Chapter 1 1

CHAPTER ONE

"You need to sign these,"

Jane Roberts almost dropped the frying pan she had been carrying across the room in fright. She glared at her husband who was still standing in the doorway, a brown envelope in his outstretched arms. "What is that? You scared me."

He didn't apologize or respond to her question. He simply walked out of the room.

Frowning, Jane walked out of the kitchen, frying pan in hand and followed him into the dining room. "What is that, Marcus?'

Marcus dropped the envelope on the table and sat down on one of the chairs. "Divorcee papers. I had my lawyers draw them up last week so they are ready and all you have to do is sign them."

Jane was stunned. "Did you just say divorce papers?"

Marcus raised an eyebrow, an irritated look on his face. "Did I stutter?" He got up from the chair, picked up his briefcase from the ground and walked away without sparing her another glance. The sound of the door slamming jolted Jane out of her reverie and she immediately took off after him, her ears ringing loudly.

"Honey, you didn't eat breakfast." She called out to him but he ignored her as he got into the car and drove off, the exhaust and fumes from the car blocking her view of his car as it disappeared out of sight.

Jane stood there for a few more minutes with a dazed expression on her face. Somehow the events of the last few minutes felt like a dream to her. There was no way Marcus would speak to her like that and serve her divorce papers.

She ran back into the house and made her way to the dining room. She picked up the envelope he had tossed on the table and held it in her shaky hands, fear of its contents gripping her.

"You can do this," she told herself as she opened the envelope slowly and withdrew the bound papers inside it.

Just as he had told her, the words, 'DIVORCE SETTLEMENT' were written in bold letters at the top of the paper.

The envelope slipped from her hand to the floor as she slumped to the ground, unshed tears clouded her vision. This had to be a silly prank because why would Marcus, the absolute love of her life do this to her?

"I'm not signing this," She whispered, wiping her tears with the back of her hand as she slowly rose to her feet. "I won't sign this. He can't treat me like this, I won't let him!"

She sniffed and picked up the frying pan she had left on the table and then walked back into the kitchen, her heart shattered.

After two years of loving Marcus and giving all of herself to him, this was how he wanted to repay her. Was this some sort of sick joke?

"He's probably going through something at work and is taking it out on me." She muttered to herself as she placed the frying pan back on the cooker and covered it, her appetite gone.

She walked out and took the stairs to her room where she slumped on the bed and gave in to the tears

***

"I'm coming," Jane yelled as she ran down the stairs, adjusting her bathrobe. She had just stepped out of the shower when she heard the doorbell. After crying herself to sleep, she woke up with a headache and felt the need to revive her body the best she could with everything that was going on.

"I said I'm coming, hold on," she sighed and looked through the peephole frowning when she saw an unfamiliar face staring back at her. She didn't know this man. Who was he and what did he want?

Panic set in and she took a deep breath instantly to calm her nerves. She left the person standing there and ran back upstairs to her room to get her phone. She wasn't expecting anyone so the man hadn't come for her. Perhaps Marcus knew him and had sent him to pick up something.

She dialled his number as she made her way back down the stairs again, scoffing when it went straight to voicemail. She tried his number again a few more times but it went to voicemail as well. She hung her head and stared at her phone helplessly at a loss for what to do next.

The doorbell rang again followed by a series of knocks on the door signalling that the man was getting impatient. With a resigned sigh, she walked to the door and opened it, blocking the way with her body. "Can I help you?"

The man's hand was raised as if he had been about to knock. As he saw her, he smiled and took a step back, bowing his head slightly. "I am Mark."

She raised one brown in question. "I don't recognize you, Mr. Mark."

He nodded and took a step forward, towering over her easily by two inches. "Mr. Dreame sent me and my team." He said and it was then she noticed the van parked in the driveway with a sketchy sketchy-lookingman inside it.

"What can I do for you?" she asked him, her guard up and completely alert.

"Mr. Dreame sent us here to help you pack. He said you were leaving the house today."

"What?" Jane gasped, her mouth falling open in shock at his words. Did Marcus ask these men to come and kick her out of their own house? "I think there's been a mistake. Maybe you can give him a call to confirm."

She remembered he didn't pick up her calls so he most definitely wouldn't be available to pick his either.

"Of course." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number, placing it on speakerphone so Jane could hear. The call went through on the first ring and then Marcus' shrill voice rang through the earpiece.

"Is it done? Have you kicked the bitch out yet?"

Jane's heart sank to the pit of her stomach as she heard his voice. She felt insulted that he had picked up a total stranger's call barely a few minutes after he had missed hers. The fact that he had called her a bitch...

The man sent her a sympathetic sigh and took the phone off speakerphone but the damage to Jane's fragile heart was unrepairable. She walked back into the house like a zombie, tears clouding her vision. All she could feel was pain shooting through her entire body. She wanted to scream, to shout, to groan, anything but she felt too weak to do any of those.

Slumping on one of the sofas, she held her head in her hands and the tears began to fall, slowly at first and then it became a shower, an uncontrollable downpour of salty water down her cheeks.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting like that before the man walked in and touched her arm gently. She flinched at his touch and glared up at him.

He held up his arms in a show of surrender and sighed. "look ma'am I mean you no harm, I'm just doing my job."

She nodded despite herself knowing he was right. "I know." She whimpered and reached for his arm. "Why would he do this to me?" she asked him, her voice so low he almost didn't hear her.

"I am sorry ma'am but I can't answer that." He took a step back after making sure she was steady on her feet and sent her a sad smile. "I am so sorry."

Ten minutes later, Jane made her way down the stairs with her things, her steps unsure and reckless. When she got to the last step, the man came over to help her but she brushed him aside and made her way to the door.

"Do you need me to drop you off?" he asked but she didn't reply as she opened the door and shut the door behind her with a bang. The sound echoed in her head as she left the compound and the home she had considered hers for two years.

The man stood on the porch and watched Jane's dejected-retreating-form with concern and pity in his eyes. He knew men like Marcus were bastards but he couldn't do anything about it because it was that bastard that would be paying his bills. He sighed as he reached for his phone and called Marcus who picked up on the first ring.

"So? Has she left yet?'

He clenched his fists, his eyes closed as he replied. "She is gone, sir. The job is done."