Freedom
1104 Words
Rage filled Miguel's body as he returned home close to midnight and found Anastasia's things still in her separate room.
"Have you become so attached to me that you now find it hard to leave? Do I have to throw you out myself?" He shouted as he walked towards the library where she normally stayed. He opened the door and found the place empty.
Worry lines etched on his forehead as he rushed downstairs still fuming with anger.
"Where is Anastasia?" He asked his butler in the living room.
"I haven't seen her, Sir."
"Are you sure she didn't return to the house?"
The middle-aged butler shook his head. "After she left for the hospital in the morning, she never came back, Sir, I'm sure of it."
Miguel was taken aback. Anastasia went to the hospital?
He called her immediately. She saw the phone ringing on the bed beside her, and she felt like smashing it on the wall. It was close to midnight, and she was about to sleep. After spending hours supervising the company's records, just to distract herself from the divorce, she was exhausted. The call ended, and her phone pinged with a message. Of course, he knew she was ignoring him because she always answered his calls.
Miguel: Why are your clothes still here?
His question annoyed her to the core. Miguel became cold after their second year without any hopes of a child, but she understood his disappointment and tried to make up for it. She never thought their marriage could get to this point.
Anastasia: Since your new wife is claiming my things, she can claim my clothes too. It's a little good luck gift, she will need it to bear a marriage with you.
After sending her reply, she put him straight on the block list where he deserved to be.
Miguel was infuriated. "She better not do something funny tomorrow," he muttered angrily.
The next day, Anastasia left for the court at seven. Her flight was scheduled for eight, and she had a fully packed schedule for the day. Thankfully, the lawyer was nice enough to agree to come out early. She did not hesitate for one second as she signed the divorce agreement. After the procedure, she walked out of court with the divorce decree firmly grasped in her hand. She took in a deep breath and let it out. Freedom.
"This will be the last time you hear from me, Miguel," she spoke inwardly and touched her belly. "I will never let my children near a man like you and if we ever meet, you will wish you hadn't known me."
She looked over at the car where Oliver was waiting for her. Joining him, they left straight for the airport.
Later that morning, Miguel arrived at the court in a fuss. Anastasia had not answered his calls. Surprisingly, her part of the divorce agreement had already been signed. Was she too much in a rush to leave him? Immediately, he called his assistant.
"James, any news on Anastasia? Is she at the Chicago house?"
"No, Sir. She also hasn't collected the fifteen million."
Miguel was devastated. Anastasia was poor. How would she survive without the alimony? It was unlike Anastasia, who always agreed to his wishes.
"Oh, forget about it! I don't care if she starves to death," he muttered to himself.
With that, he shook her out of his mind and went home to prepare the house for his new wife. The television was on and there was a broadcast about a charity event in the Philippines. It was tagged the 'butterfly effect'.
A lot of companies in America and beyond, including some of Miguel's business partners, applied to sponsor the charity due to the exposure it would give their business while helping the orphanages involved.
Despite the exposure, every CEO wanted a chance to form a connection with the Ani farms, who were the host of the charity, and the biggest agricultural firm in the Philippines. Their logo was on almost every food product in Europe and beyond. Ani Farms was a household name. Sadly, his application was rejected twice.
A reporter appeared on-screen, and his news caught Miguel's interest. He stopped chatting about baby names with Bianca and focused on the TV.
The reporter said, "Heir of the multi-billion Ani farms is back to take her rightful place. This time she has decided to reveal her identity. With this new appearance, we expect she will cause exponential growth in the company..."
Miguel had heard about the heir of Ani Farms, the only daughter of the multi-billionaire who owned the company. News had it that she was gifted in business, despite her two Ph. D.s, and could bring even the most hopeless company back to life. She was a hotcake in the corporate world and many CEOs, including himself, wanted her. Imagine the growth his company will experience after marrying such an industrious lady. He let his fantasies about the woman fill his head for a second.
He continued to watch, eager to discover who the billionaire heiress was. She was rumoured to have left the company years ago. What would have made her come back?
The media coverage shifted to the arrival of the Ani family as their limousine pulled up in front of the red carpet bordered by red railings. Chief Ricardo Ani stepped out, followed by his wife, Reyna.
Paparrazi scrambled around, trying to get pictures of them, especially the heiress who had suddenly resurfaced. Miguel leaned forward in his seat and narrowed his eyes, waiting to capture this mysterious woman. Someone as low-key as she might want to wear a veil or cover her face. He needed to be ready.
Mrs. Ani looked behind at the prodigy who was taking her time to come out of the car, leaving thousands of people like Miguel in suspense. Then she stepped out in a black corporate gown, stopping just beneath her knees. Her dark hair flowed behind her back in curls. She held a brown bag, matching her shoe color.
Miguel thought she looked familiar. He wished she could face the camera so he could get a glimpse of her face. When she finally turned, he literally froze in his seat as goosebumps crept over his skin. If someone had exposed the identity of this woman to him without him seeing her for himself on TV, he wouldn't have believed it. His mouth suddenly became dry as his eyes widened in shock.
He completely forgot he had just divorced her that morning as he said, "That's my wife, Anastasia."
- Writer
