Chapter 1 Divorce papers

The mansion is quiet today, except for the sound of my husband, Richard pacing the hall and sweating nervously even with the cool air conditioning. I’m sitting at the dining, slowly enjoying my meal when a notification pops up on his phone screen right in front of me at the large gold plated dining table. I read the text “get it done today, I’m waiting,” and I quickly shift my gaze back to my meal as he hurriedly grabs the phone off the table.

“Who is it?” I ask as the naive middle class woman he thinks he married.

“It’s no one, Elena. Finish up your meal,” he says, typing back nervously, his hands trembling so much that his phone almost slips out.

“Is it her again,” I say, focusing all my attention on the piece of chicken I’m cutting with my cutlery.

He turns at me in shock and slight rage. “What do you mean?” he barks.

I stay calm, taking a bite, trying to build his rage more.

“I’m speaking to you Elena, answer me,” he barks.

Our marriage has only been six months long and I remember having a caring husband until two months ago when I decided to put his loyalty to the test. Richard has always been a man hungry for more wealth even though he had enough and that was a red flag I intentionally chose to ignore, saying it was not so bad. I met him at his hotel as the receptionist, a middle class naive woman but he has no idea who I am. I began texting him through an anonymous sender, Rita, promising to give him half of the Williamson Cooperation if he divorced his wife to be with me. That’s one of the biggest and richest companies in the state. My heart broke when he agrees to that plan so I’ve been waiting patiently for this day.

“I said, is that her, the woman you’ve been texting,” I say softly, my cutlery clanging against my plate as I chewed softly.

He laughed a loud humourless mocking sound. “Well, now that there’s nothing to hide anymore, I think it’s time to do what I should have done four months ago,” he says, tossing g his phone aside and hurrying upstairs.

I already knew what he going to get, divorce papers, and I was so prepared to sign those sheets.

Just then, Nelson, his personal assistant walks in. He paused at the giant door way, sensing the tension in the room before walking in. “Good morning ma’am. I hope everything is fine,” he asks, concerned.

Nelson is the only person who noticed from the very first day Richard changed towards me from a loving partner, to a cold man filled with only hate for me.

“Yes, Nelson,” I say. “I’m just trying to enjoy my meal. Richard will be down soon.”

I permit him a sit and he waits patiently, probably to discuss a business meeting with Richard.

I hear a loud clanging noise coming from upstairs, both Nelson and I move our heads at the same time, looking towards the stairs. Richard rushes out, a look of fear in his eyes. He was probably second guessing his decisions but the papers were already in his hands.

“Here,” he tosses the papers at me as they fall to the ground. “These are...”

“Divorce papers?” I ask softly as I took another slow bite of my food. I enjoyed seeing the confused look on his face as he wonders how I found out. But of course I was Rita who told him to file for a divorce.

At this moment, Nelson stood up confused. “Good morning, mister Richard,” he says, a confused look on his face.

“Stay out of this Nelson, I’ll be with you in a minute.”

I slowly placed my cutlery aside and bent to pick the papers. I quickly went through them, making sure there were no mistakes. My heart felt a bit heavy as memories of our happy days quickly flashed through my mind but it was worthless now, Richard was not the same man, that man had died the moment I started texting him as Rita.

I already had a pen sitting patiently beside my plate. I picked it up and signed each sheet one after the other, making no mistakes. I handed them over to him and I could tell that he was shocked I even had a pen waiting.

After he took them from me, his eyes still wide in shock, I walked past him and seeing that I didn’t react the way he wanted me to, seeing that I didn’t cry and beg as the naive woman he taught I was, he decided to talk.

“I’m finally getting rid of you, a middle class woman who has nothing to offer me, I don’t stop, I keep walking till I get to the end of the staircase, then I pause and look back.

Nelson has his mouth wide open but he knows better than to interfere with Richard’s personal matters.

“I can’t even believe I fell for someone like you and your useless ambitious dreams to become rich one day. Do you think you can just live your life off the wealth that I struggles to build for years,” he says again, waiting for my response but I’m only standing there, looking over my shoulders and for a fleeting second, hoping this is all just a big joke but it’s not.

“You have no idea what I’m about to get after I divorce you,” he continues. Obviously, I know this is some kind of rage bait, seeing that I didn’t respond the way he wanted me to.

“Do you even know who I have been speaking with?” he says as he turns and starts walking closer to where I stood. “Rita Williamson, the only heir and owner of the Williamson Cooperation,” he pauses for a second as his eyes wander as though they were thinking of what next to say.

“Once these papers are finalised, I’ll throw you out of my house and then half of the Williamson property will be signed off in my name,” he says, breathing heavily after all that talking.

I look over to Nelson who has pity in his eyes for me, he knows the kind of person Richard is and he knows that he definitely means every single word he says.