Once His Wife

The Ex-husband

"People want pretty much the same things. They wanted to be happy. Most young people seemed to think that those things lay somewhere in the future, while most older people believed they lay in the past."

- Nicholas Sparks, Nights in Rodanthe

Nathaniel

I stared lazily at the screen of my laptop. I'm checking emails but doesn't seem to successfully do so. I massaged my forehead.

Damn it. Why did I forgot my glasses? I usually wear contact lenses but I'm more comfortable with eyeglasses.

"Sir? You're sister wants to see you." The voice of my secretary cuts in through the intercom.

"Tell her I'm busy," I mumbled coldly.

Now's really not a good time.

"Too late, Nathaniel." My older sister's voice sauntered through my ears after the door to my office swished open.

I groaned inwardly. What now? I disheveled my hair, trying not to let the frown form on my face.

Her heels clacked against the marbled floor as she walked over my desk.

"I'm busy, Starlet," I muttered without lifting my eyes to hers.

I heard her snort. "Don't worry. I won't be here all day."

"Me neither. I have to fly to Seattle in twenty minutes." I have a very important business deal to settle.

"Come on, you have a private plane. It will barely take three hours."

She chucked her tan leather bag on my table with a thud. Exasperatedly, I darted my eyes up to her smug face. "I thought entering showbiz will eat up all your time."

Starlet grinned at me, sporting a grey top underneath a jean jacket she loves so much and a black destructed jeans. Her face always reminds of the beach because of its summer glow. She's still have the beautiful tan she got from making her new film mostly in the beach or anywhere under the heat of the sun.

She always tells me whatever she does even though she knows too well that I don't care.

Her name 'Starlet' is probably the luckiest coincidence knowing she really end up to be a star. It's not like our parents consulted a prophet.

"Being a well-known actress still gives me time to pester you... unfortunately." She flops down on the seat in front of my desk.

I shake my head, diverting my eyes back to my laptop. "Why don't you do something else to pour all your hours on?"

"Like what? Get married and get divorced like you?" She laughed. "I won't. Unless the groom pays me more than my net worth. Only then will I marched on the aisle of matrimony."

I ignored her mocking voice.

"Oh my, gosh! Speaking of..." She squeals too loud for my ears. "You won't believe this!"

"Don't tell me then." I deadpanned.

Starlet lightly slams her right palm on the table to express her annoyance. "Just listen, okay?"

"I don't have a choice. I have ears." I leaned back on my swivel chair and shot her a bored look.

She rolls her eyes on me. After a split second, the frown on her face turned upside down. "Earlier this morning," she started off with a wide grin that could've possibly disfigured her face. "Me and my friends went to check out this new Italian restaurant called 'Italia del gusto' which opened two months ago. It was awesome. Nice music. The lasagna, pizza and the spaghetti with meatballs tossed my diet right to the dumpster."

I pluck out a sigh and glance down to my wristwatch, wishing I can at least fast forward.

Her voice drifts in and out of my ears. She's talking too much that I can't make out the words anymore.

"Then I saw her..."

I tried not to yawn. How long am I going to deal with this? I just met with a contractor this morning to talk about another housing project. I struggled not to fall asleep the whole time. And now this?

"Chassie's back!"

Her voice rang out of my head with those words. My gaze abruptly scooted back to hers.

"Ha! I know that would earn me your attention!" She put her hands out in the air, looking up the ceiling.

I gritted my teeth. "That wasn't a good joke, Starlet."

Starlet stood up from her seat and put her hands on her waist. "Who said I was kidding? Haven't you been listening to what I am saying?!" She scowled at me.

"My friends and I were just leaving Italia del gusto when I saw Chassie." Starlet crosses her arms over her chest.

My right hand clenched upon hearing her name. "You just saw someone who looks like her." My voice was stern and impassive.

"I know you won't believe me. So, I snapped a photo." She shrugs and digs on her bag she plunked on my table. She withdrew her phone and showed a stolen shot of Chassie. "Sadly though, I think she have a thing with that Italian chef."

I fixated my eyes on the screen of her phone and took it from her hand. I recognized the same dark brown hair I used to nuzzle in and the smile that captivated me back when I was sixteen. Only she's now giving that smile to someone else on the photo.

"I know she's gone more beautiful but can I have my phone back now? You're staring at it for eternity," she mumbles, snapping me out of my trace of mind.

I kept a poker face on. "Here."

Starlet smirks at me and flipped her chestnut blonde hair with her blue eyes twinkling in mirth. "You're so lucky to have me as a sister," she dangles her phone in front of my face.

"Cut it out."

"I won't stop until you get your workaholic ass off that chair and be happy again," she mutters in a sing song voice.

"I'm happy with my life for Christ's sake." I glared at her.

She scrunched her nose in disagreement. "I don't think so. I barely saw you smile for almost four years now."

"Maybe you walking out of that door will make me smile." I pointed to my office door where she just emerged without warning.

She snorts. "Maybe you going out sometimes will."

"I go out sometimes."

"To meet contractors, architects, engineers; to close a business deal with some old men." She gestures her manicured hand as she says so.

Bugger. I thought I'm going to have at least an hour of peace before going to Seattle.

"What I mean of 'going out' is mingling." She pointed out to me like I am the dumbest kindergartener.

"I'm dating women, Starlet." But I'm just not into serious relationships right now. I'm focused on the company...and I still haven't found someone else who can break that focus.

"You call that dating? Pssh." She laughed. "Seriously, you can't even change your screen saver." Starlet propped her palms on my table to lean over the screen of my laptop.

I closed it, depriving her of the view. "I'm busy. I don't really have much time for that."

"For changing your screen saver to some other woman's picture? Do you think I'm buying it? Chassie's with a new man now. I bet their relationship is maybe serious, too."

My jaw clenches for an unknown reason. "I have flings, Starlet. If Chassie wants to have a serious relationship with some idiotic assholes, let her be. No need to juxtapose our lives together."

The door bursted open which grabbed our attentions. Just my luck! My day just got better!

"Bro, you wouldn't believe this." Our youngest brother enters, looking down to his phone as he enters. "Starlet just sent me...oh, you're here," he said when he finally look up from his phone and saw our sister.

Starlet look over her shoulder and squealed. She leaped her way to him. "Baby brother!"

They hugged like loons.

"You two saw each other yesterday." I snapped, scratching the back of my ears in exasperation.

Jett smirked at me. "We're siblings. You should join us, too."

"Spare me from your reunion."

Mischief crosses his blue eyes. "You told him already, didn't you?" he turns to Starlet.

"Yep. He was jumping up and down when I told him I saw Chassie."

I rolled my eyes, feeling beyond irritated. "Will you two mind your own business?"

They both shake their heads at me.

I groaned. Goddamn it!

"Nah. We don't have a business to attend to. We're not the CEO around here. Are you, Jett?" Starlet asks, feigning innocence.

"No. I'm a vocalist of the famous band 'Heart Bandits'." He shrugs.

Jett is. I know the band name is a little corny. I didn't thought through that when I suggested that name. We didn't expect they'll be a hit, hence the cheesy name 'Heart Bandits'.

My siblings made a name out of neon lights. I pursued a different life. I was bound to anyway. I'm the first son so I have to take over Forester Realty. My parents - Sebastian and Mia Forester carved and sealed that to my mind at an early age.

By the age fifteen, my father and his best friend who happened to be Chassie and Kathie's dad - lucky for me, started to train me. It's not the training I was hoping for when I was seven because I thought it was more of ninja kind of training. I got older and realized I have a huge responsibility resting on my shoulders and I should never let my father down. Especially our families. They were all expecting me to be beyond excellent.

But to be like what they wanted me to felt like not being a human. They all expected too much from me. I had to quit most of my hobbies to focus. I was in a band in high school but I quit it; I just let my younger brother - Jett pursue that hobby himself. He loved music as much as I did.

I graduated college with a degree in Civil Engineering and took up master's degree. I topped the Real Estate Broker License Exam and soon turned the Forester Realty to an empire which everyone looks up to today.

However, achieving all that wasn't as easy as casting a magic spell. I'm not perfect and success doesn't come easy like those on T.V. Shows and movies. I persevered. I did every single little thing to the best of my ability.

I have made our families proud. But I'll never forget how hard it was...how hard it was to achieve all that with my heart crushing every minute of the day. Because before I earned those tiny pieces of success, I lost a big part of me.

"Nathaniel!" Starlet's voice raised an octave.

"What?" I snapped.

Jett tsked. "Physically here but mentally there."

"When are you leaving?" I queried, engulfing them in a winter gaze. "I don't want paparazzi snooping around my building."

"Aw. Why? You need some time alone to grieve on your broken heart?"

I throw her a death glare. I swear if they won't shut up...

"I'm leaving now." I stood from my swivel chair and made my way to the door.