LOVE AGAIN

The sun was setting and she was tired of waiting, Sara and her husband Edward were supposed to meet up for an event, The sitter Mabel was home watching their kid, and they were supposed to be there early. Sara and Edward were one of the big shots couples because of their time and work in the fashion industry, meeting each other in college and falling in love, they both strived for the same goals. But things started to change last year and now he misses out on everything. This one event was the local fashion awards and they always go together, but it's been hours and he wasn't taking his calls. Even when Sara had caught him a couple of times in compromising situations, she let things go every time. He had apologized and they were starting over, it was sweet, but he was unavailable again and missed out on the important stuff after promising to be there, she just didn't know what to do anymore. The driver woke her up from her spiral of thoughts asking her if they should get a move on, ”Take me to the penthouse” was all she said, they had a penthouse in town they went to when they worked late, and she wanted to assume he was there probably tired. She got to the building and briskly walked in without meeting the receptionist, she had access so that was not necessary, she had a feeling he may have slept off and while she wanted to be angry she just wanted to see if he was there at all. She got into the elevator, clicked on the penthouse button, and waited patiently, the building had a total of 14 floors plus the ground floor. She got to the last floor where the penthouse was and typed in the password, she got into the apartment and it was such a mess in there, she walked to the bedroom and he was not there, after ringing his line, she found it by the bedside which meant he was in there somewhere, she was just getting to the in house jacuzzi when she heard giggling and moaning, she could not believe her eyes, right there was Edward with a young ginger head in a heated position. She paused, taking in the scene before her and wondering where it all went wrong before snapping back to reality. “How could you do this to me again?” she yelled at the top of her voice. “Oh s**t, Sara wait!” Edward said in shock. She left with tears running down her eyes, in the elevator she was holding back the sobs, wiped her eyes clean, found her way back outside, entered back into the lift, and instructed the driver to take her home. On her way home she dialled the family lawyer, Michael, “I am filing for a divorce, I want this done and out of the way, I’m sick of being treated like I don't matter” Michael as a close friend of Edward tried to calm her down but she was not hearing any bit of it. She got home feeling like crap and she required a big bottle of wine but first, she searched for Milly, her only source of joy in this gloomy place she called home. She found Milly sleeping soundly on the couch next to the babysitter Mabel. Mabel stirred a little in her sleep, but as Sara tapped her lightly to wake her up, Mabel woke up sharply feeling like she had done something wrong. “Hey, Mabel you can sleep in the guest room, I’ll tuck Milly in”.Sara said as she took Milly into her room, watched her for a while, and kissed her goodnight. What would happen now if they had a divorce, She hated the idea of Milly living with separated parents but she just couldn't keep her child in a loveless place anymore, she loved her too much to let her see her Dad as a monster, so this was for the better. Sara went into their room, shivering slightly at the cool of the room, she walked to the window and saw Edward drive into the building. In an almost robotic move, she took off her luxurious dinner dress and stiletto heels, her mind was so occupied she forgot she had those on. Stepping into their bathroom she had the urge to cry, she and Edward shared these baths, and she questioned herself so much, ‘What had she done that he wouldn't forgive’, ‘Was she that old and shrivelled?’, she looked at the mirror and tried to find errors, she was 35 years old and she knew she looked very young for her age and she was beautiful, but in that moment she saw herself as an ugly hag. Checking to see if the bath was warm enough, she stepped in and let herself sink deep into the bath, the tears started gently till they became heavy and her chest felt like it would explode, she came out of the water and dried herself clean, put on fresh clothes and went out to their bedroom, standing across from her was Edward with a look in his eyes, he started with “Sara it's not what it looks-” “I do not want to hear it, I've had enough of your lies and can not do this anymore” she cuts him off. “I want a divorce” she finished as she sat down on the dressing table, she was far too calm but utterly broken inside. His expression turned cold and then he laughed bitterly and said “So this is what Michael was talking about”. She turned to face him with so much hurt her body was practically shaking, and she was fighting the tears. “You can not divorce me, or you will lose the business, or have you forgotten that we signed the ownership as a couple, it would be mine anyway” he clarified. She became shocked, what did he mean by that? She started that business with her sweat and tears, she started it way before she was married and she only agreed to sign some papers because their lawyer said it was for insurance purposes. Has she been a fool? The fashion line ‘soft contours’ was her identity, her passion, her whole world. She felt a wave of nausea wash over her, with her mind racing with questions she dared not utter. How would she start over? Where would she even start from?