Chapter 3 DIVORCE PAPERS

In the middle of night, Marian was woken by the vibration of her phone. She muted the call and checked to see if Alfred was awake. Finding him fast asleep, she slowly made her way to the bathroom, sat on the toilet, and dialed the number that had just called her.

Alfred, woken by the phone's vibration, pretended to remain asleep to avoid drawing attention. He quietly followed Marian to the bathroom and stood by the door to eavesdrop on her conversation.

"Hi, you shouldn't be calling me in the middle of the night like this" Marian said into the phone.

"I have some important information, and it's good news" the caller responded.

"Don't tell me the plan has changed. I thought we agreed on a week from now" Marian said, sounding concerned.

"Not anymore. I had to speed up things, so be ready tomorrow" the caller said.

"What about my son?" Marian asked.

"Don't worry, I've got everything prepared for" the caller assured her.

"Thank you. Alfred will be shocked to hear this" Marian said.

"Of course. Tomorrow it is" the caller said.

"Thanks so much. I'm really grateful" Marian said, ending the call. Alfred quietly returned to bed, pretending to be asleep, but he couldn't help smiling. It sounded like Marian had received some positive news that could be beneficial for them.

Around 7 a.m., Marian was setting the dining table when Lucian came downstairs.

"Good morning, Mom. Am I going to school today?" Lucian asked.

"Good morning, sweetheart. No, you're not going to school today. I need you to take a bath and pack your things right away" Marian instructed.

"Are we going somewhere?" Lucian asked, confused.

"Don't ask questions, Lucian. Just go and get ready" Marian said, prompting Lucian to head back upstairs.

A few minutes later, the family sat down to have breakfast.

"Marian, thank you" Alfred said.

"What for?" Marian asked, her tone curious.

"For getting help for us. I really appreciate it" Alfred said.

"The help wasn't for you, it's for me and Lucian" Marian said as she continued eating. Lucian watched the exchange quietly.

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked, confused, as Marian left the table. She went upstairs to bring her and Lucian's luggage.

"Mum, are we traveling?" Lucian asked as he followed Marian's movements.

"Yes, we are, darling" Marian said.

Alfred stood up from the table and followed Marian to the stairs.

"What's going on, Marian? Where are you going?" Alfred asked, his concern growing. Marian handed him a paper.

"Sign the papers" Marian said, taking a seat as Lucian walked to them.

"Divorce papers? Marian, what is this?" Alfred asked, shocked.

"You know exactly what it is. Just sign the damn papers" Marian replied firmly.

"I thought you went out to get help for us" Alfred said, looking bewildered as Marian stood up to face him.

"Help for you? When I asked you to take the position that would benefit us, did you listen?" Marian shot back.

"Marian, you can't do this to me. I know you never loved me. Our fathers arranged this marriage for their own advantages, but I've never hated you. I genuinely love you" Alfred said, his voice filled with emotion.

"And I've never loved you, Alfred. You're too weak for my taste. You've never cared about my needs. Maybe if you had listened to me, I might have changed my mind" Marian replied.

"You know I care about you, Marian. I've given you everything you need. Despite your past kind of life, I've always treated you with respect" Alfred said.

"My past? The fact that I used to go out clubbing and wasn't the perfect woman you expected?" Marian said.

"Marian, just stop. Lucian is here" Alfred said, trying to normalize the situation.

"You wanted him to know, so I'm telling him. It's true, Lucian. I used to be a club girl before my father forced me to marry your father" Marian said, looking at Lucian. "But it's not such a big deal."

"If it's about the company, we can rebuild. I'm working on getting it back on track" Alfred said, holding onto hope.

"You must be out of your mind, Alfred. Do you have the company's documents? No, you don't. You think I don't know? You expect me to stay here with you while you're broke?" Marian said sharply.

"Mum, please don't leave Dad" Lucian pleaded, his eyes filled with tears.

"Sweetheart, we can't stay with him. We'll starve. Your father is a wreck now" Marian said, her voice firm.

"Mum, you can't speak to Dad like that" Lucian protested.

"Is this because I rejected the position?" Alfred asked, his voice trembling.

"Yes, you rejected power, authority, influence-everything that commands respect and wealth. You chose the company over all of that, and look where it got you" Marian said.

"I rejected all of that for our son, you know that. I didn't want to leave Lucian with a legacy of power struggles and danger" Alfred said.

"And what legacy are you leaving him now? Poverty?" Marian retorted, laughing hysterically.

"Marian, please, don't leave me, especially now. How long have you been planning this?" Alfred begged.

"Since you started rejecting the position" Marian said coldly.

"Mum, Dad loves you. I can't stand to see you both divorce" Lucian said, his voice trembling.

"Our flight is at 3 p.m., and I can't miss it, Lucian" Marian said firmly.

"Where are you going?" Alfred asked, a sense of fear in his voice.

"To the country you fled from" Marian replied.

"Italy? You don't have any family there. Lucian and I are your family" Alfred said, trying to make her reconsider.

"You're right. My father passed away during a business trip your father should have attended. And don't forget, I have a friend there" Marian said.

"You can't take our son with you. I refuse to let him go live with someone that I don't know" Alfred said.

"Mum, I want to stay with Dad or we can all go together" Lucian said, tears streaming down his face.

"You can't stay with him, sweetheart. He has nothing to offer you, and he's not coming with us. He doesn't fit into our plans" Marian said, her voice hardening.

"Who's helping you, Marian? Are you seeing someone else?" Alfred asked, his voice filled with anger.

"That's none of your concern. Just sign the papers" Marian said firmly.

"I won't sign them because I love you, no matter what" Alfred said, his voice breaking. At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

"You should get the door, Alfred. They're here for you" Marian said, her eyes full of anger. Alfred, looking heartbroken, walked to the door to find two men standing outside.

"How can I help you?" Alfred asked, trying to maintain his composure.

"Mr. Alfred Romano, we're officials from the bank. May we come in?" the first official asked politely.

"Yes, please come in" Alfred replied, allowing them inside.

"Good morning, madam" both officials greeted Marian as Lucian, looking sad, quietly made his way to the dining area.

"Welcome. Please, make yourselves comfortable" Marian said as the officials took their seats, followed by Alfred.

"Mr. Romano, thank you for allowing us in. We've sent countless letters requesting your attention, but none were attended to" the first official explained.

"I wasn't aware of any letters" Alfred said, looking at Marian.

"I forgot to tell you. My bad" Marian said, nonchalantly.

"We're here to discuss your situation. We understand that your company's recent bankruptcy has affected your capacity to meet loan payments" the second official said.

"Yes, it's been a serious challenge. I'm looking for opportunities to get back on track. Is there any possibility of postponing some payments?" Alfred asked.

"Mr. Romano, after a thorough check of your account, we've found that due to default in payments and some outstanding balance, the bank has decided to claim your property" the first official said.

"Claim? What does that mean?" Alfred asked in shock, while Marian scoffed.

"We realize this is not good, Mr. Romano. However, given your company's bankruptcy and the default payments, we have exhausted all possible solutions to help you retain your home" the second official explained.

"This can't be happening. My house is all I have left. Isn't there anything we can do to resolve this?" Alfred pleaded.

"The is the final process, Mr. Romano." the first official responded.

"But where am I supposed to go? I didn't realize things had become this serious" Alfred said, standing up and running his hands through his hair in frustration, while Lucian looked on with pity.

"We sincerely regret that it has come to this. We will provide you with a deadline to leave the house" the second official said.

"How long do I have before I need to leave?" Alfred asked, his voice tinged with desperation.

"Two months." the first official explained.

"We are very sorry about this situation and wish you all the best" the second official added as they placed a letter on the table before walking out.

"This is devastating. I never imagined I'll lose everything" Alfred said, pacing the living room in sadness.

"This is exactly why my son and I can't stay with you. You have no house, no money, no job-you're left with nothing" Marian said coldly.

"Marian, this fault is not mine. I'm certain someone planned this" Alfred said.

And who is that?" Marian asked skeptically.

"Someone who wants to ruin me. Why else would all this happen after I lost my dad? The problems with the company's documents and everything-it's all too coincidental. Someone is behind it" Alfred insisted.

"You might be mistaken. Maybe you don't deserve this after all. Perhaps your father knew that your cowardice would lead to this and entrusted everything to someone who is capable." Marian said.

"What are you talking about? I'm not a coward, and my father would never think that way. Who exactly do you think he gave everything to?" Alfred asked.

"Lucian, let's go" Marian said, pulling their luggage behind her.

"Mum, we can't just leave Dad like this. We need to help him" Lucian said, tears streaming down his face.

"Honey, if we stay any longer, we'll miss our flight. We have to go now" Marian insisted as Lucian ran to his father.

"Dad, I don't want to leave" Lucian cried. Alfred crouched down to Lucian's level and wiped his tears away.

"You know I love you, right? And you know I'll never leave you for anything. You need to go with your mum. She's right at the moment. I am broke and don't have what it takes to care for you , but I promise I'll come back for you" Alfred said gently.

"No, Dad" Lucian said, his voice filled with emotion, while Alfred pat him gently.

"Go with her. I'll keep in touch. I promise" Alfred said.

"Dad, I'm going to miss you so much" Lucian said through his tears.

"I'll miss you too, son. But I need to stay and sort things out. Once I've fixed everything, I'll come back for you" Alfred said, embracing his son tightly.

"Lucian, we need to leave now," Marian said, tugging Lucian away from his father.

Once Marian and Lucian had gone, Alfred sank onto the sofa in the living room, filled with grief. He could hardly believe that the woman he loved had left him during his most challenging time and taken their son with her. Marian's father and Ronaldo had been close friends in New York City. Ronaldo had left his friend to manage the company while he took on the Don's role established by his own father before he died of cancer. Marian's mother had died giving birth to her, and she had been raised by nannies. Her father disapproved of her clubbing lifestyle, which led to her marriage to Alfred, a union planned to address her waywardness.

As Alfred carefully think whether he had been wrong to reject the Don's position, he cried out in frustration, feeling as though he had lost everything.