Abusive Wife

I was going to wipe that smug look in his eyes, so I swung my arm as hard as I could and landed a big, fat slap on his face. The crisp ring of that slap echoed in the air, and following that ringing was the painful gasp of Samuel.

"What is wrong with you, Timothy?" A concerned Rochelle darted over and shoved me away.

The trek through the night exhausted me. I stumbled backward, missed a step, and everything around me spun as I fell to the ground. I felt the back of my head smash into something hard. Pain took over my head, and blood spilled to the ground.

Someone screamed, "He's bleeding!"

I felt the strength leave my hands, and before my consciousness left me, I noticed the look in Rochelle's eyes. There was horror in her gaze.

A year ago, in a drunken episode, Rochelle mistook me for Samuel. We went at it without protection that night, and it was a hole-in-one. She gave me the same look of horror back then, when she found out about her pregnancy.

Agitated, she grabbed my arms, her nails threatening to dig into my flesh. She hissed, "You did it on purpose, didn't you? I was drunk! You want to bind me to you with this baby? I'm rising through the ranks right now! I need a lot of time and effort to get what I want, but you're making me give up? Why? Because you don't like it? You're despicable!"

Then, her hands went to my throat. My face went purple as I felt the oxygen getting cut off, and I struggled hard to get away from her.

…

Then, a voice woke me from my nightmare. "Sir, wake up!"

My eyes snapped open.

"You passed out just now, sir." The nurse hung the IV, still shuddering from what she saw. "It was terrifying. For a minute there, I thought you were gone."

I rubbed the back of my head. It still throbbed. "Where's Rochelle?"

"Oh, the woman who sent you here? Her boyfriend took her home. He said she's pregnant, so she shouldn't work herself to the bone."

Though I knew that might be the case, hearing it still hit me hard, and I closed my eyes. I could feel my entire being twisting in agony. I was taken back to the day of our wedding, where she promised she would stay loyal to me forever.

Ten years was all it took for that promise to be burned into nothingness. And then my phone rang—it was Rochelle.

"Are you alright, honey? I have work to do, and they need me here," she said quietly. She tried to keep her voice low and make herself sound tired, but I heard it.

I heard Samuel's laughter in the background.

I laughed in sorrow and gave her short, random answers as I opened up her social media. Rochelle never posted anything on her wall, but for once in her life, she made an exception.

'Fifteen years have gone by since we met. I want you in my life forever, my love.'

There was a picture with that caption. A sturdy figure was holding a bouquet of roses and standing beside a window.

I noticed the diamond watch on his wrist. Samuel's watch. When I saw that watch for the first time, I thought it was a surprise present from Rochelle, since I shared his birthday.

Yep, once again, I was being delusional. I hung up on Rochelle. When I refreshed the app, her friends were already commenting on the post, and the happiest among them? Queenie Lawson.

'You're finally getting rid of that swine? Congrats. I'm finally free. Hey, dinner's on you, okay?'

Queenie was a childhood friend of Rochelle, and she hated me. She thought Rochelle was out of my league, and every time we had a meetup, she would do her best to belittle me.

After Samuel came back and started the affair with my soon-to-be ex-wife, Queenie would cover for them so they could enjoy their alone time. I exposed her in front of everyone one time, and she just shrugged it off.

The old me tried to get into her good graces and took a lot of her insults lying down, but now? Now I was going to hit back.

'Yeah. Buzzing around like a fly must've been hard on you. Congratulations, now I don't have to suffer the thought of living as your species.'

Then, I sent the draft of the divorce papers to Rochelle.

Cheater Caught

No response. I then told her I had proof of her infidelity, so she either signed the papers, or I would see her in court. Eventually, I was going to get discharged, and just when I was going through the paperwork, Rochelle called.

Furious, she asked, "Are you mad? I can't believe you're throwing a tantrum like a child! Divorce? What, you think you're the center of the world? I told you I'd end this relationship once I deliver his baby.

"What more do you want? You can't force everyone to do things the way you like! I'll pick you up later. We're having dinner with Queenie. Let this go. Don't make me choose. I can't."

She kept stressing how Samuel and I were both important to her. Nope. Reality told me I was just a free manservant for her, and one who had about as much dignity as a doormat. On the day of our wedding, she left me at the altar just to assuage the crying Samuel.

Samuel and I shared the same birthday, yet she only remembered his. Me? "Sorry, I forgot. I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

Anytime and anywhere he wanted, all Samuel had to do was say the word, and Rochelle would go to him immediately. I used to get mad about it every single time, and she promised it would be the last time.

That promise was often broken before the twenty-four hours were up. If I brought it up, she would call me petty and jealous. And so I asked, "Is Samuel going to be there?"

"Yes."

"Fine. I'll wait."

Well, I wouldn't want Rochelle to apologize to me alone.

She picked me up, and I saw Samuel in the passenger seat. He smiled. "You don't mind, do you? I do this all the time." There was that look again in his eyes—that challenging look.

I smiled. "It's fine."

Yeah, I used to fight over who got the front seat, but Rochelle told me that Samuel would get carsick to shut me up, no matter how disheartened I was.

I saw him scrolling his phone when he was in someone else's car, though. Now that I was going to divorce Rochelle anyway, I didn't care even if they wanted to go on a date, much less fight over a seat.

Rochelle went straight back home, and when we got in, a big banner read, 'Happy birthday, Timothy!'

Queenie and Rochelle's other besties were chatting on the couch.

Queenie was the first one to say hi. "Oh, you're back. Sit. We made this whole party for you. We had to make it up to you somehow."

There was arrogance in her voice, and she almost strutted like some sort of peacock. No, this was no apology. This was a blatant threat.

I scanned the decor and realized something was up with that banner. My name was just plastered over someone else's haphazardly, like it was an afterthought. I saw Samuel's name underneath.

Queenie grabbed a glass of wine from the table. "Well, apologizing to you is supposed to be beneath me, Timothy, but Rochelle insisted, so I'm doing this for her. Sorry, I'm brutally honest, so I say it like it is. You'll never be half the man Samuel is, but Rochelle wanted you, so what can I say?

"I'll finish this big glass of wine, and you let things slide, okay?" She drained the glass of wine, and her friends said sorry, though it was more in a mocking manner than anything.

I said nothing, and Rochelle thought I had let it go, so she tried to hold my arm, but I swung her off.

"I didn't peg you as an orator, Queenie. You shouldn't be explaining yourself to me. How about you explain Samuel's affair to his… drum roll please, mother-in-law!"

I went over to the entrance and yanked the door open.

Then in came a furious lady, bristling like a lioness.

Idiot Wife

The sight of that woman made Samuel step back in horror. "Artemis?"

I smiled. "In the flesh. Yes, I invited her. Well, you were going to apologize anyway, so I thought I should bring in the family of the other victim. Now, explain yourselves to her."

"Are you mad, Timothy?" Samuel roared.

It was nothing but noise to me. I pointed at Rochelle. "Ma'am, that's the woman Samuel has been hooking up with. Oh, and she's pregnant. Congratulations, the Hoffmans are getting a grandson."

And Artemis turned black as thunder. She stormed up to Samuel and slapped him hard. "You filthy bastard! You leech off my family and cheat on my daughter?"

Rochelle quickly pulled Samuel behind her and scrambled to put her words together. "Mrs. Hoffman, this is a mistake. Samuel didn't cheat on your daughter. He just wants a baby, so I'm helping him."

He covered his face and shed crocodile tears. "I had no choice. Your daughter's barren, you know."

Artemis jabbed a trembling finger at Samuel. "Then, go for an IVF! There's more than one way to get someone pregnant, and you went straight to infidelity?"

"Why can't I? She's just waiting for me! I've fucked Rochelle tons of times before I married your daughter!" Samuel blurted. He'd been keeping that secret for years now.

And that lit up the powder keg. Artemis scanned the room and snapped up the broom in the corner. She then went after Samuel like a crazed spirit of vengeance. "You lied to my daughter all this time? I'll kill you!"

Though Rochelle tried to stop Artemis, it didn't stop her from getting smacked as well. Samuel didn't get away from the attack either. Then, Artemis smashed and crashed everything she could get her hands on—glasses, liquor, fragile items, anything she could destroy.

Before she stomped off, she warned, "I'll make your life a living hell, Riverson!"

The door was open the whole time, and Rochelle's neighbors were watching from the outside. She and her friends were all beaten up, and she was looking at me darkly. Scary. Maybe she would lunge at me next.

And then she clutched her belly and moaned in pain. Blood trickled down her legs. A miscarriage was coming.

Samuel picked her up and rushed out of the house. Queenie followed closely, but when she passed me by, she shoved me as hard as she could.

I dusted my shoulder off. Flies. Annoying.

I went into the bedroom and closed my eyes. Quite a while later, I heard sounds coming from outside. Rochelle barged into the place. The ground was covered in heaps of garbage, but she came to the bedroom and woke me up unceremoniously.

"Are you mad? Why did you invite that banshee? Does it get you going seeing someone else get hurt?"

I said nothing, and Rochelle slammed the table. "I almost lost the baby, and the Hoffmans are filing for divorce! You did this! I can't believe you! I'm not going to stay married to a venomous monster like you! I want a divorce!"

Every time she was in the wrong, she would threaten divorce and force me into submission. And I did, every single time. Why? I loved her. I would cry and apologize and beg for her mercy. I wanted her to keep me.

Now? I nodded my head. "Sure. Sign the papers."

Silence ensued, and it grasped the air in a chokehold. Rochelle looked at me like I'd just grown three heads and six arms. "What did you just say?"

"Oh, you didn't hear me the first time? Okay, okay. Ahem. Sign. The. Papers." I took my phone and sent her another copy of the file.

But Rochelle raised her voice and growled, "You're trying to set me up, aren't you? Not happening! You're not getting away after hurting Samuel! Either apologize to him, or I'm not signing the papers!"