Now, I am divorced.

A proposal

Ana's POV

While I looked around with confusion, I felt my purse vibrate; it was my cellphone. It was my father, but I decided not to answer. He doesn't care about me; his only interest is not losing the monthly money deposited into his bank account. But by not responding, I received a message.

"It better not be true about the divorce. If necessary, beg him because I won't lose everything I invested in you."

Making a great effort, I got up. If my father wanted me to humiliate myself, he was insane.

I sat on the bed and took a deep breath, receiving another phone call.

Thinking it was my father again, I answered angrily, taking my anger out on him.

"Leave me alone, selfish and self-centered!"

"Is this Mrs. Ana?"

Realizing that I had yelled at my doctor, I almost choked on my saliva, so I took a few seconds before answering.

"Sorry, I've had a rough day, but tell me what's happening. Is there anything else with my illness or the baby?"

"No, I called to let you know you left your sunglasses at the office."

"Burn them," I said, remembering when Belial gave me that. How did I not realize it before? He was ashamed of my eyes.

Heterochromia wasn't an illness; I was born with this different coloration of my irises, and it had never caused me any health problems.

"Are you sure? They are costly limited edition sunglasses."

Thinking carefully, I had a better idea. I was going to go pick them up, but only to give myself the satisfaction of breaking them and burning them myself.

"Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes. Again, I apologize for my lack of respect."

"No problem, I deal with patients losing their composure daily."

Ashamed, I laughed to pretend my calmness, but once I hung up, I sighed with resignation.

"It's just you and me, baby. We just have to keep on with our lives."

...

After washing my face, I left the room and took a taxi to the hospital. In the middle of the way, I opened my purse and looked at the money I had; it was very little. I only had the money on my card left, and I had to manage it carefully to make it last while I looked for a job. But how could I look for a job at this stage? I was one cycle away from graduating with a fashion design degree.

God... What was I going to do? Most likely, I wouldn't even have enough money for my treatment.

"Well, I'll figure it out. God gave me two hands; I won't be the first or last single mother in this world."

Turning my face to the window, I see we are passing by a church. The bride happily walks out arm in arm with the groom. It's impossible not to remember my wedding moment.

The moment when my father came home from work to tell me that he had reached a good agreement with his boss so that Belial would receive the position of director at "Bercelli," a luxurious fashion brand. A marriage that would only last until the patriarch passed away, and after this, my father would receive a fabulous amount of money.

Why me? Simple, Belial's grandfather was a close friend of my grandmother, so he held me in high regard.

I was happy to join my life to the man who told me I was beautiful when I was just a thirteen-year-old teenager whose mother had died of cancer.

At the funeral, there were close people, including the patriarch of the Bercelli family, who comforted me and smiled as if I were his granddaughter.

The burial moment was the hardest, and I escaped from my father's arms, hiding at the top of a leafy tree that shielded me from the rain. Losing a mother at that age was very tough, especially after witnessing her long agony with cancer. My life had become empty until he found me.

*Flashback*

Shivering cold, I hid in the tree branches while the rain mixed with my tears.

"Mom... Mom..." I sighed in pain. I just wanted to stop feeling this pain in my heart. I didn't want to see my mom disappear under the ground.

Until...

"Hey, girl, are you there?"

Scared, I covered my mouth. I didn't know who it was, but suddenly, I saw his face wet from the rain. His jet-black hair was totally disheveled. He had light blue eyes, fair skin, and pink lips. He was quite tall and handsome. That young man must have been around seventeen years old.

"W-who are you?" I asked nervously.

"First of all, you're Ana, right?"

I nodded, and he sighed with relief.

"How do you know me?"

"I saw you when we arrived. You were sitting on one of the chairs and didn't notice the others."

"Well, you saw me; you can go now."

"Are you kidding? Do you think I just came to say 'hello'? Come down."

"Leave me alone; I don't want to go back."

"Girl, I'm not your babysitter. My grandfather asked me to come find you, and if I don't come back with you, he's capable of cutting off my monthly allowance."—I want to be alone; I don't want to go back... — I shook my head hugging my knees — I don't want to say goodbye to my mom.

It was then that I heard some branches rustling. Surprisingly, he had climbed up to sit next to me. Up close, he was even more handsome.

"I know what you're feeling, girl. I also lost my mother when I was very young. I was younger than you. I didn't want to say goodbye to her, and I cried when I saw her in the casket. I didn't understand much, just that I wouldn't see her again, but..." He reached into his shirt pocket to take out a handkerchief. "It's worse when you don't give them the final farewell, as painful as it may be. You have to let her go."

Looking at his hand, I accepted the handkerchief and wiped my tears.

"I will say goodbye to my mom," I sighed, drying my tears.

"Very well. I'll go down first and help you do the same."

"No need; I can go down on my own."

"You're tiny, and the trunk is damp. If you slip and fall, Grandpa can leave me without money for the rest of my life."

With one leap, he was already on the ground, reaching out his arms to help me.

"I told you I don't need- Whoa!"

"I've got you!"

In the end, I slipped and fell heavily onto the boy, who rubbed his head in pain as he got up.

"That was quite a bump..."

"Ouch..." I complained about the tremendous impact.

"Wait, let me help you up. Your clothes are wet, and Grandpa will be mad at me. I know!" He took off his coat and put it over my shoulders.

"What are you doing? You'll catch a cold."

"I don't usually get sick; I have good defenses. But if you get sick, I'll end up dead, so let me button this up for you."

In silence, he knelt to button up the coat until he reached my neck, where he blinked with astonishment.

"Your eyes..." he pointed out.

Immediately, I turned around and covered my eyes with my hands.

"Don't look at them; they always attract attention; some people think they're strange."

But suddenly, I felt hands removing mine from my face.

"Well, I don't think they're strange. I think they're unique, and they make you look beautiful. If you were a little older, maybe... No, forget it. You have a good scent, like gardenias. Let's go to your dad so you can say goodbye to your mom."

With my heart pounding, I agreed to go back, and when my father asked where I got the coat from, I pointed to the one who had given it to me.

"Belial Bercelli," he said, forever etched in my memory.

*End of flashback*

After arriving, I paid the taxi driver and entered the hospital. I clung to my purse, mustering the willpower to go back inside.

"I better hurry," I said, quickening my pace. In doing so, I accidentally bumped into a man passing in front of me. He wasn't very old but carried a cane to help him walk. "S-sorry, I think this hasn't been my day."

I bent down to pick it up, quickly placing it back in his hand, and before he could respond, I walked away.

I looked behind me, and he was no longer there, so I breathed a sigh of relief.

I turned my gaze forward and searched for the doctor's office. Finally, I found it as he bid farewell to one of his patients.

"Oh, Ana, I was waiting for you," he said, inviting me in. "I put your glasses in the drawer of my desk."

I stayed at the door as he searched for my item. As if wanting to avoid a long silence, he started a conversation, one that I really didn't want to answer, but I had no choice.

"And have you talked to your husband about it?" he wanted to know.

"He's not my husband anymore," I said, surprising the doctor, who stopped searching and looked at me in surprise. "Ana... what happened?"

I lowered my gaze but immediately raised it and smiled.

"I opened my eyes."

"Ana..."

"No, it's not necessary for us to resort to pity. I'll be fine."

"But... your illness, the baby... Ana, does he know about the baby?"

"He no longer exists. I have no one else. I'm all the baby has, and that's reason enough not to stay crying in my bed." I took a moment to compose myself from the lump in my throat, but I smiled even stronger. "I'm strong; I'll make it."

"Maybe I can do something for you. There's a foundation for patients with your illness; there is still hope for you. You could go there, but your baby..."

Avoiding eye contact, I found my glasses on one of the shelves and approached to retrieve them.

"Here they are. I appreciate you calling me. With your permission, I'll leave."

I closed the door as I left, stopping momentarily to calm myself. This nightmare of a day never ended; what else awaited me?

"I just want to rest a bit," I told myself, stepping into the hallway, but a certain cane fell again.

"I-I'm sorry... I deeply regret..."

"It's alright, it was my mistake. That's what I get for eavesdropping on other people's conversations."

"Eavesdropping? Did you hear me?"

"I know it's not gentlemanly, but it caught my attention. Forgive me if I seem intrusive, but are you really alone?"

"Why do you ask that? You are a stranger."

"I know, I understand perfectly, but from what I just heard, I feel like you're the right one."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Look, I don't have much time left. I'm thirty years old, but I look older; I'm in an advanced stage of cancer. My family only cares about me dying to get my money."

Astonished, I realized that some people could be worse off than me.

I am twenty-one years old, but even I could tell that the illness consumed this man.

"I'm sorry."

"No, girl. Deep down, I deserve it. My bad life and wastefulness of money led me to this. I never considered my health, but now I want to do something right before I go."

Surprisingly, he held my hands.

"Marry me, and I will give you everything I have."