From Divorce to Glory: Claimed by my Ex-husband’s Enemy

IRIS “Let’s get a divorce.” The firm words echoed in my ears just as I woke up. And every trace of grogginess disappeared from my eyes as I sat upright on the bed, the duvet pooling around my half naked lower body. “What?” I blinked a few times to make sure I hadn’t misheard as my gaze fell on my husband, Zander, who was getting dressed for work in front of the floor-length mirror. “Leah is back, and our marriage contract is about to expire anyway,” he elaborated as he knotted his tie without sparing me a glance. Leah. My chest tightened at her name. “Let’s just get it over with,” he continued as he took one of his wristwatches from their collection and strapped it on. “That was the agreement from the beginning, wasn’t it?” My brows furrowed. “Yes, but—” “That settles it then,” he cut me off before I could finish. “We’ll be getting divorced at the courthouse tomorrow by 10am.” My mind raced as I struggled to catch up with his sudden decision. “Zander, I thought things were starting to get better between us? You made love to me just last night. How can you demand a divorce so easily?” Zander sighed and finally turned to face me as he shrugged on the suit that clung to his tall frame and made him more attractive. “Don’t make this more complicated than it’s supposed to be, Iris,” he muttered, irritation evident in his tone. “I was only fulfilling my marital duties as a husband last night. That’s all it was—an obligation. Nothing more.” My heart twisted painfully at the indifference in his voice. “So, I’ve just been a tool to satiate your needs?” I retorted, my voice trembling with disbelief. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but I wasn’t finished. “You’re just going to discard me for a woman who left you when you needed her the most? Leah abandoned you after your accident, but I stayed with you! I took care of you till you got back on your feet!” Zander sighed and pinched the bridge of his nostrils, as though he was tired of this conversation. “Look, Iris, I appreciate all you did for me,” his tone softened slightly. “I really do, and I’ll compensate you properly after the divorce. Leah has explained everything that happened, and I’ve forgiven her. I just want to start over with her.” He picked up his briefcase from the couch after saying this and made his way towards the door. But I wasn’t willing to let it end like this. I threw the duvet off my body as I jumped out of bed and rushed towards him. My hands clutched onto his biceps, stopping him before he could open the door. “Zander, please don’t do this. I-I love you,” I stuttered, finally confessing the feelings I had bottled up for the longest time. “I’ve been in love with you since the day you defended me from those bullies in college. Please…we can work this out.” The muscles in Zander’s biceps tensed under my touch, and he froze for a second before regaining his composure and shrugging my hands off. “There is nothing to work out, Iris, because there’s no us,” he deadpanned. “Stop being sentimental over something I did out of sympathy. I can and will only love one woman. And that’s Leah.” With that, he opened the door and walked out, slamming it behind him. I stood there, half naked and dejected as I stared at the closed door for a few minutes after he left. Then I sank to the floor, the cold marble tiles licking at my skin as my vision clouded with tears. Thinking back to how much I had sacrificed for Zander made my chest close up even more. After his accident that left him paralyzed for a while, Leah, who was his fiancée at that time, vanished without a trace. And I, a fresh out of college aspiring artist, stepped in because I couldn’t bear to watch the man I loved wallow in self-deprecation. I took care of him until he recovered, and agreed to be his wife on paper, just so he could get his inheritance. Giving up my dreams of going to a prestigious art school, I resigned myself to being a housewife. All for the sake of fulfilling the terms stated in his grandfather’s will. The sudden wave of nausea that rose within me pulled me out of my reverie, as I instantly had the urge to vomit. Scrambling up to my feet, I rushed to the bathroom and fell to my knees as I emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet bowl. When there was nothing left to throw up, I rose from my kneeling position, wiped my mouth with my hand and gripped the edges of the sink to steady myself. “Why was I feeling this way all of a sudden?” Were the words that echoed at the back of my head as I stared at my flushed and disheveled reflection in the mirror. Could it be…? I drew in a sharp breath as the thought crept into my head, but I shook it away. I can’t make any assumptions yet. I needed to be sure. *** About thirty minutes later, I was seated in the gynecologist’s office. My fingers fiddled with each other on my lap, and my knees bobbed as I waited for the gynecologist to bring my test results. The sound of the door creaking open almost made me jump in my seat and I sharply looked up just as the doctor walked in. My breath quickened, and my stomach twisted with nerves as my eyes closed in on the piece of paper in her hands. “I apologize for keeping you waiting, Mrs. Powell,” the doctor said in a professional tone before holding up the paper in her hand. “The test results are ready.” I gulped down the anxiety that clawed at my throat as I gave her a wary glance. “W-what…does it say?”