely sleep at night because I have to work on illustrations ordered by my clients. So you can sleep comfortably in my bed," Rihanna explained and then helped Odelia to organize the contents of her suitcase.
While tidying up her friend's belongings, they talked to each other about some things they had missed. The two of them rarely saw each other because of their busy schedules, plus the distance between their places was quite far.
"So what if Vincent came looking for you? I'm sure your ex husband will remember our friendship. Especially since I'm your only friend in Zondalia."
Odelia knew that it could happen. Moreover, Rihanna was the only one she knew so far.
"If that happens, I want you to lie to him face that I'm not here. I don't want him to find me," Odelia replied.
The short-haired woman knew for a fact that her friend was still desperate to meet the man who was now her ex-husband. Still, she must have been afraid that her former mother-in-law and sister-in-law would berate her again.
"Everything was perfect, my marriage with Vincent was always fine. But everything changed when his mother and sister started interfering in our household," the woman explained with a sad smile.
For now, she is trying to forget everything even though it is very painful. Odelia is trying to live her life without Vincent.
Two days later, Vincent finally returned home from his business trip. When he got home, he was surprised not to see Odelia welcoming him home. He was also confused that Odelia hadn't replied to his messages since yesterday.
"Where is she? Is she angry because I didn't reply to her message?" he asked in confusion.
He then entered the house and called his wife, but still Odelia did not come for him.
"Odelia? Love? Where are you?" he called again but there was still no answer.
Not long after, Samantha and Alice came over to welcome him home. Of course he immediately approached the two women and asked where Odelia was.
"What are you asking her for? You just got back from a business trip. You must be exhausted," said his mother.
"Mom's right, why would you come home and immediately look for a woman like her? You'd better get some rest," Alice said as she carried her brother's suitcase.
But of course Vincent did not immediately follow what they said. He asked again about Odelia's whereabouts. Moreover, she had not answered his messages until now. He felt very worried that something had happened.
"Why are you two silent? Nothing happened to her, did it?" the man asked again as he looked at the faces of his mother and sister.
"She's no longer here," replied a brown-haired woman who walked out of the room.
His eyes widened in shock to see a woman he hadn't seen in a long time in front of him at this moment. Of course she was his ex-girlfriend, Monica Deborah.
"Monica, what are you doing here? And what do you mean Odelia is no longer here?"
Monica smiled as she approached Vincent and took his hand. She rubbed his hand, as if she were trying to seduce him.
However, Vincent pulled his arm away from Monica. "Don't touch me like that, I don't want Odelia to misunderstand if she sees it."
"Odelia? She's no longer here, that woman ran away with another man and left you while you were busy working," Monica replied, making up a story for Vincent to hate Odelia.
"Ran away with another man?" Vincent actually smiled dismissively when he heard the answer from Monica. "I know what my wife is like, you can't brag like that, saying that she left with another man," he continued.
"What Monica said is true, that rotten woman has left you!"
Alice then picked up the divorce papers that Odelia had signed three days ago. The man snatched the letter from his sister's hand and saw that the signature was indeed his wife's.
"This can't be! Odelia couldn't have done something like this!" he said incredulously but he was sure that it was her original signature.
Samantha smiled with satisfaction as she saw how her son stared at his divorce papers.
"I told you, she's an ungrateful barren woman!"