THE OTHER WOMAN
1439 Words
CHAPTER TWO
Isabella’s POV
I turned off my phone and let out a sigh ,I tried to calm my nerves as I was already having anxiety about the whole situation,my heart was racing so fast that I could hear it beat out loud,it felt like without the support of my hands it would fall out of my chest. With my hand pressed to my chest, I hoped it would stop this anxiety from taking over me,everything felt unreal.
Ethan most certainly is trying to mess with me mentally , he doesn't just want to divorce me but he wants to end and destroy me totally. I haven't done anything to deserve such cruelty. I have loved him with everything I had, stood by him where no one else would through all the hardships, and believed every promise he made to me.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, putting my hands on my tummy , my head pounded and I felt exhausted.
“What happens now?”I muttered.
“Should I just go into that house and hand over everything I have ever believed in to him? Do I sign those papers and let five years of marriage disappear like that before my eyes, with a stroke of a pen?”. I wondered.
“No, I won't let Ethan leave me like I mean nothing , I wouldn’t give up on my marriage just like that.”I snapped.
“No!!!”I screamed as I shook my head from left to right.
“Maybe this marriage can still be saved,there’s something I don’t know about . If we talked about it I would be able to understand his reasons , maybe I could fix whatever it is that has gone wrong.” I thought as I took a deep breath.
“I can't accept it, I will try all I can to protect this marriage.”I stood up slowly.
Holding on to that tiny bit of hope that I have given myself, I turned around and walked back into the house.
The rain has begun to slow down , it was only drizzling at this point . Water dripped from my hair to my clothes as I walked almost like I was being moved by the wind to the entrance. The entrance door was still open exactly as I had left it when I ran out earlier.
Walking back into the house felt different. This isn’t the same home Ethan and I excitedly moved into after our wedding. Every room and corner in this house was filled with the echoes of our laughter it was just two of us yet everything seemed complete. We had late-night conversations about our dreams and our future together.
Now everywhere felt cold and empty.
Like the four walls of this house no longer recognize me.
I slowly stepped in like I was stepping into an entirely new world, scared of what awaited me.
Ethan is waiting and demanding my signature.
The divorce paper was still on the table as I left it there staring at me , I could feel it demanding answers from me.
I picked up the papers, holding them close to my chest , the house was so quiet as I gently made my way upstairs.
As I approached Ethan's bedroom I could hear him talk on the phone with somebody.
I walked slowly
Maybe it was his lawyer or one of his business partners . I wasn't even trying to listen or invade his privacy when a few words stopped me in the hallway.
“End her life if she doesn't make things go smoothly.” a voice from the other end of the phone said.
My entire body froze, the divorce papers slightly slipped away from my hands , I couldn’t even breathe.
“Did I hear that correctly?”I thought.
My legs suddenly became too weak to carry my body.
“End whose life? “ I wondered, unable to believe what I had just heard.
The voice from the other side of the phone sounded like a female's.
“A woman?” I asked . So my suspicions have been right . This confirms it , Ethan has been seeing someone else behind my back.
Tears filled my eyes but I forced myself to remain silent.
“Of course,” Ethan replied , I couldn't tell his experience as he was turned facing the closet.
I could feel my heart breaking into so many pieces.
Of course?!!! i questioned silently, screaming in my head.
Those two words in Ethan’s voice echoed in my head over and over again.
Did my husband, with whom I have shared a bed, the man with whom I have lived for five years, the man whom I have loved with every part of me, just agree to kill me?
This is no longer a battle about saving my marriage anymore, this is about saving my life.
I couldn't hold myself together ,at this point, I can’t trust anyone , I can’t even trust the man I once believed would protect me from the world.
I have to protect myself,I am the only one who can help myself at this moment.
For a few seconds, I stood outside the bedroom door contemplating my next step.
“What if he came out right now?What if he caught me before I could even get to the safe?”I murmured.
I could hear his footsteps moving slowly from one end to another in the room as he continued talking on the phone.
I immediately pressed myself close to the wall, holding my breath. My heart pounded so loudly that I was certain he would hear it through the silence.
“Maybe I should forget the documents or should I run now that I have the opportunity?”I hesitated.
I looked towards the staircase, my feet almost taking me that way then another thought stopped me.
My parents.
I remembered my father’s words the day he showed me the documents for the first time.
“No matter what happens, protect what we’ve worked for. One day you’ll understand why.”
Back then, I had smiled, never imagining those words would become the very thing keeping me alive.
This wasn’t the time to be afraid this was the time to survive and protect my parents' legacy.
Taking gentle steps, I tiptoed into our bedroom,every little sound made me flinch.
I opened the safe which is hidden inside the wardrobe,my hands were shaking so much that it took me three attempts to enter the code.
The door to the safe finally clicked open , the sound even made me more terrified than I already was.
Everything was still there, the documents, the company files, the jewelry my parents had left for me before they passed away.
An old family photograph was hidden under the documents, I held glances with it for a moment. It was the last picture I had taken with my parents, for that moment I couldn’t move.
I gently picked it up and stared down at it smiling at their faces and wiping the tears falling down my cheeks.
“I wish you were here, Mum and Dad… you’d tell me exactly what to do.”
I felt a sense of courage.
“There’s no time for tears” I whispered.
I carefully slipped the picture into my safe box alongside every important document my parents worked to secure and left to me, everything Ethan and I had built together , I wasn’t going to be leaving any of it behind.
Taking my steps as quickly and quietly as possible, I transferred every document into my own personal safe box.
I changed into a simple outfit that would make it easy for me to go unnoticed.
In my heart, I hoped for Ethan not to come out just yet.”Please, please don’t come out.”
I listened and his voice was still coming out from the bedroom,he was still on the call, and this was my chance.
I picked up the safe box, took one final look around the room that had once been filled with love, and quietly walked downstairs.
I gently walked toward the front door, grateful that I had not closed it when I came back inside.
With every step, I was expecting him to call my name or grab my hands, but it didn’t happen.
Finally, I could almost taste freedom.
As I reached the door, that was when I heard the voice that interrupted the silence.
“Where are you going?”
- Writer
