Divorce Has Never Felt So Good

Adira knocked on the door of her family's house, her luggages beside her on the floor. As she waited weakly for the door to get opened, she kept blinking back the tears that burnt at the back of her eyes.

The door creaked open, revealing her sixteen year old sister.

"Mum! Adira is home!" Elara said with a streak of sadism.

Since the door was wide open, Adira was able to take a peek into the house and found her family seated round the dining, having dinner. Their faces got lit up with mockery upon seeing her at the door.

"Oh... The rejected wife is finally home to her rejected family!" Her twenty-three year old step-sister hooted with laugh, pausing on the meat she had been trying to pieces into several parts.

"Dear Adira, you've finally signed the divorce papers, haven't you?" Her step-mother taunted.

Her father and step-brother just stayed quiet on the dining, throwing glances at her.

With a sniff, Adira picked up her luggages and began rolling it into the old creaky house. Her eyes were red and swollen from the tears that had been falling freely before her coming to the house.

The room was lit only by the flickering light of a solitary candle, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Stepping further into the room, her family's eyes followed her every move, watching her with suspicion and mockery. Adira couldn't help but feel like an outsider in her home.

"The nerves of you to ever think you could remain married to a powerful man like Lancelot," her drunken father muttered. "I told you, Adira, we're poor and not meant for the rich. If you had listened to me a year ago and just stayed away from him, I'm sure none of this would have happened."

"Don't say that, father. I'm definitely going to marry a rich man. I just wonder how Adira thought she could do same," Freya smirked.

At that moment, Adira wished her mother was there at that table. She had lost her mother at a very tender age, and in less than three months after her death, her father had gotten married to her step-mother who bore him three children. They always treated her like an outsider and made her wish she was never a part of them. Unfortunately, she had no other place to go.

"I'll just be in my room," she mumbled beneath her breath and turned towards the wooden staircase.

"What room are you talking about?" Freya snapped behind her. "You've been away for a year, Adira. So, I'm in charge of your room now."

Adira said nothing but continued climbing up the stairs, and her step-mother threw a spoon at her.

"Hurry up and come clear this table. You should make yourself useful around here," she gruffed, but Adira didn't stop as she continued walking.

Getting into the messy room that used to be hers, twenty-six year old Adira plonked herself on the bed and bursted into tears. Her heart ached heavily, she brushed her fingers into her hair as she cried out in pains.

Memories of how Lancelot had sent her parking from the house kept replaying in her mind

"I'm sorry, Adira, but you need to leave. Jardine plans on coming over tonight. I told you she's sick," his voice still sounded fresh in her head.

Adira had gone on her knees to beg him. The divorce papers had been lying on the floor.

"Please, Lancelot, you can't do this to me. I did nothing wrong, you can't just push me away like this," she had pleaded, clutching onto his knees.

"Yes, you did nothing wrong. And trust me, Adira, I did love you. But can't you see this isn't working out? It's been a year, yet my family still doesn't accept you. I endured a lot for you, Adira, and you know it. I believe it's best if we just moved on. Please. Here's a check of a hundred thousand dollars, this should be enough to get you started."

Adira had remembered tearing the check in front of him, letting him know she wasn't interested in the money, but was interested in him. She had continued pleading, but in the end, he sent her out, along with the divorce papers which he had asked her to sign within the week.

Adira was beyond hurt as she kept wondering how she could possibly live without Lancelot. They had known each other since they were kids and had gotten married about a year ago. God, they were so in love, she never thought a day would come that he would ever divorce her.

His parents hated her 'cause she was poor and when Lancelot had gotten married to her, his father caught him off from the company. Things became really tough for them as they had to fend for themselves. But they were doing just fine.

It all started a month ago when he started sleeping out, coming home at late hours and acting detached towards her. It didn't take long before Adira noticed he had another lover - a certain rich lady. This had broken Adira, and when she confronted him, he started talking about a divorce.

Now, there she was - broken and pregnant with his child. Even when she had told him about the early pregnancy, his cold words were: "You should get rid of it. I won't be such a great father, Adira."

His words had been like poisonous arrows that pierced her heart multiple times. She loved him so much and couldn't imagine life without him. But, now she was hurt with no one to turn to.

****†****†****†****†****†

Adira had slept deeply. She woke up the next morning to find herself on the floor. Sitting up and glancing at the bed, she found Freya on it. Huh? Did she roll her down to the floor without her notice? How dare she?

Adira got on her feet, infuriated. But seeing that Freya was still asleep, she decided to let it slide.

She got into the bathroom to freshen up, deciding she needed to go get some provisions for the family. Thankfully, she had been able to save some money while she was with Lancelot. Thinking of it, she might even move out to her own apartment - no matter how small it may be. She had expected her family to be less hostile, but sadly, they hadn't changed.

Standing under the running shower, Adira closed her eyes as she recalled all the beautiful moments she shared with Lancelot. There had been times when they showered together, and he'd end up kissing her. They made love in so many fun places, the memories were glued to her head. How could she possibly let go of him now? Wasn't it a little too late?

When she first met Lancelot at the age of nine, it was on a day he had saved her. She and Freya had gone playing at a pool. Accidentally, Adira fell into the pool while Freya ran to call for help. There weren't much people on the pool that day. So, there was no one to help.

Adira had passed out, but when she regained consciousness, she found Lancelot beside her, but he was also wet and unconscious. Adira believed he saved her - risked his life to save hers. That was how they became friends.

They shared so many beautiful moments together, she wondered how she could possibly leave without him now. It was clearly impossible.

Done from the bathroom, she stepped out with a white towel around her chest. She found something simple to wear from one of her luggages - a white pair of trousers with a blue top. Then, she brushed her long hair until it shone like black silk in the light. She let it fall around her shoulders, applied a little color to her lips and some to her eyes to conceal her redness.

Adira was a very beautiful lady - her features perfectly symmetrical with high cheekbones, full lips and large expressive eyes. Her beauty was breathtaking, like a glimpse of a rare and exquisite flower in full bloom. Her beauty had men rushing after her, but she had kept it all for Lancelot.

Ready to leave the house, she gave herself one sullen look in the mirror. The thought of work flickered across her mind. Goodness; the heartbreaking event had made her forget completely about going to work. Perhaps, she'd call her boss later in the day to explain things.

She was about leaving the room when she noticed Freya turning on the bed. She yawned loudly and opened her eyes which finally met with Adira's.

"Hey. Where are you off to?" Freya questioned, her eyes still looking dizzy.

"I don't think you should be concerned, Freya. By the way, I woke up today to find myself on the floor. Did you really roll me down?"

Freya laughed. "You're such a dumb sleeper. I did roll you down, Adira. You occupied my space."

Adira fisted her hands beside her. Deciding to let it pass, she started towards the door.

"Where're you going? To beg your ex-husband? Let the poor man be, Adira; he's never taking you back. By the way, mother wanted you to make yourself useful in the house. So, you should go on and wash the dishes."

"You must have lost your senses," Adira glowered her eyes at her before exiting the room.

As she left, she heard Freya's angry words behind her.

"Really? I've lost my senses?! Well, I wasn't the one who got divorced!"

Adira said nothing.

She climbed down the stairs, her entire body feeling so weak. Luckily, she didn't find anyone in the living room. She had been scared she'd find someone who would end up bashing her again.

She walked levelly out of the house but met a huge surprise in front of her. Adira froze immediately, her heart shooting up at the sight of the person in front of her. What?! Was she seeing clearly? What was Jardine doing at her place? The very witch that destroyed her home?

Jardine stood there like an epitome of beauty, her face calm and innocent. She was richly dressed in a knee-length gown of simmering silk, the fabric hugging her curves in all the right places and accentuating her natural grace and beauty.

While Adira glared at her, Jardine's expression remained unruffled. She returned a soft stare at Adira, her blue eyes clear and bright.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Adira stepped forward, wrathful veins protruding on her brows. "How dare you even think of coming here?"

Jardine sighed, tucking some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Please Adira, I didn't come here to fight."

"So, why are you here? To see my misery? To watch me cry?"

There was a brief silence. Then, with Jardine staring down at the floor, she said: "I know you're very mad at me, and I know you must think I'm a bad person. But I want you to know I'm truly sorry, Adira. I'm... I'm so sorry for ruining your marriage. This sounds stupid, I know, but I never thought I'd be so interested in a married man."

Adira looked at her with a ridiculous scoff. She honestly couldn't understand if the lady before her was a lunatic. Was she seriously apologizing after ruining her family?

"Are you for real?" She chuckled. "You convinced my husband to divorce me, now you're sorry?"

"I'm not a bad person, Adira" Jardine stated calmly. "Those who are closest to me know this. I'm truly sorry you got to know me the wrong way, and I hope someday, you get to forgive me for this."

Dipping her hand into her bag, she brought out some bundles of money. "Here. This is a lot of money. You can use this to take care of yourself. I'll see to it that you get more money from..."

"You crazy bítch!" Adira slapped the money from her palms, making them fall to the ground. "Have you completely lost it? For over a month, you slept with my husband and made him not to come home to me. You convinced him that I wasn't good enough for him and led him into a divorce. All those times, where was your conscience? How dare you come to me now and try to talk about being good, you bítch!" Tears welled up in her eyes instantly.

She also noticed some tears in Jardine's eyes, but she quickly blinked them back.

"Believe me," Jardine sniffed. "I'm truly sorry for what I did. All I wanted was a man to love me. I'm truly sorry it had to be your husband."

Adira scoffed and lowered her head. Few seconds passed, then she looked back at Jardine.

"If you're truly sorry, will you let him come back to me? Did he...tell you I'm pregnant for him?"

There was a sudden and sharp switch in Jardine's eyes, like a bolt of lightning cutting through a clear blue sky. The calm and innocent expression that had been there just moments ago got replaced by something different - a dangerous intensity that seemed to burn like a flame.

Slowly, Jardine's eyes moved down to Adira's tummy, lingering there for a moment.

"What the hell did you just say?" She asked in hushed tones, her eyes still remaining on Adira's flat tummy.

Adira took a nervous gulp. "You heard me. I'm two months pregnant for..."

"Well, get rid of it" Jardine interrupted huskily, taking a step closer to her. Her eyes shimmered with rage that appeared dangerous to Adira.

She scoffed. "You really think you can get Lancelot back with this? You must be joking, Adira. No matter what you do, Lancelot will always chose me. Remember that."

"You're so sure, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am" she gritted. "Why on earth would he want to leave a rich classy lady like me for someone as low as you? I didn't even need to convince him much, you know? All I did was make him see reasons you weren't good for him. I took him back to his family, now his father is putting him back in the company. I changed his life, Adira. All you did was raise him down. So, don't ever think you stand a chance against me."

Just then, Adira's step-mother - Soraya - came out of the house. She gasped at the sight of the money on the ground.

"Oh, my goodness! Are....are you ladies giving out money?" She skittered towards them, wearing a grim smile.

Looking up at the advanced woman, Jardine wore a smile. "Yes, ma'am. I actually gave it to Adira here, but she rejected it."

"Are you serious?" Soraya scrowled at Adira. "Please, never mind. She can be shy at times." Quickly, she crouched to the ground and began picking up the money. Adira knew there was nothing she could do to stop her stepmother.

Jardine went closer to Adira and whispered into her ears: "Get rid of that baby, Adira. Yes, I'm sorry for what I did, but I'm never losing Lancelot to you. Trust me, you do not want to be my enemy."

With that said, she walked away, heading for her car that had been parked at the entrance of the compound, but Adira went after her and pulled her by the wrist.

"You'll pay for this, Jardine," she grunted. "Someday, I'll make you pay for this."

Jardine gave a ridiculous laughter. "And how exactly will that happen? You think this is some movies? Have some sense, Adira; my family's net-worth alone will feed a thousand of your generation. In the world of business, you're not even qualified to be my cleaner." Twisting her lips in a smirk, she opened her front door and got into the car.

Adira stood there, seething with wrath. Watching her drive away, she let her tears fall freely. Again, she had been humiliated and insulted. How could she? How could that lady show up in her place and say such hurtful words to her?

"Foolish girl! You have such rich friends, huh? Why were you rejecting the money, anyway?" Soraya grumbled from the floor, but Adira didn't give her a chance to nag as she sniffed and left the house.

***

All the time she walked down the street to an Automated Teller Machine, Adira couldn't stop sniffling. Jardine's words had broken her so badly, she never thought a woman's words could hurt her that way.

She kept sobbing and wiping her tears until she had finally gotten to an ATM where she cued up to make use of it.

'You'll get over this, Adira. You'll get over this' she kept reassuring herself.

When it got to her turn to make use of the machine, Adira inserted her card and followed the normal procedures. But she was shocked when her transaction was declined with instructions telling her to see her account manager. She tried for two more times, but it still didn't work.

'What the hell is this?' she mumbled to herself. Her account has never had an issue before.

Deciding to follow their instructions, she took a cab and headed for the bank. After a while, she arrived and went in to lodge her complaint. She was directed to the bank manager who went through the system and informed her that her account had been blocked.

"What're you talking about? Why's it blocked?" Adira inquired, confused.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. You can just fill this form and I'll lodge a complaint to the headquarters. It might take a couple of weeks, tho," the manager informed her after dropping the form in front of her.

Adira was broken. All the money she had was in that account. How could it be blocked all of a sudden?

She looked at the form and felt strength seeping out of her body. So many requirements. She was badly in need of the money, how could she possibly wait for weeks for the issue to be resolved?

"You can fill it over the counter, ma'am. I have other clients to attend to," the manager said, barely looking away from her screen.

Weakly, Adira stood up with her bag and the form and exited the manager's office. She had barely gone far when her phone began ringing from her bag. Taking it out, she froze when she discovered it was Madame Winslet - Lancelot's mother.

Her fingers shook as they struggled to pick the call. Finally receiving it, she placed it over her ear.

"Adira," the voice hooted with laughter. "Little girl, I heard you're at the bank - filing a complaint 'cause you're unable to make use of your account. Just so you know, I'm responsible for that. I made sure your account was blocked, foolish girl, because I can't have you leave with a dime from my son. Remember when I offered you some money to stay away from him? You rejected my offer, and I made it clear to you that you'll regret it someday. Now, I hope you're truly regretting it, Adira."

Adira's legs grew cold. "You..." her breath came in short gasps. "How could you..."

"Enjoy your misery in the slums where you belong," Madame Winslet taunted and dropped the call.

Adira remained rooted on the spot like a statue, finding it difficult to breath. The realization of things dawned on her and caused her so much pain that she could not absorb.

Her phone started ringing again, and glancing at the screen, she noticed it was Lancelot calling.

"What're you doing, Adira?" He yelled at her when she received the call. "How dare you tell Jardine about the baby? I thought I told you to get rid of it? Are you seriously trying to ruin me?

"Listen to me, I'm done with you, okay? And not even that baby will make me come back to you. So, just sign the God-damn divorce papers and let me move on with my life. Please!" Then he ended the call.

It was too much for Adira. Standing there in the middle of the bank, she felt the world around her fade as the entire place began to go round in circles.

The harsh words echoed in her head, every bitter word she's ever gotten from people. She was hated by everyone. Not a single person cared about her.

Her chest began to rise and fall heavily. A cold liquid came streaming down her legs, Adira had no idea it was blood. Finally losing herself, she crashed to the floor and passed out.

Adira's eyes fluttered open to the soft hum of machines beeping quietly in the background. The air smelled of disinfectant, and Adira felt the scratchy sheets of the hospital bed under her skin. She was in a hospital?

At first, everything was blur and she couldn't make out any details. But slowly, her vision began to clear and she saw the familiar figures of Lancelot and Jardine beside her. What?

Adira's eyes widened in realization. No, no, her baby.

She gasped as she shifted her hands to her tummy, holding it tight.

"What happened to me? Did I lose my baby?" She asked with eyes brimming red.

Jardine had a tear trickling down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Adira. Nobody deserves to go through this."

Adira's breath started getting laboured. It couldn't be what she was thinking, was it? Did she lose the baby?

Lancelot, who had been sitting next to her, suddenly took her hand into his. "I'm truly sorry. I never wanted to cause you so much pain."

"Get me a doctor! Is my baby fine?" Adira yelled tearfully.

Jardine sobbed. "I'm afraid so. I'm so sorry,"

Pain clutched at Adira's chest. Hearing those words from Jardine were the most hurtful she's ever had to hear. She lost her baby? The only thing she had left?

"No," she shook her head. "It can't be. It can't be."

Lancelot sighed. "You had passed out in the bank, rushed over here and the doctor informed me. I hope you can forgive me for this, Ad..."

"NEVER!" Adira yelled in his face, her voice vibrating through the room. "I'll never forgive you, you monster! You killed my child!" Angry tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Adira please, you probably lost the baby out of stress. I..."

"Stress that was caused by you!" She interrupted him again. "You all have taken everything from me! You, your mother, and your damn mistress! Why don't you just take my life. Huh?! Take me!!"

Jardine dabbed the tears from her face.

"I want you out of here!" Adira continued yelling. "Get out of my life, Lancelot! Let me be! Oh! I hate you! I hate you and your damn lover! I regret the day I met you! I regret the day I fell for you! Get out of my life, you demon! Let me be!" Her voice echoed through the walls, it didn't take long before some nurses came running in.

"Ma'am? What's going on here?" They asked, concerned.

"Get them out of here!" Adira pointed at Lancelot and Jardine. "Please, get them away from me! Get them out of here!"

The nurses were perplexed, wondering why she hated them that much. However, her screams were a disturbance to the other patients.

"I'm afraid you have to leave, sir. Ma'am. Please," they turned to Lancelot and Jardine.

Lancelot was shocked. He's never seen Adira that way before, not even on the night he had told her about the divorce. He rose from his chair, his eyes still settled on her. Then, feebly, he exited the room, while Jardine followed.

***

The ride home was a very quiet one as Lancelot and Jardine didn't utter a word to each other. With so many thoughts running through their minds, they let the silence stretch and so it lasted until they got to Lancelot's family's house.

They both stepped out of the car and walked into the living room which was empty.

"I...I need sometime alone, Jardine. For now," he said without looking at Jardine and took the stairs. Getting to his room, he whacked the door closed and plonked himself on the bed, running his fingers through his hair.

"What have I done? What have I done?" He mumbled to himself.

Recalling the pain in Adira's eyes, it shattered him completely. She definitely didn't deserve any of it - she was too nice to deserve it. Unfortunately, he had gotten tired of struggling with her. For over a year, he tried all he could for his parents to love and accept her, but they didn't. His father cut him off from the company and made life really unbearable for him. Then, Jardine came along. He couldn't forget how sweet she had been in the beginning and made him realize the benefits of returning to his parents.

"I can't believe you abandoned your family's fortune just to be with this lady, Lan" those were her words to him. "Do you deserve this? Does she even deserve this? Would she have done the same if she were in your shoes?"

Lancelot lifted his face and grunted softly. He had truly loved Adira, but the love of money finally stole him away. Honestly, he couldn't tell if he was fully in love with Jardine. He knew she was beautiful, attractive, and rich, but was his heart fully in love with her? He wasn't making a mistake, was he?

Memories of when he had met Adira for the first time came flashing in his head, seventeen years ago. That day at the pool, he had seen her come in with her sister. She had been laughing so purely, he couldn't refrain himself from walking up to her. They had greeted casually and after which, she ran along to play with her sister. Some minutes later, he found her drowning in the pool and jumped in to save her. Lancelot couldn't recall what exactly had happened, but one thing was sure, and that was the fact that he didn't save her.

When he had jumped into the water, he remembered passing out in the process of saving her. The next time he regained consciousness, she was beside him with everyone thinking he was actually the one that had saved her. The pool workers said they had found them lying next to each other when they arrived. So, they figured Lancelot must've passed out after bringing her out of the pool. But Lancelot was very aware that didn't happen. He couldn't remember bringing her out of the pool. He knew someone else had saved them both, but since he couldn't tell who it was, he kept quiet about it and made everyone believe it was truly him that had saved her.

And that was how they became friends, with Adira being indebted to him.

...

The door of his room slowly went open and interrupted his thoughts. He glanced up to see his mother coming in.

"Son, what's going on? I saw Jardine leaving, and she wasn't looking so good," Madame Winslet inquired as she approached him.

Lancelot said nothing until his mother sat next to him. "She lost the baby, mum" he whimpered. "She lost the baby because of me."

His mother took a deep breath. "Come on, don't tell me you're being all moody for Adira's sake."

"Of course! I... I had truly loved her. I don't know if I still do..."

"You don't," the woman cut in rasply. "Listen to me, you love Jardine. That's the reason you ended things with Adira, right?"

Lancelot scoffed. "I'm beginning to think I ended things with her 'cause I wanted the company back."

"Well, that is not true, alright? You love Jardine, and you know it."

Lancelot covered his face with his palms. Maybe he truly loved Jardine. Maybe he truly did. He was twenty-eight years old. He should definitely know what his heart wanted.

"Listen to me," Madame Winslet drew him towards her bossom. "You made the right choice. That lady never belonged to this family, and I am so proud that you finally realized it. So, stop being all moody and get to work." She planted a kiss on his forehead before ambling to the table to decant some wine.

Lancelot listened wearily as the wine poured in from the bottle to the first glass cup.

"Your father's worried about the Yonder Dynamics. His last proposal to them was declined, still" his mother worded as she filled in two glasses and handed one to Lancelot when she returned to him.

Lancelot's brows arched as he took the glass from her. "It still wasn't approved? Why's the Yonder Dynamics so selective?"

"Well, what do you expect? They're the richest empire in the country, son. We aren't the only ones trying to invest with them."

This got Lancelot so worried, making him forget all about his worries with Adira.

The Yonder Dynamics was the biggest name in the country - with over five hundred brands connected to them. A lot of people wanted to do business with them 'cause it was certain to be a success, but unfortunately, they were very proud and selective.

The company was being ran by Nikolai Kensington - the grandson of the founders who's considered the most powerful man in the country. He was every woman's dreams and also a friend every man would love to have. Unfortunately, Nikolai was a very hard man and rarely kept friends, or women. He was hardly ever seen and that was the reason a lot of investors didn't have the privileges of being friends with him. He could only be seen for business purposes.

Lancelot was pained that his father's proposal was still being rejected. For a long time, they've been trying to get favoured by Nikolai, but unfortunately, it's been seeming impossible.

"When you finally get married to Jardine, I hope her family would be able to help. I heard they're investors with them," his mother said, sipping from her glass. "I wish someday, we get accepted, Lancelot" "How happy your father would be."

Lancelot clutched his fingers tightly as he drank from his. Nikolai Kensington, he needed to double his efforts and get favoured by him.