Chapter 2
2 Breaking free.
“Welcome back, Mr. William. Would you like to eat something?” Laura asked William.
Right from when she began working with them, there was never a time when Amelia slept before William’s arrival. If she did, it was always on the couch. She would wait for William, dish his food, and they would retire for the night together.
Also, Amelia always told Laura what food to make, and sometimes, she did the cooking.
But today, she didn’t say a thing about William’s dinner. Instead, Amelia went straight to bed after eating earlier.
“No, thank you.” William’s reply was short and curt. For a brief moment, he worried about Amelia. Was the accident really serious? But then he brushed it off. Lea was also at the scene, and she only had a shock. If Amelia was injured, then she wasn’t lucky enough.
Without saying another thing, William walked up the stairs and to the room they shared. There, he met the light off, and Amelia lay there in the darkness. He switched on the light, and Amelia only
turned on the bed to face him.
“Welcome back home, honey.” She tried shielding her eyes from the light with her right hand, trying to get them adjusted to the sudden brightness.
Williams replied with a grunt, unsure of what to say. His eyes roamed on Amelia’s body. She was in a nightgown he had never seen on her, and he couldn’t deny she looked so hot at the moment. He shook his head as though he wanted to shake the thoughts snaking around his brain.
Amelia stood up abruptly, making her gown raise further up to her thigh. Then, she walked slowly towards Williams as though she was seducing him, and she was.
As she closed the distance between them, Amelia raised her hands to undo his buttons and tie. Then in a really low voice, she whispered directly into his ear.
“I missed you throughout the day.”
Amelia’s breath on William’s skin had his thoughts muddied. He could feel his breath quicken, and he leaned in to kiss her jaw. Something told him to stop. He shouldn’t be doing this. He was supposed to belong to Chloe and her all alone, but he couldn’t. He desperately craved to touch Amelia.
From her jawline, William proceeded to kiss Amelia and he was surprised to know she was a good kisser. She had him out of breath without trying hard.
They soon broke the kiss to catch their breath, and William went on to kiss her neck. He wanted to leave a hickey. However, he couldn’t. Amelia’s next sentence had him shocked, and he paused.
“What did you just say?” He asked again, trying to verify what he just heard.
“I want us to try for a baby tonight. We’ve waited long enough, haven’t we?”
2 Breaking free.
2/4
In the early days of their two years of marriage, Amelia had given William space. She felt he was still hung up on Chloe and didn’t pressure him. All she did was stay by his side, being a dutiful wife.
Later on, William used his business as an excuse. Claiming to be busy, and not ready to be a father. But after going through today, Amelia was sure everything was a lie.
She saw the signs but decided to trust him. She didn’t want to believe he was seeing someone else. But today, she saw her beloved husband locking lips with no one but his ex–girlfriend.
“I’ve told you I’m not ready for a kid yet. What part of that do you not understand?”
This was one of the signs. He always used demeaning language, and she would take it as him being frustrated or stressed. However, this was William’s chance to make things right.
Maybe if William had said yes to her tonight, held her in his arms, asked her how she felt, and apologized for not showing up at the hospital, Amelia would have had a rethink. But no. He was his usual cold and uncaring self.
Without giving Amelia a chance to react, William snatched his shirt from her hand and walked out of the room. It was his way of saying the talk had ended, and this only helped Amelia make up her mind. There was no going back.
Williams leaving the room made it easier for her. Immediately he stepped out, Amelia let out a pained laugh, running her hands through her hair. She immediately brought out two travel boxes and filled them with her clothes and other important documents.
The next morning, William went for his morning run as usual, and when he returned, he took his bath, got dressed, and came downstairs for breakfast. Usually, he would have seen Amelia by now.
Normally, he would have seen her immediately when he stepped inside because she would be waiting to hand him warm milk after his run, but she was nowhere in sight. Not even in the kitchen.
‘Could she perhaps still be sulking from what happened yesterday?‘ Williams thought.
He looked at his watch for the time. It was almost nine already. It was weird because he knew Amelia to be an early riser.
It didn’t take long for Laura to set his food on the table, and still, Amelia wasn’t downstairs.
“Go get Amelia for breakfast,” William asked and began eating.
As Laura took the first few flights of stairs, William’s phone dinged. It was a message from Amelia. He wondered why she was messaging him when they were in the same building. Nonetheless, he opened her message box.
It was a document and the content shocked Williams to the bone. Never would he have thought Amelia would ask him for a divorce. Not even in his wildest dreams.
Quickly, he skimmed through the document, up until the last page, and the reason for divorce enraged him.
2 Breaking free.
3/4
“The couple are unable to maintain a sexual relationship due to erectile dysfunction, thereby leading to marital disharmony. Also, the man has refused to see a specialist. Can you believe that?” William read out aloud slamming his hand on the table.
Now, Laura had just descended the stairs. She wanted to tell William the room was empty. However, seeing him read out the sentences with anger, she knew she didn’t have to. He would have guessed it.
William’s appetite had flown out the window, and he pushed his plate away. Was yesterday the turning point for Amelia? He never would have guessed she would stand up against him.
He clicked on his phone app and dialed Amelia’s number. For the first few times, she didn’t pick up. Instead, she watched it ring and sang along with the tone.
When William however called the fifth time, Amelia picked up the call and placed it on speaker, and with the way William’s voice burst out, she was glad she didn’t have the phone close to her ear.
“What do you mean by the message you sent?”
“It’s just like you read“. Amelia’s voice was dangerously calm and it scared William. How could she keep her cool like nothing happened?
“Amelia, you can’t divorce me. You do not have any reasons to.”
Amelia let out a low chuckle. “Stop pretending, William. Stop acting like you want this marriage and would like to save it. It’s sickening, so please, just stop it. We’ve been married for two years, and never for once have we had sex. You always have an excuse. We do not do things together.” She then paused a bit to catch her breath.
“We’re like the opposite sides of the same coin, so I do not understand why you are surprised by the papers. Just sign it, and we both can go our separate ways. Let’s stop forcing things. That way, you can focus on Chloe, your one true love. I’ll let you go. Let’s stop these cat and dog games.”
William fell silent for some minutes. He had guessed Amelia had seen him at the hospital yesterday, but he didn’t realize she knew he had come to see Chloe. He didn’t know how she got information
about Chloe.
Amelia didn’t let him give her a response. Just like he always did, she hung up before he could come up with an excuse.
Immediately she hung up, Amelia rested against the headboard. She had left home immediately William went for his morning run. She had picked a few important things, intentionally avoiding Laura too. Then, she took a car from the garage. She would think of it as a part of her compensation.
After being dropped off by Lea yesterday, Amelia had spoken to a divorce lawyer, providing her with the necessary information. Then after timing when William would be set to dine, she sent him the document. It was her anniversary gift to him. Today made it exactly two years, but she didn’t even think William would remember.
Well, it was all in the past now. Amelia only wanted to think of moving forward. Easing back the chair, she decided to take a short nap until lunch. She had spent the night packing and didn’t get any rest.
2 Breaking free.
4/4
Around lunchtime, Amelia drove to Hibiscus Cafe. She loved the tropical theme and hibiscus flowers placed everywhere in the cafe. It was her go–to place and it helped her relax.
However, on getting there, she wasn’t allowed into the premises, and instinctively she knew it was Will’s handwork. It was one of his friend’s subsidiaries, and he probably had her blacklisted.
Amelia knew William would freeze her bank cards after the stunt he just pulled and she had to get a
job else, she’ll be out on the streets soon.
3 Scandal.