THE FALL OF THE TROPHY WIFE

CHAPTER THREE

The blonde lady nodded with a snug smile on her face.

"Simona…what a name! What's she worth? Everything that I'm not, right? She's thick where I'm skinny, right? Perhaps she owns her own company, or business empire, or clothes line? What?!"

David just stared. He didn't say anything. He just stared. Andrea was really beginning to feel the heat of embarrassment, then Simona burst into a loud cackle.

"Now what?” Andrea fired, shutting her immediately.

"Andrea, you can talk s**t to me but do not ever speak to her in that manner. Am I understood?”

Simona stood up from the executive chair and walked towards David.

“Let me take things from here, sweetie", she offered with a full kiss on the lips. Like as if under a spell, David went back to his chair and faced the window, his back completely to the women.

Simona smiled disdainfully at Andrea.

“First of all, I apologize for my manners. I should have introduced myself." She cleared her throat. “I am Simona Quentin. Soon to be Simona Strafford. You are?"

Andrea eyed her with so much hatred. What use was an introduction at this point. Now she clearly understood that the woman before her was her husband's secret lover and baby momma.

“You're pregnant?"

Simona looked down at her baby bump like she had forgotten what it was or why it was there.

“Oh…yes, I am. Five months gone. Don't you have children of your own?”

That last question was salty to Andrea. A great pain rose in her chest, but it was solely toward David.

"I don't have any yet.”

Simona c****d her head to the side and made a long face.

"That must be so hard for Mr Strafford. How did he cope with you?"

Andrea really felt belittled. She looked up at Simona with so much pain in her eyes. In as much as she wanted to tell her that all her fertility tests always came out right, with nothing wrong with her, she decided against it. She didn't owe this woman any explanation.

"We've been living fine till you came along. And really, I'm surprised that you're pregnant already. Congratulations.” She craned her neck, looking past Simona. "David, I'm going to act like none of this ever happened; just tell me what I did wrong and we can go home and make peace. You know we can always talk about this.”

David turned in his chair. He opened a drawer from the chest on his desk and took out a file. Andrea looked at him with so much distress in her eyes. Maybe she had to calm down more: it wasn't what she was thinking. He handed the file to her.

"Those are our divorce papers. I've signed them. You can sign them too.”

A wave of calm flooded over Andrea but she became frantic as she read through the documents. She scanned them keenly, but the things in them weren't just adding up.

“What is this? What about the half I'm entitled to? The joint account? Don't I get any of the little I've put in?"

David laughed derisively.

“You acknowledged it right. It was too little to be significant. You chose to work as a bartender. That was all your life coping skills could get you." He pressed his lips together. “I've always known you to be a gold digging witch; that's why I gave you nothing. You can go out there and feed off of men who'd oblige. I'm done. Simona has a lot to offer me: finances, partnerships and a proper wife - but you, you're nothing more than a hobo."

Andrea's heart shattered into many pieces.

“A hobo? Me?" She smiled sadly. “I might as well sign the papers and leave, David. But please give me time to get my things in order."

David raised an eyebrow.

“What things? Did you have anything of your own when I met you?"

“Maybe you forget too quickly. I did, but you said they were all basic and needed a facelift. Then you bought all the expensive stuff for me; even those that turned out to be quite unnecessary.”

"So much for an ingrate”, David muttered under his breath. "Just get your miserable life together and sign those papers.”

"There's no need to say that again. Here are your papers”, she retort, pressing the file to his chest.

David took the papers and confirmed that she had signed all. He walked over to the desk and dropped the file. He took out a ring box and went on one knee in front of Simona. Andrea's right hand instinctively went to her ring finger. She could feel her heart breaking all the more inside of her. She could scream about the truth of her heritage right now but it would sound like fables, and security will be upon her in no time.

"Simona Quentin, will you marry me?”

Simona squealed with exaggerated excitement to spite Andrea but that was where she failed. Andrea saw through it all and held her peace. Instead, she recognized the ring box. It was the same one her father had given him for their engagement. It was a thing with so much significance to her. Her late mother's engagement ring.

“Is that our engagement ring, David?" She asked, causing him to face her. “You know, you called me basic but I actually think you are the basic one. What's the meaning of all of this, David? Don't you even respect anything about me?"

Simona admired the ring on her finger and expressed gratitude to David for giving her such an opportunity. Andrea was already deeply disgusted by now.

“Respect? I should be the one asking why you can't respect my decision to be a better person."

“You know what?" Andrea asked rhetorically, raising a hand to David's face. “Let things be as they are. I'll go."

“I don't know why you're mad about the ring. An important business partner had given it to me, and that has totally nothing to do with you. The claims you make are rather too high for your classless self."

In anger, Andrea pulled off the wedding ring and hit him hard on the face with it. Much to her satisfaction, it cut his lip.

“There! That's better. Happy married life with your new b***h. She'll always be the side chick in my eyes - you should really have saved her the embarrassment.”

Andrea stormed out of the building and walked down to the bus station. That was all she could do as she consoled herself with tears.