"Are you sure you're ready for this, Janice?" Dian asked, her voice laced with concern  as she looked at how Janice's gaze was fixed on the divorce papers.

Janice swallowed painfully and nodded, her eyes almost at the verge of tears as if she remembered all her terrible past.

The golden light from the morning sunrise spills through the windows. Janice took a deep breath, sniffing the sweet scent of the dew–wet grasses as she looked through the windows.

"It's almost 10 o'clock, Dian. You know I can't afford to keep Lucas waiting." Janice said softly as she shifted her gaze towards the clock on the wall.

'Wow!' She mumbled in silence, a light  grin spreading across her lips as she stood before the large mirror fixed at the wall, admiring herself. This is the first time in three years since she wore a dress that really suits her curves. 

All through her years of marriage to Nelson, she has always been putting on dresses that depict her as an older woman just to refute her in-laws' constant accusations of  addressing her as a gold-digger.

The ride to the hospital took almost forty minutes.

"Janice, What if your in-laws threatened you over the divorce? What if Nelson refused to sign? What'..." Dian continued but Janice didn't cut in impatiently.

"No need to fear, Dian. I've already requested the services of two male escorts.  Virginia dare not start her madness."

"That's better. In case she does and lands herself on the hospital bed, then she'll understand why a street fighter like me has to force control over my anger." Dian chuckled.

At the hospital, Dian waited in the car while the two heavily built escorts walked behind Janice as she proceeded to the Ward.

"You bas..." Virginia rose with anger to launch a dirty slap on Janice when one of the men quickly stepped in between them.

"And who do you think you are to raise a finger on her? The man asked, fixing his deadly eyes concealed behind the dark glasses on Virginia.

"I...I...it's a mistake." Virginia stuttered.

Janice let out a wicked smirk as she saw the fear in Virginia's face.

"Oh Janice. Where have you been? Your husband and everybody has been looking for you!" Melissa said softly, her voice laced with a fake tone of concern as she walked  up to give Janice a hug.

"Yeah, I know that Nelson must be looking for me. That's why I'm here to see him." Janice replied , her voice cold and indifferent as she averted the hug, because she knows Melissa would have done worse than her mother if not for the fear of the escorts.

"Ja...nice. You...left. I... almost died." Nelson stuttered, his voice barely against a whisper.

"Yes. He's right. I almost thought I was going to lose him–my one and only son." Virginia nodded, closing her eyes to force some fake tears down her cheeks.

"Yes, I know you might soon die, Nelson. That's why I need a divorce." Janice replied, her voice indifferent as she pulled out the papers from her bag.

"What?" Virginia widened her eyes in shock.

"Janice, please. If you're doing this because of how Melissa and I have been treating you, then we're sorry. I swear to God, we'll never treat you wrongly again. At least, remember your husband who has never stopped loving you. You're his last and only hope to live, Janice. This is the time he needs you more than anything." Virginia began to plead on her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"So do I need myself more at this time as well." Janice sneered.

"Nelson remained speechless, but his eyes couldn't hide his shock and remorse.

"Ja–nice." He struggled to talk.

"No need to stress yourself, Nelson." Janice cut in.

"You know, one can also die if he forces speech out of his mouth when he's strengthless. So, just save that strength and sign the papers before you die, in case you wish to." She added and tossed the papers into his hands.

Nelson looked up, the sight of the bold title almost choked him to death.

"If you find it difficult to read, you might as well give your mother to help you. After all, there's no need to panic because I'm not taking anything. I didn't come to the marriage with valuables, the same way  I'm going to leave. You know I've always been a considerate wife, right?" She scoffed.

Nelson was reluctant. "Janice please, you two can still talk about this once he recovers and the problem persists. I don't see why you should be rushing things this way."  Virginia pleaded.

"Do you need any help in holding a pen? My men can help you hold your hands." Janice scoffed, her eyes holding a trace of detachment.

Without further argument, Nelson took the pen from her hands to scribble his signature on the divorce papers.

Janice almost bursted out with laughter when she saw the look on his mother's sullen face, imagining what chaos the old woman would have caused if not for the presence of the two escorts.

"Can you still give me a little time to go through this again?" Nelson asked weakly.

"Sure. But just don't die before signing the papers." Janice scoffed and turned  to take her leave when a wave of nausea washed over her, making her retch.

Virginia's brows furrowed in a slight frown. She moved closer and held Janice's back. "Are you pregnant?" She asked.

Janice's heart sank. It's been over five months since she and Nelson had any serious intimate moments because of how he always complains of his fear to complicate his kidney failure if he strains himself with sex. 

The only moment she could remember was the one that took place three weeks ago, when he returned from the office frustrated. And to calm his temper, he took excess shots of whiskey, making him drunk before he went to bed. That night, all Janice's effort to stop him when he started moving his hands around her body proved abortive. But pregnancy can't happen that easily right?

Janice clenched her fist tightly. 

"No. I can't be." Janice replied without a blink.

Virginia wanted to talk when Janice's phone began to ring.

"My lawyer would contact you for the final processes." She said hesitantly and began to move. But somehow, Virginia managed to grab her wrist and held her back, whispering into her ears with an evil smirk. "You better don't be pregnant, Janice. Because my son can never have anything to do with a low profile gold digging bitch like you! And even if you are, I assure you that I'll do everything possible to make sure that child leaves the world before he even sees it.

Since you chose to show your ungrateful self at the hospital with a divorce, then I'll remind you that you were never welcomed to this family in the first place." She cursed.

Janice didn't say anything and left. She knows that Virginia has never loved to have a grandchild through her, that's why instead of weeping and sympathizing with her when her first baby with Nelson was pronounced dead on delivery, Virginia was happy.

And now, even Janice herself wouldn't like to be tested positive with Nelson's pregnancy. The era of trying hard to conceive a child for him is over.

***

"Hey, sorry for keeping you waiting for so long." Janice said, her voice calm and tired.

Dian furrowed her brows. " Janice, Is everything okay?" She asked.

Just when Janice was about to answer, another wave of nausea washed over her, causing her to retch.

"Janice, you're pregnant?" Dian widened her eyes.

"Not at all." Janice shook her head weakly. 

"My period was supposed to start yesterday, but a one day delay is normal though. So, I'm sure it's just some fever symptoms due to stress." She added casually.

Immediately, her phone began to ring again. The moment she checked the caller ID, her breath hitched.

"Janice. You've kept me waiting here for almost an hour, hope you know what that means?" A hoarse masculine voice roared over the phone.

Janice was silent. Even though she's completely weak, she dare not ditch a person like Lucas.

"Let's stop by the pharmacy and get a test trip before I proceed to meet Lucas." She suggested.

"So, what if you find out that you're actually pregnant? Are you nullifying the divorce?" Dian asked.

“What if you find out that you're pregnant?”

The question sank deeper than it should be, slicing her thoughts in pieces that left her praying inwardly with words of rejection. Janice squeezed her eyes shut to dismiss any positive thoughts surrounding that suspicion.

"I won't force that thought in me, Dian. I'll never wish to be pregnant with Nelson's child." Janice declared, her voice firm and resolute.

She remembered the pains she had passed through during her first child birth. She remembered the few times that Nelson's love began to dwindle, unknown to her that another woman was in the picture.

She foolishly used to trust him whenever he complained of the stress at work. She lost her first baby. She expected Nelson to cry along with her, but he seemed unbothered. Even with that, she kept on persuading him to let her have a second baby, but he refused the idea, claiming that he hates seeing her in pain. She had to normalise taking contraceptives just as a woman who's done with child bearing.

Well, the era of wanting to have a child for him has passed.

She doesn't want anything that will constantly reflect his image in her life.

“Hey, are you okay?” Dian suddenly whispered, waving her hands around Janice's face to jolt her out of her thoughts.

"By the way, have you heard anything about the Lancaster's Corporation in California? Are they still looking for partnership? I saw it somewhere in the recent news." Janice asked, trying to switch the discussion to another topic.

"Yeah. But what I heard recently is even more devastating. The President of the group was involved in some fraudulent activities that has caused the company to almost fold up. Now, they're no longer looking for partnership, but they're placing it out on sale. But I'll make more inquiries." Dian replied.

"Wow! Please, don't hesitate to do the research. I really need to make the investment.” Janice huffed with her lips twitched in a smile.

"It's quite unfortunate. But it's to my own advantage. You know what, just  remind me to discuss this in a better way once we get home. It will be bad if I miss this opportunity." Janice suggested, her voice calm and steady.

“I'm sure your guest must have started getting exhausted from waiting for you,” said Dian.

Mr Lucas had been seated for almost thirty minutes before Janice walked into the restaurant at 3:00 pm.

The contemptuous and flippant look he wore melted away as soon as he sets his eyes on her, but he flinched instantly to replace it with a calm expression before meeting her gaze.

"You look stressed, Ms. Capuno.” He commented, his voice laced with a tinge of mockery as he curled his lips.

“Is that how much you fear my wrath now? Because the Janice I knew before now would never inconvenience herself in this kind of condition just to honour a meeting." He scoffed.

“You think so?”

“I don't fear humans, Lucas. I can only fear an alien. Or…are you one?” Janice scoffed back, her voice devoid of fear with an unreadable expression.

Lucas's face darkened immediately. The anger he had been trying to suppress seemed to be threatened by this statement. He shook his head and bit his lower lips, keeping his fist clenched in his palms to suppress the urge to do what he might regret.

"About the deal with the Smiths Corporation,  why did you ask me to pause?" He suddenly breaks the silence.

"It's nothing serious. Just that I have a better proposal for you if you really intend to invest in the textile and manufacturing industry." Janice admitted, her voice firm and resolute while she kept her eyes fixed on him without a flinch.

The unfazed look on her face only reminded him of her strong determination in the past–an attitude which had earned her great respect.

He flinched so as to dismiss the thoughts of their past as he curled his lips in a wicked smirk. "Janice, are you trying to play tricks on me?" 

Instantly , his expression got replaced with a deadly glare, and before Janice would reply, he stretched his hands across the table and held her wrist tightly, his nails almost digging into her flesh. 

Janice wanted to withdraw from his painful grip, but it was too tight, and she knows screaming will only draw the attention of other occupants towards them.

Besides that, Lucas was so smart, so he ensured to  maintain a faint smile across his lips, that nobody would suspect him to be hurting or threatening her.

"Oh, you think I don't know that you're married to Mr. Nelson Smith, huh?" He raised his brows.

Those words sent chills running down Janice's spine. “How did he manage to know that I'm married?" She cursed under her breath, yet she still managed to pull herself together before his eyes caught her fragile face.

"Tell me, Isn't Nelson the main reason why you never cared about what we shared in the past? You chose to abandon me in prison to get married, Janice!” He snapped, hitting his hands on the table.

“For your information, Janice. I have been following up with your life since when I left the prison. And for your husband, you'll only be deceiving yourself if you think that I don't know all the evil atrocities committed by him and Smith's family that he's concealing with his money!”

Janice widened her eyes. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but she could only gasp.

“I'm finally here Janice. I'm here to make sure that I bring down that man that made you abandon me. And when I'm done with him, then I start with you." Lucas threatened before releasing her wrist with an evil smirk.

“So, tell me, why do you think I would be so stupid to believe a wife who used to worship her husband like a god is now interested in turning me against adding value to her husband's success?” he asked.

"We're divorced now, Lucas.

 Nelson and I are no more. So, you need to believe me!

"If you need evidence, this might explain better." She argued, taking out a copy of their divorce from her bag and slammed it on the table.

"And for the investment, I'm planning to relocate to California. I heard that the Lancaster's are putting up their textile and manufacturing company for sale, so I intend to buy it and I think it'll be great if we can partner together. What do you think, Lucas?” Janice proposed.

The silence from Lucas as his eyes scanned every alphabet on the divorce papers only deepened her fears.

He raised his brows, slightly drawing his dark glasses up after hearing her submission. "I still don't trust the divorce, Mrs. Capuno. Besides, you can't bribe my intentions with a partnership. I'm here for revenge and nothing can stop me from doing that.” Lucas countered.

"I'm not trying to bribe you, Lucas!" She argued.

"Then what are you trying to do?" He asked.

"It's because I still..." Janice stopped midway and swallowed painfully, closing her eyes to avert his dangerous gaze.

Once Lucas noticed the fear in her, he  loosened his tight face with a faint smile. "Because you still love me?" He raised his brows

"I never said so." Janice objected.

Lucas couldn't take his eyes off her slinky pink lips which never fails to accentuate her stunning beauty. Even though it's been years of them being apart, he never fails to blush and feel a wave of relief whenever he sets his eyes on those defined features that she's endowed with.

"So, can we call it a deal now?" Janice asked, her mind racing back and forth.

"Not so fast, Ms Capuno." Lucas cut in.

"Wait, are you trying to use me to get back at a husband that betrayed you while you also avert my anger?" He added, raising his brows.

Janice flinched and remained silent, different thoughts running helter-skelter down her mind.

"Even if I agree with your proposal, it has to  come with a price." Lucas declared.

"Fine. What is your price?" Janice replied casually, her mind skipping as she prayed earnestly for his request not to have any connection with the past.

“Are you afraid already?” He scoffed at her silence, rolling his eyes from her head to her toe as if trying to see through her heart.

“I want nothing but the truth about your evil father. Are you ready to testify against him?” he finally announced.

The truth! 

Janice blinked as the word sank deeper.

She knew that Lucas offered that option on purpose. She decided to steal a glance at him to see his expression. But he seemed firm in his opinion.

She parted her lips as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't say a word.

Her father's diary has been something she never wished to revisit till her last breath.

"Don't you have an alternative option?" she asked with a soft voice.

Lucas widened his eyes and curled his lips in a smirk.

"Is anything wrong with my opinion?" he asked in return.

"Once you're willing to talk about that incident that you and your evil father thought would've been buried long ago, then we can discuss business further." He declared and attempted to stand up as if he wanted to leave.

"Alright. That's fine, Lucas." Janice responded with a sharp blink.

"Now, what truth do you want?" The words flew out of her mouth before she could retract them, her eyes blinking continuously to avoid his gaze.

"The truth about the murder case. The truth is that you willingly concealed and allowed me to be locked behind bars, and not only that, I almost got killed, if not..." He paused and took a deep breath, his deadly eyes swollen with anger as he pressed his lips together.

"You know what? I just need justice, Janice. And to get that, you must come out of your shell and speak the truth, not minding whoever might be affected. And if you don't do that, I'll be forced to address the issue in my own way."

 He threatened, his voice firm and indifferent.

His voice was getting louder and beginning to draw attention to their table when Janice forced a faint smile to dismiss the assumption of the people who might be perceiving them as having a misunderstanding; yet,  her body began to quiver in fear.

She clenched her fork tighter, feeling a mix of fear and regret.

 "I know how hurt you are, Lucas, and I'm really sorry for that." She said, her tone calm and apologetic.

"Lucas, you need to know that I did my best to clear your name. I had all the evidence to prove to my father that you were never involved in the fraud case, let alone killing his assistant." She paused and lowered her head to force back the tears that were threatening to fall as past memories flooded her head.

"I don't need those tears of regret, Janice. Are you in or not?" Lucas snapped.

"I don't know how Frank overheard our conversation that night, Lucas. Before I knew it, he was quick to find ways to destroy every piece of evidence I ever had. He even went as far as fabricating more evidence against you to make it look real that you killed the assistant. And you know already that once my stepmother is involved in anything, my father would never want to doubt Frank.

 "I know you deserve justice, Lucas. And if you still insist on me testifying against my family, then so be it. I'll make sure you get the justice you deserve." She assured, her voice breaking down in tears.

His expression that was once calm changed instantly with a deep breath as he frowned.

"Emotional blackmail won't work on me, Janice." He dismissed, his face tightened with disgust.

***

Six years ago, at Capuno's Oil and Gas enterprise, there was a crime report of huge embezzlement, which almost cost the company to shut down.

When the CEO's assistant started investigations and began to find evidence linking to Frank Capuno, the company's financial assistant as well as the CEO's only son, he planned to unfold the truth to the CEO, Mr. Williams Capuno, before he got attacked and killed by a group of hoodlums on his journey home after the day's work.

Somehow, Janice was driving behind him when she saw the attackers enter a familiar car and zoom off. 

It was Frank's car.

As soon as she saw this, she picked up her phone, her hands trembling as she placed a call to Frank.

She claimed her car was damaged and needed his help to drive her home.

 "I'm sorry, Janice. Maybe you'll need to get a cab to take you home for now. I'm out of town for an emergency meeting to discuss a business deal," Frank replied, his voice laced with confusion while he ended the call abruptly without giving her a chance to press further.

Janice frowned.

When did he leave town?

Wasn't he complaining of mild weakness and having to leave the office earlier than usual to see the doctor?

 Different thoughts spiraled over her mind.

When the news of the assistant's death reached the company in the morning, all hands began pointing at Lucas Montenegro, the company's head of audit, who was involved in a little misunderstanding with the assistant shortly before the embezzlement discovery by the external audit bodies.

Somehow, Frank found means of fabricating some evidence to prove Lucas 

guilty.

Knowing how merciless and deadly her father could be in dealing with anyone who was involved in crime, Janice, in her unsettled mind, decided to dig deep into the investigation and got CCTV footage from the nearby company, the Greenfield management, which was able to capture the crime scene from afar.

From all investigations, the car was proven to be Frank's. Aside from that, Janice and Lucas had parted ways not long before the murder scene took place.The moment Frank learned about her discovery, he immediately paid tech gurus to hack into her devices and deleted every piece of evidence linked to him, while he also made his way to Greenfield management to take down the footage after bribing them with some cash.

Lucas was innocent, yet he has no evidence to counter the charges against him.

He was locked behind bars for years and subjected to hard labor until one of the prison staff helped secure his escape when he saw how he almost got killed by other violent inmates in the prison.

However, reports showed that he might have possibly died during the fire outbreak that took place at the prison.

****

"It's been six whole years, Mr. Lucas. How did you still expect me to get back the evidence that has been destroyed?" Janice pursed her lips in a worried manner.

"That shouldn't be your problem. But will you be ready to stand for the truth when the evidence is provided?" Lucas snapped.

Before Janice could say a word, a great wave of nausea washed over her, causing her to rush to the bathroom before she'll puked in public.

She almost got herself messed up before she could turn the bathroom doorknob. She couldn't hold back the retch anymore and had to throw up on the floor.

'Maybe this is the perfect time,' she thought, and without hesitation, she pulled out the test strip from her purse to confirm her suspicions.

As she pulled it out of her thighs, the small white stick felt heavier than a stone in her trembling hands. She placed the test strip on the edge of the sink and immediately stepped back, squeezing her eyes shut as if it could change what her eyes had sighted earlier.

Then, she opened her eyes slowly, her throat tightened as her gaze fell on the two lines.

"Please...don't let this be real." The words slowly escaped her trembling lips as if she were gasping for air, but nothing changed. 

It was the reality of life that has come to stay–her whole life is messed up.

Her breath ceased and her feet got rooted at the spot. Before she could process the whole thing, the bathroom door suddenly flung open.

She had forgot to lock it after she entered.

"Who the..." she wanted to scream but stopped midway when her eyes met the woman standing at the door.

The woman wore a smug smile, her eyes scanning Janice's confused expression and the messy floor.

"T...Tricia?" Janice stuttered, her eyes widened in shock as she quickly tried to hide the test strip.