Chapter 5 I'm Leaving

"What? How is that possible? You only came back into the country just yesterday, so how can you be pregnant?" Chloe said in a tone of disbelief.

Doris laughed out hysterically, "You remember the business trip he had two months ago in Switzerland? He was with me, and we sure had a good time together. The seed is growing right here in my stomach." She rubbed her stomach and smiled.

Nora stepped back involuntarily as she tried to process what she had just heard. "His girlfriend is pregnant for him, and she's yet to tell him about her own pregnancy," she thought inwardly.

"So you see, you don't stand a chance at all. He is divorcing you soon and marrying me. I just thought to tell you so it won't be a surprise to you when it finally happens," Doris revealed, a sinister grin plastered on her face as she walked back into the bedroom.

Nora rushed into her room and landed on the bed with a heavy thud. Her pained cry echoed through the room, her pillow soaking in tears.

She suddenly got up from the bed and wiped her tears aggressively. "That's it, I'm done crying for Lucas. I'm done begging for his love; I need to move on with my life."

She went into the bathroom and took her bath. She wore a white hanging blouse and a high-waist shot paired with branded black sneakers. She hung her bag on her shoulder and stepped out of the house.

She got back later in the afternoon with divorce papers; her part was duly signed; only Lucas's signature was needed to complete the process.

As she stepped into the house, the silence was deafening; the sound of her heartbeat seemingly echoed in the house. Lucas and Doris seemed to have gone out to have some fun.

She went straight into her room and packed all her belongings into two big suitcases and wheeled them into the living room. She dropped a note on the center table with divorce papers and took a final look at the house before wheeling her suitcase out of the house.

Doris and Lucas came back to the house later in the evening, their hands filled with shopping bags. "Thanks for the treat, Lucas. I got a lot of things for myself, and they are so beautiful." Doris' heart swelled with excitement as she was eager to unpack the things that she had bought.

"You are welcome, dear; anything for you," Lucas replied with a smile.

They were walking into the room when Lucas suddenly halted his steps.

"Nora is not back yet; she left this house in the morning without letting me know where she was going. This is strange." He creased his eyebrows as he pondered.

Doris rolled her eyes at the mention of Nora's name. "Don't worry about her; she's an adult. I know she will be back before it gets dark. It's not like we even need her presence here anyways," she scoffed.

Lucas slightly nodded. "You are right; her presence doesn't matter. Let's go inside." He was about to move when his eyes met some sheet of paperwork on the table.

"What's this?" He moved closer and picked up the papers; his eyes widened in disbelief as soon as he realized what they were.

"Divorce papers? How could she?" His face turned pale in anger. He picked up the note and glanced through it.

"Dear Lucas, I have loved and cherished you for the past three years of being married to you, hoping that one day you would love me back, but it seems it's all in my imagination. It is never going to happen. I have decided to end this marriage for my peace of mind. Thank you for feeding and clothing me for three years. Bye."

Lucas' jaw tightened; he clenched the papers in his hands, causing them to crumple slightly.

"This is arrant nonsense; Nora cannot divorce me like that. I will be the one to decide whether we are going to get divorced or not and not the other way around," he said between gritted teeth. He grabbed his car keys and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Doris asked, her eyes full of concern as she tried to figure out where he was going.

"To get Nora back of course; she can't just divorce me like that; I'm not done with her yet." He stepped out and slammed the door.

Doris sank into the couch, tapping her feet angrily on the ground. "After I have succeeded in cajoling her into leaving this house, he's going after her. Why can't he just let her be and focus on me?" She dug her nails into her palms, anger bubbling within her.

Nora arrived at her father's house, which was located in the slums of the city. She moved towards the doorpost, and her hand quivered as she reached out to knock.

She knocked on the door and waited anxiously for the door to open.

The door creaked open, revealing her father's cold face; a vicious look flashed through his eyes as he glanced at Nora.

"What are you doing here at this time of the night with two big suitcases?" He raised an eyebrow as he questioned.

Nora sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Dad, won't you at least let me in before you start interrogating me?" she rolled her eyes.

"No, I won't; you must tell me why you are here at this odd hour," he replied; his tone was stern and rigid.

"Ok fine, I'll tell you," Nora said, taking a deep breath. "I'm done with the marriage. I can't continue with the emotional torture; Lucas treats me like trash, and I can't take him anymore. Besides, another woman is carrying his child." Nora ranted as the bitterness clung to her throat like ash.

Joe glanced at her and let out a sarcastic laugh, "Wow, you made the right decision. So you think I would welcome you back with wide arms. You must be kidding." His face curved into a frown.

"You better go back to your husband this instant. Haven't you heard that marriage is for better or worse? You should be thankful that Lucas married you because no one would want to get married to a woman with a disfigured face." He sneered, seeing no need to sugarcoat his words.

"So you want me to lose all the allowances Lucas gives to me because of your stupid decision. You better go back to your husband's house because there's no space for you here." His mean voice sliced through the air as he went back inside and shut the door on her.

Nora's heart sank deeper, a million emotions swirling inside of her. Even her own father had rejected her, making mockery of her looks. She wheeled her suitcase out of the compound, walking down the street with no specific destination.

Lucas's car pulled up in front of Nora's father's house. He got down from the car and took long steps towards the door. He knocked heavily on the door until Joe opened it.

"Hello, Lucas, what a pleasant surprise," Joe said with a beaming smile.

"Where is Nora? Bring her out immediately," he stated in a cold, steel voice.

Joe flinched at the sound of his voice. "Nora is not here; she was here a moment ago, but I asked her to go back home. I'm sure she's on her way back to your house," Joe's voice quivered, though he tried to keep it steady.

Lucas mused, "That means she has not gone far." He rushed into his car and drove down the road.

He drove at a very low speed, hoping to catch a glimpse of Nora. "Where could she have gone at this time of the night?" He ran his hand through his hair as he continued looking through the window.

He drove through the bridge, and his eyes suddenly caught Nora, standing at the side of the bridge, staring directly into the river.

He pulled up and quickly got out of the car; he rushed to Nora. "What are you doing, Nora? Get into the car; let's go home." His voice was strong and commanding.

"Never!!" Nora blurted out. "I would rather die than go back to that house with you." She said as endless pain overwhelmed her.

"Come on, Nora, don't be so dramatic; get into the car right now or I will come and get you forcefully," his voice was firm.

"If you come close to me, I will jump into this river and drown," she threatened.

"Enough of the joke, Nora, just get into the car; it's late already," he said impatiently as he moved closer to her, but before he could get to her, Nora climbed the rail of the bridge and jumped over into the river.

"Nora!" Lucas screamed hysterically, his voice echoing through the night. He looked down at the river, and saw that the river had swallowed Nora.