"What?" Alexis could only whisper the word. She stood frozen, staring at Mikel as his words echoed in her mind.
"I think it is time we dissolve this futile marriage."
The words didn't just sting—they tore her heart and world apart, piece by piece.
Her chest tightened, and for a moment, she feared she might collapse right there in his office.
"No, I won't give them that satisfaction. I am stronger than this." She thought refusing to show weakness in front of Jane, as well as Mikel, who had once been her entire world.
She turned on her heel, forcing her legs to move. One step. Then another. Each one felt heavier than the last.
Before she knew it, she was outside. And despite the cool breeze hitting her face, it did nothing to calm the storm raging within her.
"Ma'am, are you okay?" Her driver asked, rushing toward her as she stumbled slightly.
Alexis barely heard him talk not to think of processing his words.
"You are not looking great... Should I take you to the hospital?" He asked again, concern evident in his tone.
But she didn't respond. She was lost.
"No, Mikel didn't just tell me that. He wouldn't do this to me... Right?" She asked herself inwardly and the man before her stared expressionlessly.
"Ma'am? Can you hear me?" The man asked again but Alexis didn't hear a thing. She was lost in memories that now felt like cruel reminders of a life slipping through her fingers.
Like that, her mind drifted back to their wedding day.
*FLASHBACK*
Mikel had ensured that the church was filled with her favorite flowers—lilies and roses.
Even the air smelt of happiness, love and hope, that day. She had walked down the aisle, her heart beating faster as her eyes locked on Mikel.
He had looked perfect, standing there in his tailored suit, his eyes shining with love and promise.
"I promise to love and cherish you, in good times and bad, for better or worse."
His voice had been steady, filled with emotion as he spoke those vows.
But it wasn't just the public vows that had stayed with her all these years.
It was the private moment afterward.
Mikel had leaned in,immediately uttering the vows, his hand gently cupping her cheek.
"I will be more than everything I just promised. Our love will be a fairytale, Alexis. I love you more than anything and I will show you what love means everyday of our lives." He had promised her, with sincerity in his eyes.
And she had believed him. With every fiber of her being, she had believed in that promise.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
A tear slid down her cheek as the memory faded.
"How could that man… that man who promised me the world… now ask me to leave his life?"
Her lips trembled as she whispered the question to herself, her voice shaking.
"Ma'am, should I take you home?" The driver asked gently, pulling her slightly out of her thoughts. She had managed to enter the car without even realizing it.
But she was already slipping into another memory.
This time, it was five years into their marriage.
*FLASHBACK*
Alexis had been sitting on the edge of their bed, her hands clutching another negative pregnancy test. The room was silent, except for the sound of her quiet sobs.
"What do I do? When Is it going to come out positive?" She mumbled amidst sobs.
The pain of yet another failed attempt to conceive was unbearable.
The door had opened, and Mikel had walked in. His expression had shifted from curiosity to frustration the moment he saw her tears.
"Why are you crying again, babe?" His voice had been firm, almost impatient, but not unkind.
"I… I just…" She had struggled to find the words, her throat tight with emotion.
Mikel had sighed, walking over to sit beside her on the bed. He took her hand in his, warmly.
"Stop this. I didn't marry you for children. I married you for love." He had told her in a soft tone.
His words had been like a balm to her wounded heart.
"But… it has been five years. What if we never—" She had whispered emotionally.
"Don't think like that. It will happen in God's time." Mikel had interrupted, his grip on her hand tightening slightly.
And to cheer her up, he had done something unexpected.
The following day, he had surprised her with a sleek, expensive car—the one she had simply admired in a magazine just a week earlier.
"Why? I don't even need this... I mean, I have an expensive car already?" She had asked, bewildered by the gesture.
"Because I love you, Alexis. And I want you to be happy."
He had been so sweet, so attentive.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
"What happened to that man?" she wondered, her heart aching as the memory faded, replaced by the harsh reality of the present.
Her hands trembled in her lap as she sat in the car, the driver watching her closely.
"Ma'am?" The driver spoke up again.
Alexis blinked, the world around her coming back into focus.
The car had stopped, and the driver was looking at her expectantly.
"This isn't home..." Alexis frowned as her eyes darted around, trying to make sense of her surroundings.
"Why are we here and...?" She was asking the driver but stopped abruptly when she realized a shocking thing.
The man in the driver's seat wasn't her driver!
"Who are you?" She whispered, her heart sinking in fear.
Then the man turned around to hold her gaze and the big scar below his right eye confirmed Alexis' fear.
She had been kidnapped!
"Wh... What are you doing...?" She began to ask shakily but stopped when she saw the man getting out of the car.
He walked to the back door where she sat and yanked it door as if he was in hurry.
Alexis swallowed hard, bracing herself for the worst.
"Hello, Madam!" The strange man said and let out a hollow, mocking laugh as if he could see clearly the fear in her eyes.