Chapter 4 A HURTING PAST

A YEAR AGO

"What? You want a divorce?" Albert scoffed and chugged down the remaining glass of drink at a go. Even when it burnt his throat, he didn't stop until the glass was empty.

When he finished, he dropped the glass down on the table with irritation and faced his wife squarely.

"Say it again. What did you just say?"

His eyes were bloodshot. Tiffany didn't know if it was as a result of the drink he took or from what she just said. Her fingers clasped onto each other. She was nervous.

As if she was preparing for a movie role, she had practised her lines. She went as far as listing the possible things Albert would say once she mentioned the divorce to him and noted her possible responses to it all.

But now that it was finally happening, Tiffany wasn't sure she was ready. She took a deep breath. She could feel her husband's glare plastered on her, as if daring her to go on and repeat what she just said if she wanted to live.

"Albert, I want.. I want a divorce. I can't do this anymore..." she stuttered, surprised at her own ability to still talk despite the way her chest was pounding.

"You can't be serious..." Albert laughed scornfully.

He started menacingly towards her. "You want a divorce? Or you want my money? You think asking me for a divorce will give you a right to any of my properties?"

"No, Albert. You know that's not it..."

Her voice was shaky.

"Then what!" His voice thundered, sending waves of fear into her.

Tiffany reeled backwards. No matter what she wasn't backing away. She was done with it all. Done with soaking her pillows each night with her own tears knowing that her dear husband was in the arms of another woman.

She forced her eyes shut and opened it after a short while.

Albert was boiling, fuming, pacing around. How dare his wife ask him for divorce after six years of their marriage. He did everything a man was supposed to do for his wife. He fed her, clothed her, gave her a roof to keep her head and now what? She dared to ask him for divorce.

"Think about it again. But I assure you, you won't get a dime of my wealth!" He spun and started to storm away.

"That girl..." Tiffany began. Her voice was grazed with fear. She knew what she was about to do was crazy.

Albert turned to face her again. His brows were wrinkled into a deep frown.

"You have been sleeping with her..."

"What?"

She swallowed hard. Her chest was pounding but not it wasn't like the first time she found out her husband had been a chronic cheat. That night she regretted not confronting him. She believed his lies and prayed and hoped he would finally come to his senses and come back to her. But each time, she saw that he grew worse and worse. He never changed. He never came back to her.

"You have been cheating on me with her, haven't you?"

Albert stopped in his tracks. Of course he knew his wife suspected of his cheating but he had never imagined her speaking to him about it. That was who Tiffany was. One that chugged down whatever life threw at her without complaining.

"So? Is that why you want a divorce?"

Tiffany's eyes pinched. she couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Huh..."

"Yes, so what? You always knew I was cheating with her and now you want a divorce after all these years? You put up with it all these time and now what? You want a divorce?"

"Albert..." Tiffany's voice broke. She couldn't believe the man standing before her was the man she married. The man she loved and gave her youth.

The more he spoke, the more she doubted the identity of the man before her. She had thought the moment she mentioned it to him, he would ask for forgiveness. For the sake of their six years of marriage, for the sake of their five year old daughter. How could he be so shameless?

"Think about this Tiffany. Don't make a decision you will end up regretting," Albert said, turned and headed for his bedroom.

For more than a minute, Tiffany just stood rooted to the spot. She watched as the figure of the man she had loved disappeared into the corridor and then she heard the shut of the door.

It took her a lot for her weakened legs to not drop to the ground the next second.

She heard a ruffle sound behind her and turned.

"Shawn baby... why are you up? Do you want something?"

She hurried over to her five year old daughter. Tiffany hoped Shawn hadn't seen or heard her arguing with her father. She couldn't let her innocent sweet child into the adults' mess.

Shawn looked up to meet her mother's eyes. They were red.

"Don't cry mummy," she said innocently.

Tiffany felt her heart shattered into several pieces.

She plopped down to her knees and pulled the little girl into her arms.

She was sobbing at the same time sniffing back her tears as she held her daughter tightly in her arms as though she would vanish if she let go.

Perhaps Albert was right. Perhaps it was best she continued to play blind eyes to him even if he cheated with all women in the world. She had to do it, for her daughter, for their marriage that people envied.

Maybe Tiffany would have dropped the idea of divorce and put up with her husband for her entire lifetime. Except that a week later, she was visited by a young beautiful lady after she just dropped Shawn off at school.

"Hello, I'm not sure the introductions are important since we will be seeing each other more often. You know me right?"

Tiffany looked at the woman before her. Her fingers tightened around the doorknob. How could she not remember her? Agnes. The gutsy woman that shared her husband with her.

"What are you doing here?" She gritted at her.

"Well, let's just say I thought to drop by. Maybe if you could let me in for a moment," Agnes said casually.

Before Tiffany could say anything, Agnes pushed through and got into the house.

"What do you think you are doing right now!" Tiffany sneered.

"Relax ma'am. I will just have a look and take my leave."

"What?" Tiffany was enraged. She wasn't just a gold digger and a homewrecker, but she was shameless.

Agnes walked around the living room, regarding the house.

"Leave my house this minute while I'm being nice,"

Tiffany sneered. Her voice vibrated but it wasn't of fear but was of anger, fury and disbelief.

Agnes raised her hands in the air in surrender. "Of course I will take my leave. I only came to see the situation of the house. Well, it's manageable."

She started heading for the door but then she stopped when she was almost at the door.

"I won't be nice like this by the time I fully pack into the house," she raised her hand and waved her fingers at Tiffany's face. A golden ring immediately flashed before Tiffany's eyes.

"Ah, this? Albert proposed marriage to me and I said yesss," Agnes said, stressing the yes part.

Tiffany was frozen with shock.

Agnes laughed. The mortified look on Tiffany's face were satisfying to watch. "If you are wise, you should get a divorce quickly. Bye, see you soon." She said in a sing-song tone as she finally sauntered out of the house.

Tiffany's fist clenched very hard. She wanted to go after her, pull her back and drag her hair until not a single strand of it was left.

Albert had made her a laughing stock. This was just the height of it. She thought deciding to turn a blind eye to his sins for the sake of their daughter will end it all but now she just realised it only made him more shameless.

This life wasn't what she wanted for her child. Not this space, not in the same house.

That night when Albert returned from work, Tiffany was at the door waiting for him with the divorce papers. Her signature was already stamped on it.

"Sign the papers, Albert. Let's get a divorce," she had told him without mincing words. Without even a stutter. That moment, she was sure more than anything that that was what was best for herself and her daughter.

The only thing that Tiffany regretted was not doing it years ago.