"What did you say?" Michael asked me. "You will not sign the divorce papers?" he continued his question. "You heard me the first time, loud and clear. I will not sign them!" I replied again, standing my ground. "Alright, then. Have it your way, but be sure that I will make you come back to beg me to accept those papers when you must have signed them," Michael retorted.
"What do you mean? Are you threatening me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's simple, my darling. Sign them now or prepare for what comes next," Michael warned. This was audacious, coming from my cheating husband. I had had enough and this time, it was my turn to let out everything I had been holding for a long time.
"I pray you go to hell and rot there, Michael. I hate you! I hate you!!," I screamed as I pounced on his chest, hitting him very hard repeatedly. Michael did not hold me back. He stood there, watching me with a wicked grin on his face. Was this the devil I married? I let out loud sobs as I asked Michael why he was doing this to me.
It was then he dropped the bombshell. "You should know one thing, Mabel. I never loved you, never had, and never will!" What!? It was as if I saw another version of the man I had loved all these years and sacrificed for. "Michael never loved me?" I questioned myself.
I found my tongue and asked, "You never loved me?" My voice had become shaky, and my heart felt a deep pain, one it had never felt before. I was shattered, heartbroken, and betrayed. Was he trying to say hurtful things to me to get me to do his bidding or was he being honest about what he just said? I was confused.
"Answer me, Michael. Did you say you never loved me?" I asked one more time. Michael wasn't smiling. His face was as hard as ever, harder than I had ever seen. "I never loved you, woman! Do you want to know something more? I only used you to get what I wanted and now, I'm done with all the pretense of loving you when I never did from the start," he confessed.
His words hit me and I staggered a little before I found my balance. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. I knew I had been used, that I had labored and slaved for him, ever since he declared his intention of wanting a divorce, but hearing those words come out of his mouth hit differently. Michael had openly told me he used me. What could be worse than that?
I felt my world ending before my eyes, and I was drowning in it. Another surge of pain swept through me as I let out a sharp cry, one that could tear down the walls of our home. I watched as Michael left me to ball my eyes out before he turned back to say, "The ball is in your court. Sign the papers to avoid more pain that is to come." How evil!
How was I not able to read the signs? Surely there must have been some red flags that I missed because someone as vile as Michael cannot have hidden for so long before showing his true colors. I had been blinded by the so-called 'love' that came from him. I managed to help myself to my feet from where I had sat and closed the door.
I laid back on my bed, thinking of the next step to take. It wasn't the time to cry anymore but to take action. I knew I had lost out completely. There was no penny to my name except for the little money I had left in my account. Remembering that Michael had wiped out our joint account made me look very stupid. Trusting him was the worst mistake of my life, one that would take years, if not a lifetime, to correct.
If the divorce pulls through, I would need a lawyer to represent me, so I contacted my parents' lawyer, Mr. Weston, and told him everything. He still owed my late parents some favors, so he wasn't going to charge me for anything, for as long as I needed his services. How generous! I was grateful that I still had good people in my corner.
I decided to go over to his office the following morning to drop a copy of the divorce papers for him to go through, in case there were any surprises there. The last person I trusted was my husband, so I needed my lawyer to see that I wasn't signing my death warrant instead of divorce papers. I wanted to call Tina or Sophia to tell them what had transpired between Michael and me, but I changed my mind. This was a battle I had to fight alone, away from my friends.
Morning soon came, and I dragged myself to the bathroom to freshen up since I had made a mess of myself after crying for so long yesterday. The warm water greeted me as soon as I turned on the shower. Its flow was gentle, cascading down my back and flowing freely. It was as soothing as ever as if it knew that I needed to be comforted.
I got dressed almost immediately after stepping out of the shower. I needed to see Doc. Green as well for my weekly checkup that I had missed. I was glad that all I had suffered had not affected my baby in any way. My doctor had advised that I always put my health in mind each time I was stressed, so that my delivery would not be a difficult one.
I was dressed in no time, grabbed my bag and car keys, and stepped out of my bedroom. I checked to see what Michael was doing, but it seemed like he had not come out of the guest room he slept in. That was strange. He would normally be at work by this time of the day. I silently hoped that he was doing okay. Painfully, I was still in love with him and I couldn't help it.
"Just a little more time, Mabel, and you will be over him," I assured myself. I reached for the kitchen and made scrambled eggs and toast before stepping out. The drive to the lawyer's office was short. Mr Weston greeted me with a warm smile as soon as I reached his office. I handed him the papers, and he promised to go through them and get back to me as soon as possible.
I thanked him and left his office. I had one more stop, so I drove straight to St. Iris Hospital to see my doctor. After examining me, he urged that I take enough bed rest. "You're in good health, but you need to take enough rest, Mrs. Adams. It seems to me that you have been stressing lately, and it is not good for the baby," he cautioned.
I let my doctor in on everything I had experienced with Michael, and he advised that I let it all go, for the sake of my health. He made me see that being forcefully married to a man like my husband would only make me suffer more. It was the first time someone had stared right into my face and told me the hard truth even though it hurt.
Doc. Green had been divorced once, and he shared a bit of his experience with me. He assured me that I would find someone more deserving of me and my love, just as he had done after his first marriage. I was grateful for the kind words and every encouragement he gave. It was a little bit refreshing to hear, especially coming from someone who had experienced the same thing.
I was soon on my way home after leaving St. Iris. I made a quick stop at the supermarket to get a few groceries that I would need before hitting the road again. I got home after a few minutes and went straight to the kitchen. I dropped the groceries I had bought on the kitchen counter and went upstairs to my room. I stopped by the guest room on my way to see that Michael was still around.
I wanted to go in to ask if anything was wrong but on second thought, I changed my mind. It was high time I minded my business. Just as I was about to leave for my room, his phone rang. "That must be his lover," I thought to myself. I heard Michael agree to meet her in less than fifteen minutes.
This was the perfect opportunity to see who had been behind my misery. I decided that I was going to follow Michael to see this mystery woman, forgetting all that my doctor had warned me earlier. I ordered a ride that would follow him since he knew my car and might become suspicious.
Michael left the house and I followed him behind just as planned. I watched as he stopped by a fancy restaurant and I knew in my gut that today was the day I would satisfy my curiosity and answer the many questions that had welled up in my heart for a long time. I asked the driver to go a little bit closer to get a better view of who Michael was meeting.
Michael got out of his car and walked straight to a table, one that must have been reserved for their meeting. I watched as he hugged a petite woman with short black hair. My mouth stood agape as I saw the woman he had hugged.
Tina!