Divorce By All Means

Chapter 4: Crown Star Hotel

For a long time I couldn't budge even by an inch. I remained there as nothing but a trembling, pathetic mess.

When Oliver divorces me my life would be officially over. He did convinced me to quit my job and become a stay at home mother a life I never really pictured for myself but accepted because I was blinded by his love, not to mention that I was also fond of Alice too.

He never loved me, he just needed a live in nanny that would raise his daughter and serve his other needs.

That was all I was and now that she was a 'grown woman' he could toss me aside like used up tissue.

I kept crying until no more tears would come out, that was when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.

It was Alice.

After the divorce, I'll never see her again. I thought to myself .Oliver will probably bad mouth me to her until she hates me and assumes that I abandoned her.

"Is something wrong? Your eyes are all red..." She asked.

Suddenly I heard footsteps coming from the top of the stairs and froze up.

I broke out of it as he was getting closer, "Nothing is wrong baby girl," I lied through my teeth.

"I'm just so emotional... You used to be so little and now you've grown up so fast,"

Alice blushed, "I hardly think so, I still feel like a kid somehow,"

"Well you're not," Oliver interrupted, carrying their luggage with both hands.

"Let's go," he urged her.

I couldn't help but ask out of reflex; "where are you going?"

He'd gone past me but paused, saying nothing. It was Alice that spoke up; "We're going to Lodge at a hotel close to the airport so we'll be early for our flight..." Her voice got quieter at the end and she spun around, stomping over to her father.

"Dad, are you sure Ashley can't come?"

He shook his head like he regretted it.

"She can't, Pumpkin, this trip is for family only,"

Alice balled up her fingers, "But Ashley is family too," she whimpered and my heart broke. Oliver released an exasperated sigh, with his head turned around looking towards to me he asked; "What do you say, Ashley, you wanna join us?"

I quickly remembered how he'd nearly killed me a moment ago, the threat in his words ringing loud.

With my head snapped to the side I muttered 'no' Alice looked so dejected but she didn't push for it anymore, just walked over to me again and asked if we could take a selfie with my phone.

I nodded quickly before her father would find a way to disapprove.

She took a few pics and handed the phone back to me.

"Here, incase you miss me..." She hesitated before running over to her father and they were gone in the blink of an eye.

Just like the half decade I spent loving them. all the efforts I put to being the dutiful wife and ideal mother. it seemed as though it was all crumbling before my eyes as they head out for the door.

As the car ignited to zoom them off. My thoughts ran as though I should run out to catch up with them before leaving. But I remembered my ordeal earlier with Oliver.

I had spent weeks months preparing for this party only for him to scramble behind my back for a vacation that didn't even include me, so even though I raised Alice side by side with him I couldn't be considered family in the slightest?

I was worried but I tried not to think about it.

Instead I went to the kitchen to do something that usually calmed me down.

Washing dishes.

A brief feeling of tranquility came over me then I got a notification on my phone, I took my fingers off the soap suds and my wiped my hands before grabbing my phone off the counter.

There was a notification on my phone indeed, one of those tracking apps and it was showing me the current location of someone.

But I didn't have a tracking app on my phone. The location read, "Crown Star Hotel"

Did Alice install it?