CAROLINE
Mother, Father, I've married an older man.
His smile sends the bad days away. His touch is like silk and cotton. He smells fresh and young - perhaps that's what makes it so right despite the thirteen years difference. He looks at me like I'm his most prized possession. He showers it all on me- his money, his love, kisses, affection and his dick too. He's never stingy with it- especially the last one.
I am… happy. I am… so happy.
I was… happy.
"What do you mean… a divorce?" with each word my voice shook into a whisper as tears blur my vision and teardrops fell onto the papers I held with a tight grip.
I lift my head to him causing the tears to roll down my cheek. His serious and pointed look drives my heart further into panic. I wish he would suddenly burst out laughing and tease me that it was only a joke.
I won't make him beg too much about pulling a prank too seriously. I'll even suck him off and fuck him back to his senses-- I-I'd take anything… please…?
Malcolm sighs and pinches the space between his brows out of habit. I see how he clenches hard on his jaw and I gulp waiting for him to speak. I don't even realise my hands are shaking until I look at them.
My heart breaks further when I see his signature. He already signed this? He had his mind made up that he was ending us without even wanting to talk things out.
I try hard enough to think of our relationship in the past few days. We've had no quarrels in the past week only for Malcolm's sudden silent treatment to which I tried to start up a conversation several times but all he did was kiss my head and tell me to go to bed. How am I supposed to understand him if all I get are kisses like I'm in kindergarten?
"Caroline," his tone is harsh, impatient and cold. The three attributes he threw to his family instead when they tried to come after me, calling me a gold-digger for marrying their only son. "Let's not push this back and forth," he says, causing my heart to sink even deeper as he turns away from me. "Just sign the papers. You'll be compensated-"
"I don’t want your bloody money!" I scream, throwing the papers at him. They bounce off his wide back in his three piece suit and fall to the floor. I stare at him with trembling lips and a clenched fist. "How can you fuckin do this to me?" I whisper.
His silence greets him and I hear myself sniff pathetically. Here I am, crying over a man who wouldn't even spare me a glance nor an explanation.
"See yourself out when you're done," he says and my jaw drops in shock. He starts to walk away but I don't let him go. I'm too pissed to let the conversation end like this so I grab him by the wrist and pull. He doesn't budge as he's a large man while I'm a pretty small lady.
He stops walking though and I take that. I quickly stand in front of him, so close that he flinches with his eyes going wide. He steps away from me and he turns his face away.
His behaviour is strange but it doesn't take long before it hits me and I find myself sniffing the air.
Perfume. I can smell perfume all around him.
Gripped with shock at my new discovery, I move closer but he avoids me with a sign of irritation on his brows.
"Who is she?" I threw it out there and the words echoed in my own ears. I'm not only hurt, I'm pissed now because I can see the signs all around him. His tie is loosened and out of place on his neck, he's missing a button, his hair is dishevelled like some bitch has been running her fingers in them and his neck-- oh my god! There's a faint red lipstick just underneath his collar. Squeezing my wide eyes shut, I scream, "Who is she? Who is the fucking bitch that you're moving with? Is this why you return home later than usual, huh?"
"Don't make this harder than it already is, Caroline," his voice doesn't change. He sounds like a stranger. I feel like I've been married to a stranger all these years. "Just sign it and leave. I have a house ready for you. Keep it-"
"That doesn't answer my question. Is this why you're filing for a divorce? You want to be with her instead?" I step closer to him, pushing my body against him and he tries to keep me away with his hands on my shoulders. "Answer me, Malcolm! You've been acting fucking weird these past few days! Is this it? Is this the end of us? You're divorcing me to be with some other bitch-"
"Caroline!" He yells, jerking my shoulders and causing my heart to jump. I stare into the eyes of the man who betrayed my trust, my love and our marriage. I can still smell the damn flowery perfume and it's doing nothing to calm me down.
Looking right into his eyes, I search for the husband I've been familiar with all these years. The one who stood by me when his mother gave me nothing but shit and his ten year old from another woman refused to accept us.
"Sign the papers and leave. We're through," he says each word with finality in his tone to burn them right into my skull and once he lets go of me, I don't jump into his face anymore. I am more weakened by his unshaken resolve to divorce me to react to his harsh treatment.
I catch his hand, holding his palm with gentleness and care like he would break. I look down at our joined hands, sniffling and crying even further.
"Y-You don't mean that," I assure myself. "W-We can t-talk about it. Is this because I mentioned having another child last time? I'm sorry," I place my free hand on his cheek to keep his eyes on mine.
"We don't need another baby," I shake my head. "It's okay. I can handle Marylin. I hold nothing against her. I understand she misses her mother and would want you two to be together. It's normal ten year old behaviour. I understand. I can try harder for Ma to like me," I move closer and wrap my arms around his waist, putting my cheek on his chest.
"Don't do this," my voice breaks and the tears only intensify. "Please don't. I don't want to lose you."
I notice his hand is clenched hard with all the veins popping out like he's holding back.
Please touch me. Please touch me and let's put this behind us. I beg in my head as I squeeze my eyes shut, letting the tears fall.
"It's no use now."
I gasp at the familiar voice and look towards the door. My mother-in-law, Irene York also known as Madam York- steps into the room wearing her black fur coat, tight white pants and her face in an unusual pitiful look.
"You had three years to change my mind about you but this is the end of it. I wish you were divorcing for my reason," she rolls her eyes. "Quick, quick, sign them now. The new Mrs. Will be on her way here soon. Since you care about Marylin, you should see yourself out."
The news hit me like a bomb especially when I'm no longer clinging to Malcolm. I'm shaking and almost gasping for breath as I snap my head to him.
He doesn't avoid my gaze nor does he deny it either and I can see the truth in his eyes that stare down at me with so much malice.
When did his eyes start to hate me? They were always filled with fascination, admiration, love and respect.
"You're... marrying... Louise," I speak more to myself than to him as I am still in shock. "you're... marrying her. Why-"
"Sign the papers," are the only things he says before he's walking away like he can't see me hurting. Once he leaves, I am all alone with Madam York who has her eyes on the floor as she looks all over the document.
"Pick up the trash and keep 'em on the table on your way out, Caroline. You must never speak to anyone that you were married to a big shot like my son. I have no interest in being likened up to the likes of you," she sighs. "It's a good thing Malcolm thought to keep this sham of a marriage a secret. Imagine the disrespect I'd have had to put up with."
"Malcolm and a gold digger!" She scoffs. "The news will never let me hear the last of it. Hurry it up!"
I bend to pick the papers and I arrange them, ignoring that I'm shaking from the news. I grab the pen on the table and I sign with tears blurring my vision.
After signing, the papers are snatched from my hands and a few bodyguard shows up, holding my suitcases-about fifteen and even more since my clothes were over-
"Spending my son's money on such useless things. It doesn't matter how much you try. You can never wipe a leopard's spot,"Madam York spits behind me in all her venom. "Take it as part of the compensation-"
"I don't need it," I clench my fists and start to walk away. She can keep it all! His gifts, his money, his damned house!
"You'll see them in your new place-"
"I don't need his damned house! Leave me alone!" I spin on my heels and scream and Madam York flinches with her hand over her chest.
It doesn't take long for her shocked face to turn into a scowl because she's screaming and calling me a psychopath as I walk away, hurrying to get away from under the sound of her voice.
I rush down the stairs and I'm greeted with Marylin's giggle as well as Louise's laugh in the living room. I can't bring myself to see the happy couple. I can't bring myself to take a last look at Malcolm's new family so I run out, barefooted into the cold and dark night.
I can hear their laughter buried deep into my brain as I hurry away from the mansion I've called "home" for the past three years with no money in my pocket, no job, nothing but tears and a shattered heart.
I stop and turn to behold the mansion once more and there's a flame in my heart. A deep flame that makes it hard for me to breathe.
Amidst the depth of my wrath, eaten knee-deep till I feel nothing but a moving darkness, thick as clouds in my heart and only one thing flashes across my thoughts; I don't know how or when but I know that Malcolm will come to realise the monster he has turned me into.
I'm turning to leave when suddenly a bag was pulled over my head and something soft was held against my nose. I struggle against the hand holding me in place but I'm soon losing consciousness and falling into a deep slumber.
