I heaved a sigh of satisfaction after reading Mr. Weston's message over and over. Everything will come to an end tomorrow, and I'll move on to the next phase of my life. I replied to my lawyer's message, thanking him and asking if he could avail himself tomorrow for the signing of the papers. He gave a positive response, and I was grateful.
Just as I finished drinking the cup of milk, another message popped on my screen. Tina was asking if I was doing okay because she had been calling, and I had not been taking any of her calls. She sure had some balls, asking if I was doing okay. "Cut the pretense, girl," I said, as if Tina was right in front of me. I wanted to reply to her message, telling her that I knew all about her secret lover that she had been hiding from me.
I wanted to tell her how evil and vile she was and how much I hated her and wished we never reconnected. I wanted to let her know that she wasn't the only one Michael had, that there were many of them out there, some of which may even be children for him, but there was no need to go down that lane. It was pointless, and I would only hurt myself the more.
I texted her back, telling her that I was fine and there was no need to call me again. She called me again as if she knew I was lying. I knew that if I picked, she would not like the tone of my voice and would regret why she had called. I sent her a text again, wishing her all the best moving forward, which I didn't mean from my heart, and that she should stay away from me as far as possible.
Tina's calls became incessant, but I continued to ignore them. She sent another text, asking if the message I had sent to her was a prank or meant for someone else. How funny! "You betray me by sleeping with my husband and having a son for him, and still act like you did nothing?" I asked no one in particular.
Liar! I remembered the lie she had told surrounding her son's birth and how his father had died and no one in his family was willing to accept her and her child. I had believed every word like a fool. But it's over now. They can both live their lives happily and have the perfect family that I did not have. I had nothing more to tell her, so I closed my phone.
I wasn't feeling sleepy, and it was the perfect time to clean up the remaining part of the broken pictures of Michael and me, that lay on the floor of the living area, as a way of distracting myself from everything that I was going through. I wasn't surprised when it didn't work. It would take more than cleaning my house to take my mind off everything that happened.
I was still cleaning when Michael arrived. I had no idea he had gone out. He walked past me, stepping on the pieces of broken glass as he ascended the stairs. "My lawyer and I will meet with you and your lawyer for the signing of the divorce papers to pull through," I said to him. He turned and looked at me surprised before he muttered, "It's about time already."
Nothing Michael did surprised me anymore. I finished up what I was cleaning and went up to my room feeling tired and sleepy. I fell on my bed as I reached my room and dozed off almost immediately. The morning ray of sunlight that escaped into my bedroom shone directly on my face and woke me up.
I had slept beyond my usual bedtime, and even my alarm clock was unable to wake me up. I must have been very tired after everything that transpired between Michael and me last night. I heard noises downstairs, meaning that he was still around. The meeting between us, with both our lawyers present, was fixed for 2 in the afternoon.
I still had time to prepare, so I went straight for the shower. I turned the water on, and as the water flowed, I thought of the new life that awaited me. It was going to be difficult, especially because I didn't have much money saved up, but I was strong-willed. I wasn't planning on taking a dime from what the divorce would bring after our properties were divided.
I didn't want anything from Michael. All I needed was my house, one that had been gifted to me. There was going to be a way out as long as I had life. That was what I believed. I had never had to start life from scratch. My parents weren't the wealthiest, but at least they gave me everything I wanted while growing up. My college years were fast, and in no time, I got a job offer with a good-paying salary.
I never had to experience the 'ups and downs' of life when it came to having money and getting what I wanted. But now, I was about to experience something I had no idea how to navigate. I wish I had someone to rely on or that my parents were alive. I missed them, especially now that I needed all the comfort that I could get. If they were still alive, Michael wouldn't have dared to treat me the way he did.
I knew he feared my dad. Both of them never really saw eye-to-eye. From the first day he saw Michael, he never liked him, for strange reasons. My dad had told me that Michael didn't seem like a sincere person, but I had rebuffed everything he said. It didn't make any sense to me, so I begged him to accept Michael for my sake, and he listened. He agreed to the wedding since I was his only child and wanted to please me.
He gave me the house as my wedding gift and made sure it was in my name because he didn't trust Michael. Now I wish I had seen what my dad saw then and not gone ahead to marry him. Life had taken a drastic turn unexpectedly, and I was in its middle, having nowhere to turn to. How was I going to confront what lay in front of me?
As the warm water caressed my soft body and washed through every part of me, I let out a gentle sob, releasing a flood of tears that the water washed away. I knew I had promised myself not to cry anymore, but I couldn't help it. I had been holding back these tears, tears that I had prevented from letting out completely after last night's outburst.
I finished in the bathroom and grabbed the white towel from the rail and cleaned my wet body with it, as I stepped out. I slipped on a pair of jeans and paired it with a white blouse while wrapping myself in a beige cashmere cardigan. I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs, straight to the kitchen, to fix a breakfast of oatmeal, sliced bananas, and almonds, with a cup of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.
Soon after, I finished my breakfast and left for my lawyer's. We had picked a neutral location that suited both parties, but I needed to see my lawyer first. I drove to Mr. Weston's office and made my way inside. He welcomed me, asking me to take a seat and feel comfortable. He took out the envelope that contained the divorce papers and said that he had gone through the m and that there was no cause for alarm.
I thanked him before adding that I wanted nothing from any of Michael's properties. All I wanted was my house. He nodded and assured me that, since it was a good deal, he would ensure that Michael and his lawyer agreed to it. I asked him the question that had bothered me last night, praying that my hope would not be dashed. "Do you, by chance, know any relative of mine that my parents might have told you since you've been their lawyer for the longest?" I asked, hoping that he knew at least one. He had no idea about any, so I let the matter die. It was just me alone in my world.
It was almost 2 in the afternoon, so we drove to the agreed location. Michael and his lawyer were already there waiting. I wasn't surprised. I was finally giving him the 'passport' to go be with Tina and his son.
After formal pleasantries, Mr. Weston declared my interest in keeping just the house alone, while Michael held whatever he had to himself. I saw Michael turn to look at me surprised. He must have been shocked to see that I wasn't making an issue out of the fact that he had squandered all the money in our joint account.
I wasn't going to be petty like him, and I needed a fresh start away from anything that would remind me of him.
Michael and I signed the papers, and there it dawned on me—the start of a new life.