From Divorce to Dominance: Ex-Husband Regret

~Ariela~

It was my son's sixth birthday_ well, stepson, anyway, but I'd prefer to call him my son even though he practically doesn't see me as his mother.

I was in the kitchen. Making sure everything went perfectly, as I worked alongside the cook to prepare his favorite meal, macaroni and cheese.

My attention was suddenly drawn outside when I heard the screeching sound of Alfred's car wheel.

'They're back, ' I exhaled calmly.

Making sure everything was in perfect order, I excitedly rushed to the sitting room to welcome them.

Alfred had earlier taken him out to God knows where without caring to know if I could join them, perhaps they needed a father-son moment, I assumed.

But as I approached them, my face faltered. Alfred and Daniel walked in alongside Loela. Daniel was clinging to her like his mommy without even noticing my presence.

"Happy Birthday, Daniel!" I exclaimed, but he barely acknowledged my presence; my heart ached, I was practically on his face, but his attention was totally drawn to whatever Loela was whispering to his ear.

I tried to hide my hurt and stepped closer, perhaps he could finally notice my present.

With a wide grin, I crouched down to his height and whispered, " Happy Birthday, baby. Mummy has prepared your favorite to celebrate your special day."

"I'm not hungry, Aunty Loela already fed me my favorite snacks," he said with an indifferent expression.

His rejection felt like a punch to my throat, and I gulped hard. A pang of pain gnawed at my chest as I realized that all my efforts in the kitchen were for nothing.

I decided to try one more time to see if he could really look at me.

"Look, mummy got you a present, your favorite toys," I brought out the gift I'd got for him earlier and stretched it towards him, but he flung it away.

"This is ugly, it is for babies, and I'm no longer one. See, Aunty Loela got me my best birthday gifts," he swayed the boxes of gifts in his arms.

A spasm of sadness and jealousy coursed through my veins, witnessing Daniel choose Loela, his father's secretary, over me, again and again.

A flicker of disappointment clouds my expression, another reminder that he might never see me as his mother.

Even though I wasn't his biological mother, I've done nearly all I could within my capacity to earn his love and warmth. Maybe he could see me as his mother, but all my efforts couldn't crack the wall of his heart.

How would it?

When Alfred practically twisted his son's perception of me, inscribing on the wall of his heart how unworthy I am to be a mother.

Every step I took to reprimand Daniel for any wrong, Alfred sided with him, thereby undermining me and making it look like I was a wicked mother

I had met Alfred Tyler with a month-old Daniel shortly after his first wife's death. I saw a single father yearning for a nurturing environment for his child, a mother for his son, and a woman to call his wife. So I blindly took the opportunity despite my mother's heartfelt warning not to build a tent on another woman's home.

But I allowed myself to be swept away by Alfred's gorgeous and magnetic appearance, falling helplessly in love with him. I practically put my blossoming career on hold to ensure I cared for my new family, prioritizing the safety and well-being of Daniel.

A wave of chill washes over me.

I wished he could see through me as his mother, and perceive me as someone very important, but no, he has always chosen her from the very first day she set foot into the house.

I clenched my chest in pain as the weight of the realization that I've been fighting for his love bore down on me, casting a shadow of loneliness and undesirability.

When I thought I could bear the pain of Daniel's rejection, Alfred hurled a brown envelope towards me with a stern face and a voice void of emotion, he demanded,

"Sign it."

I looked utterly bewildered, staring at the envelope like a lunatic, "What is this, Alfred?"

"It's a divorce paper. Sign it. I'm not interested in this shenanigans called marriage anymore. It's clear we don't need you in our lives again, " his voice laced with so much ice.

His words cut through the air like a shard of glass, slicing through my fragile heart.

With trembling hands, I opened the envelope 'DIVORCE AGREEMENT BETWEEN ALFRED AND ARIELA' written boldly on it.

"Alfred, how could you think of divorcing me after I sacrificed everything for this family?" My voice cracked as tears threatened to spill.

"Isn't it obvious that you aren't needed in this home? I have made my choice, so also Daniel, just send the damn paper and save yourself all this stress," He snarled.

His words twisted a blade in my heart. I stare at Loela, her lips tugged in a smirk, she is obviously taking satisfaction in my agony or perhaps satisfaction for finally taking over everything I had nurtured, pruned, and grown into a family.

I searched the eyes of Daniel, hoping to find a trace of love and warmth that we once shared as mother and son, but what I found instead was an icy distance, a void that sends shivers down my spine.

I instinctively reached out to grasp his hand. Maybe he could see the love I'd have for him, but he flinched, stretching out his hands for Loela instead.

"Aunty Loela could take me to my room," he said with a voice filled with love and tenderness.

I bite my lower lip in humiliation.

Absorbing yet another rejection from him.

I watched as he gently followed Loela upstairs, leaving me with Alfred, who was staring at me disdainfully.

Alfred was never like this in the first few months I met him. He was sweet, a caring father, and a loving partner. Always had his way of igniting my most sensitive spot. But everything changed after his secretary, Loela, who went on a three-month vacation, resurfaced.

She skillfully stole him away from me in the guise of working on an important project.

I had hoped that perhaps raising Daniel with him could ignite a spark within him again, but it seems destiny has other plans, firmly aligning Daniel's affection with Loela instead of me.

The sight of Daniel giggling so hard in the arms of Loella as they climbed the staircase stung my heart, not only from the rejection but also from the realization that I had lost his affection to another woman.

Daniel's next statement to Loela shattered the little hope I'd held onto.

"I want you to be my mummy," he giggled.

His words pierced my heart, breaking it into pieces. My knees gave out, I had to lean against the wall to stay upright. A cold numbness spread through my chest, replacing the pain.

~Ariela~

"Ariela, you are not needed in this space; you're practically hovering around us like a leech. Save us from all this and sign this paper," Alfred growled.

The blade already twisted in my heart drives deeper, this time sucking up airs in my lungs.

I could see him taking satisfaction in my pain.

With the last bit of strength I had, I stood upright, looking straight at his cold face. I asked, "Is this really what you want, Alfred! To toss our relationship, family, and marriage just like that, because of her rights? It's because of Loela, right?"

"Leave her out of this, Ariela. At Least she is ten times better than you, and for your information, this is what I want, what Daniel wants. We need space, Ariela! You've been sucking up air in our lives lately, " he growled with so much disdain.

"Sucking up air, How? Alfred."

"Look, Ariela, we both know this isn't working. The best you could do for us, for Daniel, you claim you love is this. Let us be!"

Tears welled up in my eyes, threatened to spew, but I held them back. I refuse to break down before him. I have been tortured enough.

"Fine! I will give you what you want: air, space, and more," I took a pen from the table and signed the divorce paper without a second glance at Alfred. I stormed out of his sitting room.

The moment I stepped out of his presence, the weight of everything came crashing down on me. The realization that the love I had poured into this marriage, the hopes I held nurturing the family, had all been in vain.

I let the tears flow, releasing the pent-up emotions as I walked out of the house.

I had no idea where I was heading to but I needed to move out of this space. The whole house was already suffocating, sucking up air in my lungs.

Each step I took felt heavier than the last, but I kept walking, trying to escape from this wall of misery, pain, and loneliness.

I glanced at my wristwatch; it was already late at night, and a pang of fear gripped me, but I wasn't going back. After what felt like forever, I caught sight of a cab.

Without wasting time, I flagged it down and gave the driver my directions before hopping in.

The only place on my mind was my mother's place. I couldn't imagine her seeing me this broken, knowing full well that I've failed in building a home.

She did warn me severely about Alfred, about abandoning my career for man, but I was too adamant, too naive to see through her words.

I was like a prodigal daughter running back to her mother.

The screeching wheel of the car snapped me out of my thoughts.

I paid the cab man with the last cash I had before proceeding to the doorstep.

The owl's hoot echoes through the darkness of the night, igniting fear within my heart.

I briefly knocked on the door, and it cracked open, revealing the face of my mother, who had rushed to open it the moment she heard my voice.

Her face was etched with sympathy, pain, and anger for how miserable I looked.

She immediately pulled me into a hug.

Finding solace in her embrace, I sobbed bitterly, for turning a deaf ear to her advice, for ignoring the warning, the red flag she was pointing out to me.

Tears pour!

"Ariela, it's fine. Stop crying, you're hurting yourself," she consoled, stroking my back gently with her palm.

"Mother, I failed, I failed to listen to you, I failed to build my home. He called me a failure," I sobbed loudly, overwhelmed by the harsh reality of my life.

"No, you did not. They failed, they failed to see through you, my child."

Her words hit the most sensitive part of my heart, the tears kept flowing ceaselessly.

She slowly disengaged from our embrace and looked straight into my puffy red eyes,

"Ariela, get hold of yourself, stop grieving over someone who doesn't know your worth; he failed to see through you for once, and woe to him, he lost a precious jewel, he never will see."

My mother's words hit gently like a splash of ice water, melting away my guilt, my pain, and sadness. Her words magically began to form a layer of flesh around my punctured heart, healing and mending the broken pieces of it. For once in six years, something in me began to build up, it felt like I was molded back to myself.

And with that, I wiped away the tears stinging my face, I refuse to shed any more tears for those who did not value me. They underestimated me, but I will prove them wrong. With a gritted jaw and clenched fist, I made a self-resolution to be a better me, a woman everybody wishes for as a mother and a wife.

~Alfred~

The sound of the alarm clock jolted me up from sleep. Fully cautious of my environment, the event of last night kept playing on my head. How Ariela willingly signed the divorce papers without a fight left me stunned. The Ariela I know will plead with everything she has to remain married to me.

Deep within, I know she's still hanging around waiting for opportunities to beg for another chance, but the fire I saw in her eyes the minute she took the pen to sign on the paper scares me.

Believe me, I did love Ariela in the early days of our marriage, or perhaps it was just infatuation. But whatever it was, the feeling faded the moment my secretary returned from her long vacation. To be honest, Loela and I had shared a moment more than once, and I can't deny_I enjoyed it more than ever.

The fact that Daniel bonded with her so fast even attracted me the most. Maybe I should have waited for her return before hurrying to marry Ariela. One of the mistakes that burns me down.

I shoved the thought away, as I'm determined to rewrite my wrongs now.

After a quick shower, I strolled to the dining table to have breakfast before heading to work.

Loela and Daniel, already seated in the dining room devouring their breakfast. They'd connect so well that you mistook Loela to be his biological mother.

Watching them sometimes makes me regret why I didn't wait for her to return before settling down.

"Good morning, buddy," I ruffled Daniel's hair, making him giggle.

"Good morning, Daddy."

I took Loela's hands, gently placing a kiss on them, and she blushed, "Good morning, Alfred."

Loela is fully aware she is not just my secretary but a lover and more. She actually brought up the idea of the divorce.

As I sipped my coffee, Daniel dropped a question that almost made me choke.

"Where is mummy?"

Clearing my throat.

"She is probably inside or something."

"Okay," Daniel said and continued munching his pancakes for breakfast.

Then I realized I hadn't seen Ariela this morning, which is unlike her. Could it possibly be that she already left the house?

Ariela won't just give up like that. I became bothered and uneasy; the eagerness to go check her room dominated me. I hurriedly finished up my breakfast and lied to Loela that I forgot something in my room.

I took the chance and rushed to her room. The moment I swung the door open, after knocking with no response, the cold emptiness of her room slammed my face.

The room looked deserted, like she never slept in it last night, the bed properly and neatly laid. I strolled to her closet, her clothes were untouched.

I heaved a sigh of relief, believing she was still hanging around somewhere in the house. Perhaps, broken down due to the events of last night.

I hurriedly rushed out as I heard the voice of Loela reminding me that we were running late for work.

There was an awkward silence in the car as we headed to the office; my body was present, but my mind was practically intertwined with the event of last night.

Deep within, I felt uneasy, Ariela's image, her boldness, that fire in her eyes was hunting me down.

"Are you listening?" Loela's voice snapped me out of my deep thoughts.

Then I realized she was giving me updates on today's schedules.

"Did you grab all that?"

For a second, I try to recollect all she said, but none sticks in my brain.

I just nodded and murmured, "Let me know on time for each meeting."

"Alright," she took my hands and stroked them gently, "Are you sure you're okay, honey."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I exhaled calmly.

She did notice my gloomy countenance but never pushed further.

Inside the office, I couldn't concentrate, and the same with the meeting I had just attended. I was losing focus, my mind was going crazy. This is what I had wanted; to divorce her, I wanted her out of my space. Now that I've gotten what I have always wanted, what's with the strange feeling of emptiness?

What's wrong with me? I clenched my fist in frustration, rocking my seat left and right.

Loela suddenly barged in, like she owns the place, obviously I've given her that right when I felt helplessly attracted to her.

Her face etched with concern and suspicion, she gazed directly into my eyes, "Alfred, what is wrong with you?" " You are obviously not yourself today. You need to speak to me, please?"

"I said I'm fine, Loela," I growled, which made her flinch. That didn't come out like I intended to. Oh, goodness, what is happening to me? I massaged my temple trying to calm my nerves.

"You are not okay, Alfred!" "Because if you were, you won't put on that attitude in front of the investor, practically you ignore everyone. You were absent-minded, and now they are no longer interested," She snapped.

Her words landed like a punch to my chest. I have worked so hard for this investment, but lost focus on the day of finalization.

What is happening to me?

"Look, I'm sorry, Loela, I think I've a slight headache," I lied.

"I need to head back home and rest a bit."

"You should've told me earlier. Where doesn't it hurt?" she strolled closer and placed her hands on my palms, messaging them softly.

"You're going to be fine, okay," her voice tinged with tenderness.

I stood up abruptly, "Cancel all my meetings for today. I'll need no disturbance today." I said.

With that, I stood up and walked out of the office.

The moment I stepped my feet into the house, I rushed to Ariela's room. Everything was still the same as I had left it this morning.

A storm of emotions rages within me. I sprinted to the kitchen, the cook was fixing dinner.

"Where is Ariela?" I inquired.

"I haven't seen her today, sir."

My heart aches from the realization that she was gone.

For a brief second, I panic.

I reached for the phone in my pocket and dialed her number, but it did not connect.

'Ariela, where are you?' I muttered silently in my heart.