"Jason did what? Good Lord!" I heard my friend practically scream with surprise on the other end of the line. She seemed stunned by that sudden news. "Tell me it's not true, Laura, please."
"I wish it were untrue too, Ava, but Jason just left the house with his bags..." I said, my voice still choked with tears.
I tried to stop Jason from leaving, but it was all in vain; he picked up his things and left without even explaining the reason.
"Oh my God, Laura... You must be so shaken," my friend said, sounding sad for me. "I'm coming over, okay? I'll take care of you." She ended the call and headed to my house, just as she always did when I was in trouble. She was the person closest to me, and I loved her.
I cried while Jason's stern face and harsh words wouldn't leave my mind. What had I done wrong for him to want to separate from me? I had been a good wife, patient and dedicated. We never had any conflicts in our relationship, and we were even planning to have our first child. But suddenly, everything was turning into a nightmare, and he hadn't even explained it to me.
Ava didn't take long to arrive at my house. As soon as she saw me, she gave me a tight hug. "Oh, Laura, I'm so sorry... How did this happen?"
"I don't know, he just arrived with a divorce request and wanted me to sign..." I said, trying to explain what had happened while I cried in my friend's arms.
"That’s ridiculous, you seemed so in love. There's simply no reason for Jason to ask for a divorce out of the blue," A suspicious look appeared on her face, as if she knew something. "Laura... I'm not sure what I heard, but you know that Jason and Terence are friends."
I nodded. Both of us and our husbands were friends and worked together.
"So, I overheard Terence talking to Jason on the phone a few days ago, right after they returned from London. It seemed like Terence was telling Jason to stay away from someone named Kendall. But as soon as he saw me coming, he hung up the phone."
I furrowed my brow at this news. What did that mean? "Who is this Kendall?" I asked.
"I can't say for certain, but the only Kendall we know is that annoying girl from college who used to be Jason's girlfriend," Ava shrugged slightly.
"Are you speculating that Jason met up with an ex-girlfriend recently? Do you think that's why he wants to divorce me?" I was quite surprised. Ava shrugged.
"I’m not sure but this could be. Jason might have reconnected with Kendall in London, and now he's acting this way," she said, and I had to laugh because I found it unbelievable.
I had been married to Jason for five years, and even though he was never very open or affectionate, he had never looked at another woman either.
"Ava, I'm sorry, but I don't think Jason cheated on me. He respects me, and that's what I value the most in him," I said to her as honestly as possible. She sighed and hugged me again, seemingly giving up on that hypothesis.
"I've asked Terence to try to convince Jason to give up on this divorce so that everything can go back to how it was before. Don't worry, friend, everything will work out." She said this, comforting me.
Ava stayed with me the entire night, providing emotional support because I needed it. She even offered to stay at my house to keep an eye on me, so I was able to sleep that night. However, in the early hours of the day when I woke up, it seemed that the weight of this divorce situation was crushing me. I was so emotional and felt so weak that I found myself picking up my phone and dialling his number, insisting on calling him twice.
Jason finally answered after I insisted on calling him twice. "Why are you calling me? Haven't I told you it's better if we talk in the presence of our lawyers?" He said this while being harsh with me.
"Jason, please. I'm calling you to ask you to reconsider and back out of this divorce plan," I pleaded, almost crying again. I heard him sigh on the other end of the line.
"You never give up, do you, Laura?"
"I can't give up on us..."
"But there's no 'us' anymore. Get used to it once and for all!"
"No, Jason. Please..."
"I'm coming over today because Terence asked me to talk to him. I hope you're ready to sign the papers today. Don't call me anymore, okay?" Then he hung up the call.
I stared at my trembling phone, tears of anguish falling from my eyes. I didn't want to lose him; I didn't want to separate from him. So, I was willing to fight to the end. However, I didn't expect the surprise that came next.
That afternoon, Terence and Ava were at the mansion, waiting with me for Jason to arrive so the four of us could have a serious conversation about the situation of our divorce. We were all sitting in the outdoor lounge of the house, and I had asked the servants to serve a light snack for my guests. We were talking and drinking wine while waiting for Jason to appear.
"Do you think he'll show up, Terence?" I asked my friend Ava's husband. He smiled and nodded.
"Don't worry, Laura. I've put my friendship with him on the line, so he'll have to show up." He assured me that Jason would indeed appear for that conversation.
I sighed and crossed my legs, feeling very anxious. My friend Ava gently stroked my arm, smiling warmly and always taking care of me.
It was at that moment that Jason appeared in the outdoor lounge of the mansion. He was dressed casually, wearing sunglasses, and he looked radiant, not sad at all. He seemed light, as if he were about to float away.
Furthermore, he was holding hands with a beautiful blonde woman who had a confident smile. The two of them approached the three of us, who were surprised to see him with this new woman.
Then he said something, introducing the woman to us. "Hello, meet Kendall McLean, my bride."
"What do you mean you have a bride? You’re joking, right?" I stuttered, completely stunned as my husband introduced the girl as his bride.
"Don't look so surprised, Laura. It's not like this is anything new," Jason said, shrugging slightly, his demeanor oddly calm.
Suddenly my throat felt so dry, maybe because of the drink I just had.
"Don't you remember me, Laura?" The blonde woman spoke for the first time, she was still smiling. "It's me, Kendall. We went to the same college. " She paused a second before she continues.
"You must have heard of me because I was Jason’s ex. We had disagreements back then and have been separated for so long, but it's never too late to rekindle our love." She smiles at Jason, who was also smiling at her in such a special way.
I was still sitting without being able to move a single muscle, completely shocked by the scene I saw unfolding in front of me.
"It's normal for Laura to be in shock because she was taken by surprise with this new decision of yours, Jason. We are all surprised, actually," Terence said, verbalizing our feelings.
"I know, I even understand you, but there comes a time in life when we have to make certain sacrifices for our own happiness," said Jason, while smiling lightly at Kendall and stroking her hand tenderly.
"Okay, so will the lovebirds be able to sit down?" Terence joined the unoccupied sofa next door, inviting Jason and his new bride to sit down, which they did shortly.
Both Terence, Ava, and I were so uncomfortable seeing Jason move and date this other woman right in front of us. Jason had no regard for us; he simply brought a lover of his to participate in a private conversation about the wedding with me.
That was like a punch in my gut; seeing the way he was so kind and in love with this woman was doing more to me than I could imagine. Even after all these years of me working hard to please my husband and win him over little by little, even on the rare days when Jason looked at me with a certain tenderness, he never looked at me like he was looking at this woman now. It was so obvious how much he loved this woman instead of me. For me, the shock was great when I gradually realized that my husband had never been my husband but someone else's.
“So, Kendall,” said Ava, she ended up being right in her suspicions about Kendall being back in Jason’s life. "You've been gone for about five years. Where have you been all this time?"
"Yes," replied the blonde with that charming smile of hers, her mouth painted with a heavy lip gloss. "After I left this city, I lived for a while in Asia and then in Europe. I need to do everything to forget this man here," she said, holding Jason's hand. "But clearly it was an impossible task. All my efforts went down the drain when I saw Jason in London. It was as if my whole subconscious was screaming inside me that I had to be with him, and now we are here."
"But he's married to me; he doesn't belong to you anymore," I said, without really thinking about my words.
Jason sighed, looking at me tiredly, as if he were tired of talking to me. "That's why the divorce process is underway, Laura; you just have to go through the papers."
"Are you sure about this, Jason? Do you really want to break up with your wife because of your ex?" Terence insisted on seeing if Jason changed his mind.
"I've never been so sure about that in my life," he replied to Terence, and then looked at me. "You have to agree with me that there was never any love in our marriage."
"Of course there was, Jason; I've always loved you," I said, answering his question with a lump in my throat.
"You may have loved me, but it was always one-sided, Laura. You know why I married you; back then, Kendall left me, and I was confused and angry. Meanwhile, my parents insisted I marry, so you were there, available. You know I never loved you, Laura. Life is unique, and I'm tired of trying to please everyone. Kendall is someone I love and always loved. If you can understand this, you will finally grant this divorce." Every word he spoke was like a dagger, piercing my heart.
I couldn't stand it, I got up and ran out of that place, wanting to get as far away from all that horror as possible. My vision was blurred because of the tears. I could even hear Ava coming after me to support me, but I didn't stop; I kept running to get away from Jason and his harsh words.
****
Everything I had done all this time to maintain this marriage, hoping that one day my husband would start to love me, had all been in vain. How stupid I was, my God! I even feel sorry for myself and my false illusions.
I stayed in my room upstairs for a while, lying on the couch while my head was leaning on my friend's shoulder. She supported me and let me cry on her shoulders, but after a while my tears had dried, and I was just feeling defeated.
"Terence just texted me," Ava said, patting my shoulders. "He said Jason is adamant, and he's saying he won't leave here until you go over the summary." She sighed, delivering the disheartening news.
"Do you want to know what I think, Laura? I think you shouldn't give in and let this unfortunate man make a clown of you. Can he marry you to please his parents and then separate from you whenever he wants? For God's sake, what a great egoist! You must stay married to him, just for revenge!" She was so angry with the whole situation; I smiled minimally, happy that Ava once again proved to be a great friend.
But this situation hurt me more than anything. Finding out that Jason had married me just to satisfy his desires was like a bucket of cold water on all my hopes. It was as if I had immersed myself in a love story that simply didn't belong to me, but to Jason and Kendall. I never even had a chance in that story.
How could a marriage collapse if it didn't even truly exist? I wiped my tears and got up from the couch.
"What are you going to do, friend?" Ava asked me fearfully.
I took a deep breath and replied, "I'm going to get rid of this once and for all, Ava, I'm going to sign the papers."
Ava also stood up in shock, "No, my friend. You can't give in like this; you must keep fighting!" she pleaded. I knew she was concerned about protecting my honor and reputation.
"But fight for what, Ava?" I asked weakly, "fight for what? For my marriage? For the love I feel for him? What's the point of fighting when it's always been one-sided from the start? I'll only suffer more if I keep insisting. Jason will come to hate me even more, he'll despise me, my life will become a living hell and I won't be able to bear seeing the two of them together. I prefer to step aside, Ava. I don't want to suffer anymore; it's been too painful for me..." I cried, feeling completely broken, my heart shattered into pieces.
Ava realized that it wasn't about revenge; there was no point in continuing to insist when it was Jason who didn't love me and never had. Ava hugged me and allowed me to cry a little more on her shoulder.
"I'm truly sorry for all of this, Laura... please stay strong, I'll always be by your side no matter what decision you make." It was her strength that I needed. I was grateful that at least Ava was there for me through all of this.
So when I went downstairs to the lower floor, Jason was waiting for me, still holding hands with his new bride. The divorce document was on the table with a pen already placed there, waiting for me.
"Have you made up your mind, Laura?" He asked, noticing the suitcase I had with me. He had an excited look, as if he were finally getting what he wanted most.
"You must agree that this is the best decision you are taking," Kendall said, but I decided to ignore her. It was already too much to know that my husband was leaving me because of her.
Terence and Ava were also there, hugging and looking at me with sorrow. They didn't want me to sign, but I was simply tired of fighting against something that had no solution. So I picked up the pen and signed the divorce papers.
"Oh yes, right!" Jason said, practically celebrating as soon as I finished signing the papers. He was checking to make sure there were no errors that could jeopardize the process in the future, as what he wanted most was to get this divorce to finally live his love story with his great passion, Kendall. But I had signed everything correctly; I wasn't there to complicate his life. "Wonderful! Finally, this divorce is happening!"
With great sorrow, I took my ring off my finger, and no matter how hard I tried to stay strong, it was almost impossible not to cry as I removed that ring that had been on my finger for continuous five years. I thought I would never take that ring off my finger because I had never considered the possibility of separating from Jason. But now I was doing it. I left the ring on the table and sighed with my head down, hearing Jason and Kendall celebrating because now they could legally get married.
"Well, you'll retain her rights, right, Jason?" Terence said after clearing his throat. He was so sad to see his friends' marriage ending so dramatically. "It's in the law that Laura should receive a part of your fortune, and she should also be compensated for the divorce because you filed for it and were unfaithful," he accused his friend without shame. It was obvious that he was upset with his friend's behavior.
Jason sighed but nodded, "whatever, she can have whatever she wants. The important thing is that I can be happy now with the woman I love and have always loved." He smiled affectionately at Kendall. I even averted my eyes to avoid seeing that display of affection between the two, which struck me like a stab in my heart. My heart was so broken that I would never be myself again.
"I don't want anything; I don't want money, property, or his fortune," I said, responding to Terence. Then I looked at Jason, "I don't want anything from you." I wished my words could convey all the hurt and anguish I was feeling.
"Wait, calm down, Laura; you might not be fully aware of what you're saying due to your pain," Terence said, looking genuinely concerned now. "You don't understand; this fortune is your right. You need to accept it. Waiving it doesn't make any sense. You've spent five years in this marriage, and you have no savings or anything. Accept this money that is rightfully yours."
"Please, my friend, think it over," Ava also interceded for me. "How will you live from now on?" She was so sad that she almost cried.
"Why are you both insisting so much? If she doesn't want it, then let her be. It's her decision," Kendall said, stopping Terence and Ava from continuing.
"Don't you think you should keep quiet now, Kendall?" Ava asked, seemingly scandalized that this woman was still insisting. "Have some sense, for God's sake!"
"It's okay, Ava; I'll be fine. I'll manage," I smiled to reassure them. I chose to ignore Kendall and looked at Jason, "I didn't marry you for your money, Jason. I never had any ulterior motives in our union. That's why I prefer to leave without anything." I was resolute in my words, and for a moment, Jason couldn't respond, looking confused by my response.
After all, he was a billionaire and probably thought I would file a lawsuit to take a significant portion of his fortune. He certainly didn't expect my answer.
"Well, if she doesn't want the money, there's no point in insisting, right?" Kendall insisted jokingly now. "Besides, you'll have more money to spend on me, my love." She laughed melodiously, hugging Jason's arm.
"Look, Jason, be a man and try to convince her to take the money!" Terence was practically shouting at his friend.
Jason just shrugged, "there's nothing I can do if she doesn't want it." He walked away with the divorce papers in one hand and holding his new fiancée's hand in the other.
"This mansion is so beautiful, love," I could hear Kendall saying as they walked away to go upstairs. "We're going to be so happy here, but I think I'll change this tacky decoration, hahaha."
Her ridiculing the decoration of the mansion that I worked on with so much appreciation broke me in half. I realized that everything was over, everything I built all these years would only live in my memory from now on.
"What a disgrace, honestly!" Ava swore under her breath as we watched Jason and Kendall climb the stairs on their way upstairs.
Even though I knew that was the last time he would see me, Jason didn't even look at me, acting as if he were finally free of me. That hurt more than anything. I had practically given my life to this man, but today he turned his back on me and left with another woman. My heart was, without compression, aching and resentful.
"He's my friend, but I'm totally disappointed in him," Terrence commented, utterly embarrassed.
I just wiped my tears, took a shaky breath, and picked up my suitcase, leaving the house with the intention of never coming back.
"Ma'am..." I heard a hesitant voice call me when I was outside, and that's when I saw all the household staff waiting for me outside. They were as sad as if it were a funeral. My heart almost failed. The team of housekeepers had been working with me since the day I moved into this place. So you can imagine how much they missed me and how much they were hurting to see me leave.
"Hi, everyone," I went to hug them all to say goodbye.
"We'll miss you so much...," they said, "this is so unfair; this house will never shine like it did when you were here." They liked me because I was always humble and treated them well.
"I hope you all will be fine. I need to go now," I said, smiling to reassure them, and I left for my friends' car, where I ended up crying again. I didn't want to leave that place behind and all the relationships I had built over all that time.
Terence was driving, and Ava was in the back seat, providing emotional support. I looked out the window one last time at that mansion that had been my home for so many years. It was as if half of me was staying in that place, so I ended up crying again.
"You were strong, Laura, you were amazing," Ava praised me, giving me strength.
"And now? What are you going to do?" Terence asked, looking at me in the rearview mirror. He was still so apprehensive.
And with good reason, I had no money or job. Since I graduated from college, I had been living to please my husband and make him happy, working hard for him. Jason Davies had been the center of my life for the last five years. Now that he was gone, I was as lost as a boat adrift in the ocean.
I sighed, resting my head against the car window and shaking my head. "I simply don't know what will become of me from now on."
