Love in Reverse

Chapter Five: Farewell

Chapter five: Farewell

The world seems to slow down on Peter's office. It's been a week since he left the house, after which he finds himself quarrelling with Daniella. He immersed himself with paper work and spent only days with his assistant or his employees.

But something inside Peter that is keeping him at edge. A sense of messiness inside that he couldn't fathom which feelings or emotion. It's like he has been left unconvinced by an argument he didn't spare time with. He was always either lost in thought or crestfallen at sight.

His assistant, Mark, had noticed it too. Everytime he would enter his office, Peter would be always frowning and felt unease in his swivel chair racking constantly.

“Mr. Hughes sir, I hope you don't mind me asking but won't you at least have a break for the day? After all, it's the weekend.” Mark suggested as he entered Peter's office. He too, was tired after the week of workdays.

Peter looked surprised at his assistant’s advice. ‘Was it obvious that I worked too hard?’ He asked himself.

“Right. You too shall have a weekend break. But before you leave, can you send a call to the home’s landline?” Peter asked and his assistant nodded.

For the last few days, he was expecting Daniella to barge into his office and throw tantrums about him not going home for a week like he used to do before. However, this time she was utterly peaceful and quiet and that didn't give Peter a sense of peace of mind, rather the opposite.

He sighs and stands up in his office room compartment where he is occupied to sleep. He didn't bother to go to Teresa’s apartment, even though it was his. He changed his suit into the simpler clothes he had and looked at himself in the mirror.

Dark circles had formed and facial hair started to grow alongside his jaw. He had never cleaned himself properly these past days and that fact itself had surprised him. He hadn't eaten properly and his appetite grew weaker.

He sighs and comb his hair, using his hand. “Dani, would be surprised to see me like this." He said out loud.

Before she was very strict at keeping a neat look, that's why he grew discipline at keeping himself clean. She would always say; keeping yourself presentable at any cost had no price.

He just blew air and smiled remembering his wife’s advice. He had decided to go home and settled things down to Daniella. He left the compartment room with a faint smile on his face when someone—other than Mark—entered his room.

The head maid of their home, Missy, walked inside with an indecipherable expression on her face. Peter frowned as he approached the woman.

“Missy? What's the matter? Why are you here?" Questions after questions left Peter's mouth as his heart was racing.

There's only two reasons why their head maid would go here: one, when she wants to take a rest and two, when something had happened at home. The latter made Peter's heart leapt inside him.

“The misses had told me to give this to you, sir. I'm sorry I wasn't able to come sooner, I was kept busy.” She said as she handed over a piece of neatly folded paper to Peter.

He grabbed, hastily, as he expected. As he read the context of the paper, his breathing became labor by minutes. ‘Divorce? Daniella intends to annul our marriage?’ As if the world crumbled down onto him, he clutched his heart. He couldn't understand how he felt.

“Wha—where’s she?” He asked.

Missy hesitated, " The misses left three days ago sir.”

‘Left? The home? But Daniella adored our home! How could she leave?’ He thought. His internal monologue started to cast upon him.

Suddenly, as he realized what he had done in the past few days, his eyes widened as he recalled the look on Daniella's face as he left the house that night. A sense of surrender and yearning.

Without any word, he grabbed his keys and phone and sprinted hastily outside the office until he reached his car. As he drove his mind was on the paper that was crumpled beside him.

“Please, please, pick up the phone Dani. Please.” He whispered as he attempted to call Daniella’s phone number to no avail, as every time his call would end on a long beep sound until he realized that Daniella blocked his number.

Anger rushed into him and he punched the steering wheel, leaving a bruise on his knuckles. His car ran straight to the home he shared with Daniella. With his powerful stride he entered the house and was greeted with its silence and cold ambience.

“Dani! Dani?!” He shouted, frantically calling out his wife's name as he roamed the house. From the living room to the kitchen and found no trace of his wife.

He ran a hand on his hair as he climbed the stairs and eventually reached Daniella's room. His heart bounced against his body when his wife wasn't there as well. It felt like the world had ended and he just stared there, looking around to see the clothes he bought for her were there but her presence was gone.

His eyes landed on the paper on her night table and he took it and read it. It was a letter from Daniella.

[ Dearest Peter,

I don't know when I started to have feelings towards you. It was sudden but I knew from the very start that I always loved you. That's why I'm writing this letter to you as though to give you a final word on my departure. I had already given up my rights as your wife and I think it's better this way.

I’m sorry if I caused you great pain. I didn't know you felt that way. I'm extremely sorry for not realizing you had feelings as well. You have always been a great friend of mine and will always be the greatest man I’ve met. I left the divorce paper to Missy, and know as compensation, that I give up my rights as Hughes. Remember that I have always loved you Peter and I hope you will find true love with Teresa.

Farewell,

Dani]

With every word Daniella wrote is equivalent to every piece that torned Peter's heart. A tear rivulet into his cheeks and he cradled the paper on his hand with gentle care. On the table, perched the wedding ring he and Daniella wore throughout their marriage.

The last thing Peter did was run frantically to his car—his heart beating wildly inside his ribcage.