My Revenge Billionaire Husband

Chapter Two: Freedom at Last?

There he was. Arthur Walker. The love of my life and my worst nightmare. He stood in the lobby with his lawyer and his lover, whose belly bump had begun to bulge out of her clothes.

Unfortunately for us, he had an affair with my friend, who also happens to be his ex. My decision on the divorce was final when I found out. She was the reason he had been gone for months without a word.

The audacity of the man to bring her to our divorce hearing with him. He had always been so inconsiderate of my feelings and those around us.

“This will be over before you know it,” Andrew, my lawyer, said to me when he noticed the miserable look on my face.

I wanted to believe him. It had been two months now, and I was already losing my patience. What kept me going was the fact that in the end, I would be free.

For 11 years, I had been in love with Arthur. He was a huge part of my world. Even now, as much as I despised him, a part of me still wished we were together and in love. But he was never in love. That was the problem.

Arthur interlocked his fingers with his lover’s and made his way towards me. I kept a straight face as he came closer now with a smirk on his face.

“Darling,” he began with a smug tone, “Goodness! You don't look so good.”

My eyes bore into his, and then he laughed softly and said almost in a whisper as he leaned in, “This is what you have always wanted. I thought you’d be happy, but you don’t look like it.”

I said nothing, still.

“I treated you right, Darlene. All this even after I treated you so right.”

I smiled and bowed my head as the irony of his words lingered in my mind, and then I met his eyes without the smile on my face.

“Well, Arthur,” I began, shaking my head, “That's just too bad for me, considering how well you treated me.”

He looked down at me with darkened eyes. I could feel the hatred radiating off of him to the entire room. He gave a short, empty laugh and in a moment he was gone.

I sat and hid my face in my hands, dreading what had just happened. I heard a pair of footsteps approach me.

“Darlene,” Angela began delicately, “I am sorry about this...please…don't hate me.”

I sighed and looked up to her. She had tears in her eyes that did not move me. I should hate her, but I did not. I mostly felt sorry for her. Being with Arthur was not easy, but she seems to be doing much better than I am.

“Sure,” I replied and excused myself from her company.

A couple of days passed since the day at court. I made it a mission to stay away from the press. I stayed at a hotel in a secluded part of town. But even then, they managed to find me and I could spot their minivans parked outside the hotel.

I lay on the bed and studied the ceiling. I thought about my mother. She had called earlier that morning crying, “My dear, I want you to be happy. If this makes you happy, then I am content with that. Your father is upset. This means war and he is unsettled. You will need to be strong.”

I wiped the tears that filled my eyes with the back of my hand. She, too, had been forced into an arranged marriage. Luckily for her, she fell in love with my father. He was charming, sweet, and kind to her. Unlike Arthur was to me.

I let out a miserable sigh and picked up my ringing phone. It was him. My first instinct was to ignore him, but I thought he would only call because of the divorce.

I summoned up courage and pulled myself together. “Hey,” I said, sounding a little softer than I would have liked to.

“You wench!” he spat, and tears filled my eyes, “You are going to pay for what you have done. I assure you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don't play dumb. God! Darlene, how could you? What is the matter with you?” He sounded miserable. I couldn’t help but worry.

“Arthur, what the hell are you–”

“You disgust me!” He interrupted and caught his breath. I could tell he was walking. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done. I will make sure of that.”

I was breathless and tired. I could barely say another word.

“Darlene…leave me alone and get a life! You are pathetic and…and I swear to God if anything happens to her…you’ll wish you had never been born.”

He dropped the call, but I still held the phone to my ear. What was happening? I wanted to cry, but I felt numb. I didn't need any more interactions with Arthur aside from the divorce. I wanted out for good! That is all I wanted.

I resisted the urge to call him back to get some answers and decided to meet with Andrew instead. I climbed into the elevator hoping that I wouldn't be spotted by the reporters.

As soon as I was out the door, a cold winter breeze swept through my face. I rushed to my car, but before I could get to it, I was greeted by a reporter. Many others appeared from nowhere, and I was soon surrounded by an army of reporters.

“Mrs. Walker, did Mr. Walker hurt you physically?”

“Are you still in love with him?”

“What do you have to say about his new lover?”

“What are your comments on being a suspect in a murder investigation?”

I stopped at my heels. Murder? I gazed at the reporter with a confused look on my face. “What did you say?”

“What are your comments on being a suspect in a murder investigation?”

I froze completely. They continued to throw questions at me, and instead of walking away, as I ought to, I found myself in the same position, completely bewildered. Murder? The word kept ringing in my head like an echo.

I came back to reality when I felt a grip on my hand. It didn't take me too long to realize that it was Andrew. He led me to his car and set me in the passenger's seat, then got in and drove away speedily.