Love Like You Never Loved Before

I was at a loss as to how to answer his question, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. Instead of pushing me for an answer, he pulled me into his arms and said goodnight. I closed my eyes but failed to shut out my imagination that had run wild. I thought about Lyle and how we always ended up being at each other’s throats every time we met.

I also thought about Crystal and Yvette. Lastly, my mind was filled with Christopher. “Christopher, why are you so nice to me?”

The man let out a small smile and said, “I told you, I love you, little calf. It’s only natural for me.”

I didn’t buy that reason. “I don’t get it. You can have any woman you want, whereas I’m just a married woman. According to Lyle, a scrap.”

Christopher swatted my buttock and said in a stern manner, “You’re not a scrap.” I blinked my eyes a few times, admiring his perfectly shaped chin.

“Maybe we have met before. You may even say that this is love at first sight.”

We’ve met? I tried to search a few times in my mind for any distant memory of him, but my efforts were to no avail. The solemnness in his tone, however, suggested that he was being serious.

I smiled slightly. “I remember meeting you at one of Lyle’s office gatherings. Did you fall in love with me then?” I asked jokingly.

“Maybe. Or maybe even earlier.”

“Lies!” It was a beautiful lie, that a fine man would fall in love with me at first sight and want nothing but the best for me.

The next morning, Christopher insisted I finish some chicken soup before leaving the clubhouse. I took a few sips and realized that the soup tasted the same as the one I had in the hotel last time. “I must say, the quality of this chef is below par. If I knew it didn’t take much to be a chef, I might have considered becoming one.”

Christopher tried a spoonful and asked in all seriousness, “You don’t like it?”

“It’s alright.” I shook my head. “My cooking skill is worse.”

“I’ll have the chef take note of this and make sure there’s improvement next time,” he told me firmly.

I let out a smile in return. The man appeared to be rather reluctant to part with me as I was leaving. “Make sure you call me if you need any help. Keep your phone on at all times. Do not ignore my text messages,” he reminded.

“Okay.” He only let me go after I had agreed to his set of conditions. I wasn’t sure if I would contact him again, though. After all, he belonged to the Lane family. The idea of involving myself with such a prominent family was simply too far-fetched.

Not long after, I came back to an empty apartment. I recalled my last conversation with Lyle when he demanded to know my whereabouts. I’m not Crystal, so it’s only normal that he is not waiting at home for my return.

Seeing the house in a mess, I started to clean it up. Lyle finally showed up as I was taking out the trash. His eyes were filled with contempt as he looked at me. “I want a divorce,” he announced.

Even though I had thought about this scenario numerous times, it still hurt when the words were finally uttered. Unlike him, I couldn’t easily discard the past ten years we spent like he could. I looked at the man I used to love and asked, “It’s because Crystal is back, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. I don’t need a woman of ill repute by my side. You’re nothing compared to Crystal. If you still have any self-respect, just sign the paper. We can finally part ways then,” he said, tossing a document in my direction.

I picked up the papers and the words “Divorce Settlement” jumped out at me. The words he spoke continued to ring in my ear. I’m nothing compared to Crystal. How hurtful.