REINCARNATED

At the Gregory family house, Alex, the poor son-in-law of the family, was seen cleaning and mopping the floors of the large living room while his wife, Selena, and her friends sat on the couch, drinking and chatting.

Alexander Hamilton, once a promising young man, had fallen on hard times. He married Selena, the Gregory family's eldest daughter, but the union was far from loving. Selena had married him out of pity and because of his handsome looks, yet she showed him no love and treated him with disdain.

Selena's friends watched him as he tidied up the room. Alex ignored their mocking gazes and continued his work. No one in the house respected him, not even the driver. He was the least important person in the family, and no one gave a damn about him.

"Hey, Alex," Selena, his wife, called him, and Alex immediately stopped what he was doing and rushed to meet her.

"Yes?" he answered as he stood before his wife and her two friends.

"I want you to get me and my friends a new bottle of wine from the cellar," Selena said with a smile.

"Alright," Alex nodded and walked off to get the wine.

"He's such an obedient boy," Linda, one of Selena's friends, mocked as Alex walked off.

Alex descended the stairs to the cellar, his mind heavy with thoughts. He often wondered how his life had come to this. Once ambitious and full of dreams, he was now reduced to a servant in his own home. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to leave Selena, even with all the humiliation. He still harbored a faint hope that one day things might change.

As he reached the cellar and selected a bottle of their finest wine, he heard faint laughter and gossip from upstairs. They were undoubtedly making fun of him again. With a sigh, he grabbed the wine and made his way back, preparing himself for more of their ridicule.

When he returned, Selena's friends were giggling. He handed the bottle to Selena, who barely acknowledged his presence.

"Pour us some," she ordered, holding out her glass.

Alex complied, pouring wine for Selena and her friends. As he did, he overheard snippets of their conversation, each word a reminder of how little they thought of him.

"Why do you even keep him around?" one of the friends asked.

"He's useful," Selena replied with a smirk. "And besides, I can't just throw him out. He'd be homeless."

The words stung, but Alex showed no reaction. He finished pouring the wine and stepped back, awaiting further orders.

As the evening wore on, the laughter and chatter continued, with Alex dutifully attending to their every need. When the night finally ended, and Selena's friends had left, Alex quietly cleaned up the mess they had left behind.

Selena, who was now alone with Alex, looked at him with a mixture of contempt and pity. "You know, you could make things easier on yourself if you just left," she said with a smirk.

Alex looked at her, and his eyes reflected years of unspoken pain. "I can't leave," he said simply. He didn't elaborate, and Selena didn't press him. She turned and walked away, leaving him alone in the empty living room.

As Alex continued cleaning the room and making sure everything was in order, Mr. Gregory and his wife arrived. Alex became agitated as they entered the living room.

"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Gregory," Alex greeted them with a nervous smile.

"Evening, Alex," Mr. Gregory replied with a faint smile, but Mrs. Gregory gave Alex a hateful look as she sat on one of the couches.

She dipped her hand in her bag and brought out some documents.

"Get over here and sign these documents," Mrs. Gregory said coldly, stretching the documents towards Alex.

Alex immediately walked to her and collected the documents. As he glanced through them, his eyes widened in shock when he saw that they were divorce papers.

"These are divorce papers," Alex muttered in shock as he moved his gaze to Mrs. Gregory, who was seated beside her husband.

"Yes, they are," Mrs. Gregory replied with a scornful look on her face. "I want you to sign those papers right now."

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Alex replied, then placed the documents on the table in front of Mrs. Gregory.

"What?!" Mrs. Gregory exclaimed angrily. "What the hell do you mean that you can't sign the papers?"

"Calm down, sweetie," Mr. Gregory said to his wife, but she was too angry to calm down.

"You expect me to calm down when a poor and jobless man is married to my daughter and still living in our house?!" Mrs. Gregory shouted.

Selena heard the commotion and came downstairs to the living room.

"What's going on?" she asked, glancing at Alex and then at her parents.

"Tell your stupid and poor husband to sign these divorce papers right now!" Mrs. Gregory demanded.

"Divorce papers?" Selena said with a surprised expression.

"Yes," Mrs. Gregory nodded.

"When did you get them?" Selena asked as she moved closer.

"Your father and I had our lawyer process them today, and I need both of you to sign them right now," Mrs. Gregory replied.

"I can't sign them," Alex said quietly but firmly.

Mrs. Gregory's face turned red with anger. "Why not?" she demanded.

"Because I still love Selena," Alex replied, his voice steady.

Selena looked at him in disbelief. "You're a fool," she spat.

"Maybe," Alex said, "but I can't help how I feel."

Mrs. Gregory stood up, her face contorted with rage. "Then we'll make you leave," she threatened. "One way or another."

Selena picked up a pen from the table and signed the papers without hesitation. Alex was surprised when she signed the papers. Although he had expected her to sign them, a part of him was sad and heartbroken that she did so without a second thought.

"Come on, Alex. Sign the papers," Selena said as she stretched the papers towards him.

"I'm not signing anything, Selena," Alex replied, shaking his head in disagreement.

The room fell into a tense silence as everyone stared at Alex in disbelief. Mrs. Gregory's face turned red with fury, and she stood up, glaring at Alex.

"How dare you refuse? After everything we've done for you, is this how you repay us? By refusing a simple request?" Mrs. Gregory spat.

Alex stood his ground, his hands trembling slightly but his resolve firm. "I'm not signing the papers," he repeated. "I love Selena, and I won't give up on our marriage."

Selena rolled her eyes and sighed. "You're pathetic, Alex. Just sign the papers and leave. You know this marriage was never real to me."

Mr. Gregory, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "Maybe we should give him some time to think about it. Forcing him won't help."

"No," Mrs. Gregory snapped. "He signs now, or he faces the consequences."

Before Alex could respond, the eldest son of the Gregory family, Mark, entered the room. He had overheard the argument and was ready to take matters into his own hands.

"What's the problem here?" Mark asked, eyeing Alex with disdain.

"He refuses to sign the divorce papers," Mrs. Gregory said, her voice shaking with anger.

Mark smirked and walked up to Alex. "You really think you have a choice, don't you?" he said, his tone menacing. "Sign the papers, or I'll make sure you regret it."

Alex looked at Mark, then at Selena, and finally at the rest of the family. He knew they would never stop until they got what they wanted. But he also knew that signing those papers would mean giving up on the little dignity he had left.

"I won't sign," he said quietly but firmly.

Mark's smirk vanished, replaced by a cold, hard expression. "You'll regret this," he said.

Mrs. Gregory's face twisted with rage as she looked at Alex. "You ungrateful wretch," she spat. "After everything we've done for you, you dare to defy us? If you don't sign these papers within twenty-four hours, you'll regret ever setting foot in this house. Mark my words, Alex. Sign them, or face the consequences."

With that, she turned on her heel and stormed upstairs, her footsteps echoing through the house. The tension in the room was palpable.

Selena, who had been watching the scene unfold with a mixture of boredom and irritation, hissed at Alex. "You're a fool, Alex. Just sign the papers and get out of our lives." She shot him a look of utter contempt before turning and walking away, her heels clicking on the polished floor.

Alex stood there, feeling the weight of their disdain pressing down on him. He was left alone with Mr. Gregory, who had remained silent throughout the confrontation.

Mr. Gregory rose slowly to his feet and approached Alex. His demeanor was calm, almost sorrowful. "Alex," he began softly, "I don't support this divorce. I never have. But my wife and Selena are determined. They've made up their minds, and nothing I say will change that."

He paused, placing a hand on Alex's shoulder. "You have to understand the position you're in. As much as I believe in trying to make a marriage work, sometimes it's better to let go. For everyone's sake. Sign the papers, Alex. It's the only way to bring peace to this household."

Alex looked up at Mr. Gregory, searching his face for any sign of hope or support. But all he saw was resignation and a sad acceptance of the situation.

"I can't," Alex said quietly. "I can't just give up."

Mr. Gregory sighed, removing his hand from Alex's shoulder. "Think about it, Alex. You have twenty-four hours to decide. But know this, refusing to sign those papers will only bring more pain and suffering. Not just to you, but to everyone involved."

With that, Mr. Gregory turned and walked away, leaving Alex standing alone in the vast living room. The silence that followed was deafening. Alex felt a lump rise in his throat, and he also felt the weight of his decision bearing down on him.

He knew he was at a crossroads. As he glanced at the divorce papers on the table, he knew that the next twenty-four hours would determine his future.

"What am I going to do?" he muttered to himself as he picked up the divorce papers.

He stared at his wife's signature on the document, his heart breaking as he remembered how quickly she had signed them. The coldness of her actions left him feeling empty and betrayed.

Gathering his thoughts, Alex went upstairs to their bedroom. He needed to talk to Selena, to make her understand how much he loved her. As he entered the room, he saw her sitting in front of the mirror, carefully applying her night cream. The soft glow of the vanity lights highlighted her indifferent expression.

"Have you signed the papers?" she asked without looking at him, her tone flat and uninterested.

Alex swallowed hard, taking a step closer. "No, I haven't signed them," he said quietly. "And I won't. I love you, Selena."

Selena paused for a moment, then scoffed, a mocking laugh escaping her lips. She turned to face him, her eyes filled with disdain. "Are you blind, Alex? Can't you see that I don't love you? I never have."

Her words cut through him like a knife. He stood there, feeling exposed and vulnerable, struggling to find the right words. "Selena, I know things haven't been perfect, but we can work through this. I still believe in us."

Selena rolled her eyes, clearly irritated. "There's no 'us,' Alex. There never was. I married you out of pity and because you were handsome. But that's it. You mean nothing to me."

Alex felt a wave of despair wash over him. He had known deep down that she didn't love him, but hearing her say it out loud was more painful than he could have imagined.

"I can't just give up on you," he said, his voice trembling. "I can't just walk away."

Selena stood up and walked over to him, her expression cold and unyielding. "Well, you need to. Sign the papers and leave. There's nothing left for you here."

Alex looked into her eyes, searching for any trace of the woman he had once believed in. But all he saw was a stranger, someone who had no place for him in her heart.

"I'm not signing anything," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Not now, not ever."

Selena laughed again, and the sound was harsh and unforgiving. "Suit yourself, Alex. But you're only making things harder for yourself," she said.

With that, she turned away, dismissing him as if he were nothing more than an inconvenience. She climbed the bed and covered herself with a duvet.

Alex stood there for a moment longer, feeling the weight of his decision pressing down on him. He knew he was fighting a losing battle, but he couldn't bring himself to let go. Not yet.

Alex was about to lie on the bed when Selena suddenly sat upright.

"You can't sleep in this bed tonight, Alex," she said with a serious expression on her face.

"Why?" Alex asked with a confused expression.

"Because you haven't signed the divorce papers," she replied.

"But we are still married," Alex said as he tried to reason with her. But Selena shook her head in disagreement.

"To me, we are no longer couples. So get out and sleep anywhere except this room," Selena said harshly.

Alex sighed, then he left the bedroom and returned to the living room with the divorce papers still clutched in his hand. He sank into a chair, staring at the documents with his mind racing.

The night felt colder than usual as Alex sat in the dimly lit living room, clutching the divorce papers. His heart ached from the harsh words Selena had thrown at him, but his mind was a tumult of conflicting thoughts. The silence of the house was punctuated only by the ticking of a nearby clock, each second amplifying his sense of isolation.

He glanced around the room, filled with memories of his attempts to win the affection of a family that never accepted him. His thoughts drifted back to the early days of his marriage when he had believed that love and perseverance would eventually soften Selena's heart. But those hopes had been in vain.

"How did it come to this?" he wondered aloud, his voice barely more than a whisper in the vast emptiness of the room. He knew deep down that the love he had for Selena was unrequited and perhaps always would be. But a part of him couldn't accept the finality of it all.

As the hours passed, Alex's resolve began to waver. The thought of leaving the Gregory family, of giving up on his marriage, filled him with dread. But the reality of his situation was undeniable. Selena's cold indifference and the family's blatant hostility left him with little choice.

"What should I do?" Alex asked himself as he lay on the couch, and before he knew it, he fell asleep.