"Let's get a divorce," he says and tilts his head while scanning the documents; he didn't even bother to look her in the eyes. He then slowly puts down the bunch of papers on top of a wooden table.
He flips one of the papers and points his index finger, "Sign here." His tone remains the same—no desire, pain, nor love. There are no emotions that can be traced.
Winston Aldine, the second son of the Aldine family; the fantasy of each woman in town, a face card that never declined, a body that can pull off any designer clothes, but he is nothing more than a porcelain doll, all beautiful and captivating with soulless eyes.
For the past seven years of their marriage, Winston Aldine never changed; he never loved Rebecca Ali Aldine, his wife.
Rebecca sighed; unlike him, her eyes are full of emotions. She then stared at the bunch of papers for a long time—the papers that he had been keeping in his cabinet from the day they got married—her life with him is finally ending—the very one thing she's afraid of her entire life, but strangely enough, it's making her feel good, like a heavy burden finally lifted up from her shoulder.
She chuckled, remembering her most pathetic state. Why on earth did it take her so long to give up this kind of life?
Winston frowned for a moment and tapped his finger on top of the table, signaling her to sign the documents.
She sighed, knowing her husband; he must have thought that she was wasting his majesty's precious time.
He is selfish, greedy, and cruel. Rebecca wondered again why she gave up everything for this kind of life. What on earth she's thinking?
'I must have lost my mind ten years ago.'
She glanced out the large window and smiled softly. She let out a sigh, feeling as though the sky was sharing her grief, and for the first time in her life, she enjoyed the pouring rain. It's so gloomy and lonely, just like what's her heart going through right now.
She walks slowly and grabs his favorite pen, the Caran d'Ache 1010 Fountain Pen—Winston's ex-girlfriend wedding gift.
She felt a lump in her throat.
"Do you miss her?" Rebecca asked while signing the papers. "What nonsense are you uttering now?" His tone is still the same, but there is a hint of irritation this time. "Never mind," she retorted.
After signing the divorce agreement, Rebecca stands tall in front of him; her face looked more at ease; she smiled, a genuine one.
"Here you go, Mr. Aldine. We are officially done," she says.
For a moment, Winston stared at his wife, wondering why she doesn't cry nor beg him this time. He got confused why Rebecca signed the papers right away. Is it because of the conditions she asked? Is this all the amount she needed? Does she really have an affair? Is her dignity this low? An endless ton of questions filled his head.
Winston felt a sudden heat rushing through his head.
Even though he's pissed for knowing that Rebecca can go this low, he still wears his poker face.
"I guess this is all you are, indeed. Just a billion dollars worth," he says.
"Yeah, I need money," she replied.
"What?" His tone completely changed, and for the first time in a while, Winston's looked so pissed.
"This is a payment for all my labor work—that your family put me to," she said with a calm voice. If this had just happened seven years ago, her former self would have begun to shake with fear, apologized right away, and undoubtedly cried afterwards.
Winston looked at her confusedly; he knows from time to time that her mother, sisters, and sister-in-law will ask her to cook for them or ask to shop with her; aside from that, there is no other reason for Rebecca to make his family look so bad.
"Are you being petty right now?" he scoffed, but Rebecca remained silent. "Maybe that's why the maids keep gossiping about you," Winston continued.
Despite having already shed a sea of tears during the previous seven years, Rebecca still felt a sharp pain in her chest that forced her to swallow the knot in her throat.
And a sudden rush of crystal liquid began to roll down her rosy cheeks. She thought she would never shed a single tear again, but since she's in the presence of the great Winston Aldine, she will always feel this agony; she'll always be insignificant in his eyes.
Nevertheless, this man never fails to remind her how small and pathetic she is.
Winston, on the other hand, got taken aback when he saw Rebecca's tears. Although this is not the first time that he has already witnessed it, it still made him feel a little guilty.
"You're really cruel, aren't you?" She says in between her sobs. She then wipes her tears and takes a deep breath. "I have loved you enough, and..." she paused and intently looked him in the eyes. "I think I'm finally done this time. I'm done loving you, darling." He froze in his spot because he knows deep down that she's telling the truth; her eyes are always innocent and honest; that's why he chose her.
"Thank you for the seven years of marriage we shared together; please give back the kids to me after three years. I know you are man of your words, so promise me to keep them safe until then." Winston unconsciously nodded his head while avoiding her eyes, looking down and glued to the floor of their room.
Rebecca notices Winston's behavior; he's uncomfortable and simply wants to end everything. So she bid her farewell to her husband.
"Goodbye, Winston Aldine." She smiled, the brightest and most beautiful one.
Rebecca Ali Aldine walks out of the room without looking back and leaving everything behind—fame, wealth, and the love of her life, Winston Aldine.
The moment the door closed, Winston's sight became blurry, and a drop of tears rolled down his cheeks.