Chapter 2

Elizabeth was standing in the corner while she was staring at her ex-husband, Charles. She's there to watch the engagement party of her husband.

She couldn't describe the emotions that were inside her. She couldn't even understand why she was at that place. It was as if she was torturing herself.

A beginning for them was an end for her.

She was looking at him while he was getting engaged to his childhood sweetheart, no other than Elaine Imperial.

After three years of being married, Elizabeth and Charles ended up getting divorced.

She felt bitter about it but there's nothing that she could do. Everything between her and Charles already came to an end. She could never put a question mark on something he had already put a period on.

Two weeks ago, Charles came home from work. She was in the garden and busy watering her plants.

She was surprised when she heard him calling out her name as soon as he entered the house.

For the first time in their married life, her husband came home looking for her. She heard him calling out her name and it was music to her ears.

"Ellie…" Charles called her name. She felt like her heart skipped a beat as she thought that finally, Charles, saw her as his wife.

"Ellie…" He continued calling her out when she didn't answer.

She shouted from the garden which was located near their living room. She was busy watering her plants.

It was how she spent all her afternoon at their house when Charles was at work.

It was summer time so the weather was hot as expected. So, she decided to water her plants before they all dried off and worse, died because of the heat.

She waited for so long for them to bloom that's why she couldn't just let them die. They were her listeners to the stories she had no chance to talk about with her husband.

Her plants were the witness of the hurt that she bore from the cold treatment she received from her husband but today, it seemed to be different.

Charles was looking for her.

"I am here," she shouted so Charles knew that she was in the garden.

Elizabeth could hear her heart beating so fast. It was so loud that it was already deafening. She couldn't hide the excitement that she suddenly felt when she heard Charles' voice.

Every time that Charles comes back home from work, he goes straight to their bedroom or to the study room. The man didn't even care if she was home or not. He didn't care if she was still breathing or not.

For Charles, it was as if she never existed in his life. More often than not, she felt like she was married but not.

She felt like she was an unmarried wife. Funny, for her to think of that but she had a husband and yet she couldn't feel his presence in her life.

Well, he couldn't be blamed. Wasn't she the one who forced him to marry her? So, Elizabeth needed to face the consequences of that.

She knew from the very start that Charles wasn't into her but she was blinded by her feelings. She thought she would live life in fairy tales. She never thought that her life would be like a living hell in Charles' arms.

Elizabeth thought that she was still lucky enough because the man chose to give their marriage a chance but not until that afternoon where she cried a bucket of tears.

Charles was freed after she signed the divorce papers that the man handed to her.

Though she couldn't deny to herself the pain that she felt when she heard what the papers were about, she still signed them.

In every stroke of the pen, she felt like she was slicing her heart with a knife using her own hands.

It was not hidden to her knowledge that for the longest time, this was what Charles wanted so he could marry his childhood sweetheart, Elaine Imperial. She was the woman who owned her husband's heart.

And though this was the way how everything ended between her and Charles, she was still happy.

Despite the fact that the man wasn't able to reciprocate the love that she had for him for almost fifteen years, she was still grateful. She was thankful beyond words that she had the chance to spend her life with Charles even just for a short time.

She admitted that it wasn't the kind of married life she dreamt of but Elizabeth was still thankful. If it wasn't for that chance that Charles gave to their marriage, she wouldn't have a life growing inside her stomach.

She was two weeks pregnant when Charles asked her to sign the divorce paper. The day that Charles came home looking for her was also the same day that she planned to surprise him and let him know that they would be having a baby after two miscarriages.

Elizabeth and Charles' marriage was just an arranged marriage. Despite the kind of marriage they had, Charles wanted her to carry his heir. He said that if she would be able to give him an heir then, he might be able to love her like she had always hoped.

She thought that finally, for the third time, she would be able to fulfill his request and they could live like a happy family like what she always imagined.

Her grandmother was Charler's grandmother's best friend. The two old ladies were already dead two years ago. The reason why they got married was already gone. However, Charles gave their married life a chance and that's if they would have a child within a year.

It was exactly on their third year wedding anniversary when Charles went in front of her holding an envelope.

It never came in her mind that the man would ask that very day to sign the divorce papers.

That day, he was looking for her as soon as he went inside their house and when he found her in the garden, Charles didn't waste time.

It was still vivid in her memory. She could still recall everything that happened and even all the emotions that she felt that time.

It was a painful encounter.

Charles came in holding an envelope while she was watering her plants in her garden.

"Ellie, sign this," Charles said as he put down the envelope at the top of the glass table.

Charles never spent time with her in the garden. She was always with her best friend Selena or Nanny Maria. They were the two people who never got tired of listening to her endless stories of pain and hurt caused by her husband.

"What is that?" She couldn't help but ask. It was the first time that Charles asked her to sign something. She couldn't help but wonder what it was.

Suddenly, the excitement that she felt earlier changed into something that she couldn't explain. Her heart rate doubled as she stared at the envelope on the top of the glass table.

"It's the divorce papers," Charles said without beating around the bush. He was looking intently at her. "You just need to sign it and I will take care of everything," he added as if her opinion doesn't matter anymore.

It was like a bomb dropped in front of her. She felt like her knees turned into jelly.

Elizabeth wasn't prepared to hear what Charles just said. She felt like her heart was stabbed by a sharp object.

It was as if there was something heavy that fell on her stomach that made her unable to breathe properly.

She suddenly wished that she just died. She wished like plants, she was just dying.

She never expected to hear those words from Charles, all she had on her mind was the baby that they were about to have.

Not this soon. She thought she still had the time to prove that she could give him an heir. So, what's happening?

She thought that once she let him know about her pregnancy, he wouldn't file a divorce but the man didn't even give her a chance to tell him the surprise that she had for him.

She was staring blankly at the divorce paper that he placed on the top of the glass table.

She felt like her body was shaking as she was trying to digest what he said.

Divorce papers. Was this how everything that she sacrificed would end?

She knew that she was trembling because of shock.

"Hey, what else are you looking at? Hurry up!" Charles yelled at her which made her startled. She felt like her heart had already fallen because of the growling voice of the man.

Why she haven't learned? Wasn't Charles always like this every time that he wanted something from her?

Why did she raise her hopes so high and now she felt like her whole world crashed because of what the man wanted her to do?

"Are you just going to stand there? What else are you waiting for? Go and sign that paper," Charles yelled again. "I couldn't believe I had a wife like you. Goodness!"

Elizabeth tried her best to take a step and do what Charles wanted her to do. She slowly walked towards the table where Charles was standing next to it.

Charles shook his head while looking at her and then he clicked his tongue.

"For God sake, Ellie! Can you act a bit faster? You're so slow, you know? Like a snail. That's what exactly I hate about you," Charles shouted impatiently.

She could sense the irritation from his voice.

She looked at the man's face and she could see that annoyance was written all over his face. Charles quickly looked away when she tried to look at his eyes.

There were a lot of questions that were running through her mind especially now that she's pregnant with Charles' child.

Why was fate so cruel to her? She waited for so long to conceive again and when it happened, Charles wanted them to have a divorce. Life was just so unfair.

"C--- Can I ask you wh--- why?" Elizabeth stammered as she tried to get an answer for the questions that she had inside her mind. "Wh--- why did you want us to get a divorce? Why all of a sudden? Isn't today our third wedding anniversary? I even prepared a yummy dinner for us. I was hoping that you would like it. I prepared all your favourite dishes," she said in a crack voice. Elizabeth couldn't contain her emotions anymore. She didn't notice that her tears were already dripping from her eyes.

She saw that Charles was about to open his mouth but before words could come out, they suddenly heard a voice echoing to the living room. It was calling for Charles.

"Babe…" Elizabeth couldn't be mistaken, the voice was familiar to her. She felt like there was a bucket of cold water that was poured out all over her body. That endearment, she knew who it was.

Without waiting for Charles to answer, she immediately signed the divorce paper.

She turned around and then she took the water hose. She continued whatever she was doing before Charles arrived.

Elizabeth didn't bother to turn her head and checked Charles. He already had what he wanted so there was no sense to check on him.

She watered the plants as her tears continued to flow out from her eyes. Her tears were unstoppable like the water coming out from the hose. She cried her heart out while praying for the strength for her to get through this dark moment of her life.

"Congratulations!"

"Congratulations!"

The people shouted as they clapped their hands and this dragged her back to her senses.

Before everyone could notice her, she turned her back and came out of the banquet but before she could reach her car, she felt a hard thing hit her from behind.