Falling for the Billionaire Deal

Chapter 1: LUNA

After ten years, I wondered how we got here. Divorce papers are sitting at the dining table, and I am trying to stop playing out our wedding memories in my head. Venissa, my five-year-old daughter, was my child with Joe. She was still in preschool, her academic term was about to end, and I still had not processed it all.

I was a housewife, something I did not want to be at first because I felt that, having studied financial management, I should be applying for my degree in a bank or other business, but that was not what Joe wanted. Even before our marriage, he and I had many arguments over it. I always assumed I could somehow persuade him that I could work and be a mother, but he never thought such things could work. Even after we were married, despite my pleas, he would not let me work. After about 10 years of education, I had to toss my certificate somewhere I wouldn't see it. At first, I was furious about it. I really did want to work, but I had to respect my husband's choices.

I have been a housewife ever since. Joe was essentially a nonexistent parent during the time I was at home raising Venissa. He worked so hard because he was our only source of income and was constantly on the go, and I felt sorry for him. There were moments when I wanted to tell him when he was extremely exhausted after work.

"Do you not think that if I started working, things would be easier?" However, I never did; all I did was cook him dinner and watch him eat. Sometimes, after giving him a shoulder rub while he ate, he would kiss me good-bye and head to bed. Then, when I woke up the next morning, it was either two things: I would wake up with no one at the side of the bed because he had rushed to work and didn't have time to eat. Or it would be me waking up and rushing to prepare his food and get Venissa ready for school.

It is more of the former these days.

He was hardly a father to Venissa, and he was hardly at home. Next, the weekends? He continued working on Saturdays, but he did not work on Sundays. I had no idea where he went and was too afraid to ask.

I recall the day I became fed up with his absence, with the fact that he was never at home, with the fact that he was barely a husband, let alone a father. Venissa would occasionally ask me if her father worked for the military, which would explain why he was so absent, but I was unable to respond. I would also wonder if I preferred Joe in the military, because on days when I woke up without him at home, it was because he was far away, and if he had the option, he would want to be with his family. That is when I finally told Joe that I was going to work, regardless of his approval, because the workload was too much. Even now, I still find it hard to believe what he told me.

"You might as well divorce me, Luna; I said it, and this is the last time I will say it. "I am not going to be the husband of a working woman," and that was that. He stood up from the dining room, leaving his food behind, and slammed the door. Since then, he has grown more aloof; I have never seen him so hurt or angry.

It was as if I had put fuel on the fire. Maybe I didn't tell him that these divorce papers wouldn't be lying here on the dining table; maybe I would have seen him when I saw him, and that would have been enough. I checked the time, and it was 30 minutes before Venissa School closed for the day. I needed to go pick her up. But how could I look at Venissa knowing that her parents were going to get divorced? I could not even look her in the face. Joe was not a particularly present father, but it was preferable to his absence.

I have been texting Melissa about Joe's behavior for a while now; she has been comforting me and even considering whether we should try therapy. I did not want her to become too involved in my marital affairs, so I would simply tell her not to bother. I used to lie and say Joe was coming home more frequently so she would not be too concerned. That was the last thing I said to her. Although I did not ask when, she seemed content and expressed her desire to visit one of the days. I did not bother to disturb her because, to be honest, I did not want her to come see that I had lied and that things were not getting any better.

I had no choice at this point. I texted Melissa asking if she could come get my daughter from school and bring her to her house so we could discuss it later. On weekends, when I needed time to myself and wanted to talk to Joe about how our marriage was failing, I would occasionally drop Venissa off at my aunt's house, but he would always brush me off. I was constantly annoyed, and he was constantly exhausted.

I would wear revealing clothes so that Joe could see my body and at least get turned on to get in bed with me, but it didn't exactly go as planned. Sure, we would end up in bed, but he would leave as soon as he finished giving me a full body kiss and giving me the impression that we were going to have s*x. When I went to him, he was always in the kitchen, taking tea.

"Joe, what happened? Why did you get up?" I would usually ask:

He would beg, "I am not in the mood, Luna, please," and I would walk out of the room, sobbing, wondering why I was not even able to have s*x with my husband. At first, I thought maybe he was cheating on me. Though I lacked evidence to support my suspicions, I had my suspicions. I knew deep down that Joe was not like that, though. I just knew that he was not cheating, even though he was hardly ever there.

In the middle of crying, I would tell myself, "He loved me; it is just that he is always working." When I woke up, he was not at home because I had fallen asleep while sitting in bed.

"He left, most likely to get some fresh air," I would tell myself.

"He wasn't cheating.".

Little did I know, behind those words hid a secret that would unravel the very foundation of trust in our relationship.

I texted Melissa and then left my phone at the table, hoping she would not call. If I talked about what was going on, I could easily start crying and then she would have to drive over. However, she texted me instead, and I appreciated that.

"Luna, I am giving you this night to tell me what is going on unless I'm come over." Her statement made me laugh. She was always like this, always making sure I was okay and I was grateful. I left my phone on the table and sat down, thinking of what to do. I would not sign those divorce papers without speaking with Joe and hearing his voice to see if this is what he truly wants. I heard a door open; it could not be Joe because he never returned this early, but before I could get up, Joe was standing in front of me. He dropped his suitcase on the table.

"Did you sign the papers?"

"Joe, what do you mean? Don't tell me what you mean."I could not keep the tears from falling from my eyes; they were streaming down.

"After...everything... we've... gone... through?" My voice had broken, and I was trying to find it again.

"Luna, we both know this marriage has lost its worth a long time ago."

"It is because you were constantly working; you were never at home!!" I found my voice and yelled as loudly as I could. I wanted to save this marriage and would not give it up so easily. Joe sat down, his head lowered, gazing at the ground as if something was there. There was a brief pause before he began talking.

"Last year, my father told me I was adopted; ever since, I have not been myself; he told me my real parents abandoned me on the street Luna." I could not believe what I heard. I wanted to get closer to him to touch him and tell him he did not have to go through it alone, but I was also angry that he had kept it from me all this time, so I just stood there waiting to see what he was saying next.

"A few months later, I went for a checkup; I discovered I had erectile dysfunction and had also become impotent; everything was happening at once." That could be why he stopped having s*x with me. And why was he always getting up whenever it was time for it. This time, I got closer to him, unconcerned that he kept such things from me. I knelt down and lifted his face.

Removing my hand from his face as if he were going to reveal something unpleasant to me, he said, "There is something else I need to let you know." It felt like I had stopped breathing, so I stood up and took a step back, hoping he was not going to confirm my suspicions.

"Luna, I am having an affair."

I did not see Joe again after that; it was the end of it all. I could not stop crying as I signed the paperwork and packed venissa's and my belongings; I did not even bother to ask him if he wanted to be a parent because I knew he did not care.

"You can have Melissa; you will raise her better than I will." I did not respond to what he said because I was still packing.

"And if you want to split the properties and everything, we can inform the lawyer." That was the very last thing I wanted to do; I did not want anything from Joe. The house we lived in was bought with his own money; basically, everything we had was bought by him. Although splitting the properties was a valid option, I still did not want it. I could begin again on my own with Venissa.

"I don't want to." That was the last thing I said before leaving. He didn't even care to help me with my stuff, and I had to call an Uber to drive me to my aunt's place.

I moved out of town with Venissa, and we went to the neighboring city. Fortunately, with the money I had saved, I was able to rent us a small house. Melissa initially did not approve of my decision to move to the city. I declined her offer of financial assistance, even though she said we could start up all over the town. I needed to move somewhere far away, somewhere new; I was thirty-one years old and I did not want anyone else making decisions for me anymore. Even after I declined, Venissa continued to offer me money.

"Please accept; it is the least I can do." Was this the least she could have done? She had been helping me so much more, I laughed. After the divorce, Melissa and I spent two months living at her house. She took care of us and made us feel at home. She fed us even when I offered to pay for food and shelter, but she declined. I wanted to get a job so that I could support myself, but that is when I realized I did not want to work here. I needed to start a life somewhere else, and it certainly was not in town.

When we arrived in the city and rented a house, I began unpacking. Venissa had been refusing to nap while we were on the bus, so I told her to go take one.

"Mom, are you sure you don't need help?" I rubbed her chin and told her she needed to rest.

As I confirmed Melissa's enrollment to her new school, a sense of relief washed over me. Tomorrow marked the beginning of her educational journey, and the nearby school seemed like the ideal place for her growth. As I closed the enrollment paperwork, a realization hit me – this was a turning point not only for Melissa but for me as well. The next chapter of our lives was unfolding, and with a renewed determination, I knew it was time to embark on my own journey, seeking a fulfilling job that would support us both.