Chapter 1 Divorce

Brenda Sanchez was lying naked in bed after a long and passionate sex. She was so exhausted that she could barely lift a finger.

Draped over her sweaty and trembling body were Miguel Hamilton's arm and leg. He was spooning her so tightly as though he wanted the two of them to literally become one.

The strong smell of alcohol and the man's heavy breathing intertwined. She felt as though she was going to melt in his arms any moment from now. As her breathing came in gasps, her heart was beating so fast that she feared her chest was about to burst open.

They had been married for three long years, but this was the first time he was hugging her like this.

His hold was so sensual and loving. Brenda almost thought that he was in love with her.

Much to her dismay, Miguel heaved deeply and muttered against her ear, "Veronica..."

Brenda's breathing stopped, and so did her tremors. The blood in her veins also seemed to stop flowing. A chill overwhelmed her all of a sudden.

He had just called another woman's name after fucking her like crazy.

Miguel was drunk. So drunk that he thought he was in bed with Veronica Ballard.

As Brenda felt a pang of pain in her heart, she turned around and looked at the man's face. She slapped his cheek gently and said, "Open your eyes, Miguel. Look at me. I'm your wife, Brenda Sanchez."

It took a while for Miguel to steady his gaze on her face. And once he did, his eyes widened in shock and anger. "Get out of my bed!"

Before Brenda could blink, he pulled her out of the bed.

"You whore! Haven't you done enough? You made your brother hurt Veronica, tricked me into marrying you, and now, you even took advantage of my drunkenness to sleep with me!" Miguel roared.

He sneered and continued, "Just so you know, you will never take Veronica's place. You will always be a mobile blood bank. No more, no less. The earlier you get that into your thick skull, the better for you!"

This wasn't the first time Miguel was getting short with her, but it still hurt like hell.

Three years ago, Brenda's brother, Victor Sanchez was in the same car with Veronica and they met with an accident. Although Victor came out with just minor injuries, Veronica's life was hanging by a thread. Victor refused to speak about how the accident happened. As a result, he was sent to prison for intentional attempted homicide.

Brenda's parents were heartbroken. As their last resort, they begged her to save her brother. They had entered into an arrangement that demanded Brenda donate blood to Veronica since they were both of the same blood type, Rh-negative. As long as she did that, Victor would be released early.

Brenda agreed without giving it much thought. She reasoned that donating blood wasn't so bad, but there was a catch. She demanded that Miguel marry her.

Her reason was simple. She loved him. He was the only man she had eyes for.

For the longest time, she tried to better herself in hopes that she would one day have the guts to profess her love to him. But after the incident, she knew that she had zero chances.

Miguel would either refuse, ridicule her, or even both.

Now, as she stared at his eyes which were filled with nothing but disgust and anger, she clenched her hands so tight that her fingernails hurt her palms. "Miguel, we don't have to stay married. Since you are so disgusted with me, let's divorce."

Miguel's eyes instantly narrowed to slits.

"Do you take me for a fool or something? What stunt are you trying to pull again?"

Tears made Brenda's eyes sting as her heart ached. She expelled a hot breath and widened her eyes to stop the tears from falling.

"I'm not trying to pull any stunt. Miguel, I am just tired." Choking with a sob, she said, "Too tired, actually."

Brenda had reached her breaking point. She didn't want to go on torturing him and herself. There was more to life than this, right?

When he didn't speak, she continued sadly, "Don't you hate me? Don't you want to be with the love of your life, Veronica? This is me trying to fulfill your wish. Haven't you always wanted to get rid of me? Why are you not taking the offer now?"

After staring at her for a good minute, Miguel threw on his clothes and turned around. He was on his way out when he turned and gave her a warning over his shoulder.

"Be at the courthouse at ten o'clock tomorrow. Don't even think of standing me up. Otherwise... Anyway, you know what I can do."

With that, he stormed out and slammed the door behind him. Brenda collapsed on the carpet. She curled up slowly and hugged her knees, all alone in the dimly lit room.

It was torture for Brenda to get out of bed the next morning. She had spent the rest of the night thinking and sobbing. Every inch of her body, especially her private part, was sore. Nonetheless, she managed to dress up and walk out of the house. She took a taxi to the courthouse.

Minutes after she arrived, a Rolls-Royce pulled up in the premises. Miguel stepped out and walked into the building.

"Don't regret this. Remember it was your idea," he said coldly as soon as he saw her.

Staring him dead in the eye, Brenda said with a pale face, "Not to worry, I won't regret this. I'm sure it's all for the best."

Miguel's face darkened and his eyes turned hard at the sight of her strong resolve.

In a matter of minutes, their three-year-old marriage was dissolved.

Brenda had thought she was going to be sad as soon as she signed her name on the divorce papers. To her greatest surprise, she was very calm and her eyes didn't sting due to tears.

But could it be that Brenda wasn't sad at all?

Far from it. She was sad. However, her sadness was nowhere near the relief that she currently felt.

"This is it, Miguel. We don't have to see each other again. I wish you success in all your endeavors. Goodbye." After a jaunty little wave, she turned around to leave.

"Wait!"