Divorce With A Clause: Take Back My Empire

Rose “You will never find love again." I was carefully seated at the edge of the king-sized bed. Marcus lay on one side of his body, phone in hand and took a long cold stare at me. I could still hear his voice echo through the master bedroom. My mouth hung open. His harsh words cut through my soul like a death sentence. He has never gone that far. Tears welled up in my eyes as I continued to hold his gaze, shoulders down. I sat upright and tried to explain. Before I could even start, he pointed his finger at my face. “How dare you?” His blazing eyes threatened to set me on fire if I dared to say a word or move. With my mouth still opened, tears rolled down my cheeks. “Go ahead, cry. It doesn't change the contract you signed. You're still my wife and you don't get to decide when it ends,” he said and stood up from the bed. I watched him walk around the bed. My face was frozen somewhere between shock and disbelief. The 50% company share granny willed to me. I gave it to him. It wasn't my idea, it was his. He said I needed time to learn how to be a CEO, but he never taught me. And I didn't complain. He was my husband. My first love and I trusted him with my inheritance. Now he threatened me with it. I blinked and tried to move away from him. Then he came closer and grabbed my face. His strong hand pressed hard on my jaw to hold me in place. “When I married you, I did you a favor. Let's not even talk about how I saved your family business. That empire could never have gone this far without me.” "Marcus," I managed to breathe out. He pulled me up, his hot, heavy breath hovering around my face as he brought his face closer to mine. "How dare you say my name?" He released me so sharply that I stumbled back like I was nothing. I gasped, crashing into the wooden Vanity table and sank slowly to the bedside. “You ungrateful b***h. You should be thanking me, but you ask for a divorce? I refuse to stand here and waste my time with you,” he said, turned back and rushed out of the room. My back throbbed. I whimpered quietly so I wouldn't awaken the darkest part of him I was yet to find out. That was not the Marcus I knew. It was his voice, deep and cruel, the same voice that had just called me a bad name, like it knew my beginning and all that I was. But it wasn't him. That was a monster I made when I gave too much to love when all it promised was nothing. When I closed my eyes to the things I was meant to scorn. I was blind, forgave him when he cheated, called me names, walked out on me and left me in the mansion all alone for weeks. I didn't even wait for his apology before forgiving. Now, this monster I raised and gave all my care was back to break me into pieces. My knees pulled to my chest. I curled up tight, wedging myself against the wooden bed frame. I tried to cry, but there was no sound. My back was throbbing. It had only been a few minutes of shouting, the contract and the name he called me. My chest was too tight to breathe. I remembered I hadn't eaten since last night because I didn't have the appetite. The door flew open again. The wheels of his black rolling briefcase made a low "grrrr" sound against the cold marble floor. It stopped abruptly, Then his footsteps got nearer. If only I could disappear into the mattress. I shifted beside the bed frame, with nowhere else to turn, and buried my face between my arms. "Look up," he said, calmly, in his usual husky tone. I raised my head a bit. In less than ten minutes, he was all dressed in new clothes. I turned my eyes to the silver clock on the wall. It was work o'clock. He'll probably be gone for another week. Like always. Something left my body. Then again, I thought, with the way he just spoke, maybe he had realized his mistake and this was when he would apologize and pull me in, like every other time when he cheated, lied or didn't come home. I looked up completely, trying not to move too much, or my back would throb again, and faced him. Tears were plastered all over my face as I tried with everything I had to fight back the mucus. "Did you say you want a divorce?" he asked and squatted on one knee in front of me. I didn't answer. In fact, I didn't understand why he was asking again. I kept looking at him, still waiting for when he would get to the part where he would say, "I'm sorry," and embrace me. "Answer me," he said, his voice rising higher. My face dropped as my gaze fell to my knees. I was wrong. I dared not answer him. We both knew what my response would be and apparently how it would end for me again. "You know what, When you're ready, you know where to find me," he said, standing up. "Keep in mind what is at stake." And walked out with his briefcase. My hope crashed. He didn't even look back. He didn't feel bad that he had hurt me or that I might be in pain. His CEO duties were more important than I was. A title I gave him. I didn't matter to him right from the start of our marriage. And now that I had decided to end it, he had also decided to strip me of the tiniest affection he had reserved for me, If any, making it obvious that from then onward, my life would never be the same. Not while I was still married to him. I was a coward wallowing in my own pain, helpless and trapped in the claws of an angry tiger. the tears came back. I sobbed. The man I gave my life, my love and inheritance to had just walked out on me, leaving me with nothing but threat. That is when I knew I wasn't married, I was trapped and I needed to get out without ever getting hurt again. My grip loosened, letting my hand fall to the cold floor. Everything suddenly became blurry in a snap of a finger before the room went quiet.