My Reward; His Punishment

THE GIFT

"Hannah...she is okay? I mean her fever?" He asks.

"Yea, she's in her room. I gave her the medicines." I reply.

"Did she have the food?" He puts his hand inside his back pocket.

"Yes, she did." I say, recalling that Mrs. Hall informed it to me a few minutes ago.

"Okay," He thinks. "Uhm...can we just talk?" He strides towards me, appearing edgy and licking his lips again and again; his habit that shows that he is uneasy about something.

Relax Jane.

Okay, you are going to have to respect his decision. He wants to get away from you so let it be. You can't force him to stay back because there's no reason anyway. Not even one.

"Of course." I smile back, nervously.

"Okay, this is serious." He begins, clutching his fingers in either hands. "I wanted to tell you this since morning. And I think this is the ti-time."

He needs to stop stammering, he needs to tell me what he wants to tell me. I can't tolerate it anymore.

Come on, tell me. I am ready to face it, I'll simply agree and sign the papers. No fighting or arguing, simply yes.

I gulp, but my phone rings from the table, distracting our attentions. Oh God, another interruption.

"Just a minute..." I ask and stroll to the table before receiving it.

"Hello Winnie." I greet.

"Hey Jane!" She sounds excited. "Did he tell you?"

Meanwhile, he takes deep breaths for he is equally nervous as me. My whole attention is on him and not on the phone.

He walks to the couch and picks up some folded papers from the table and starts signing them one by one, and I feel more downhearted. He seems so quick and excited for the process.

I can't believe the day of my Anniversary would be the same as the day of my Divorce.

"Not yet." I clear my throat and answer the phone.

"What!" She exclaims. "The day is about to end and he hasn't wished you yet?"

"He doesn't remember." I whisper so that he may not listen me, though he is far from me, but I can't risk it.

"Go and tell him." She suggests.

"What? No way!" I refuse. "It doesn't matter, Winnie. Let it be." She knows everything about us, being my closest friend in my workplace from last year.

Plus I can't have any more friends as restricted my husband dearest, for maintaining his privacy and secrecy.

"You have to. It's your first Anniversary Jane. I know how excited you were from a month for this day. And the last thing on earth he'd do is not remember?"

"Leave it Winnie. I was so wrong to do that. I'll talk to you later. It's his Dinner time." I excuse.

"Fine, Jane." She says and I hang up, before walking to him once again, nervously.

"I am sorry." I begin. "It was Winnie."

He looks up at me, now relaxed, and smiles.

"It's okay. Erm...let's have dinner together?" He suggests and I surprisingly control my emotions. 

Dinner together!

He doesn't have any idea how excited I am for having a dinner with him. My heart literally wants to hop and dance like a kid, because we never had dinner together.

For a moment, I forget the reality about the Divorce thing but if he's gonna tell me the truth at the dinner, I won't be able to intake the food, to be honest.

How can I feel so attached to someone who doesn't even talk to me? Why I don't want him to leave me?

I simply nod and he picks up his pen and papers to leave for his Study Room.

The clock strikes 8 as I set up the dining table. The whole time I was busy thinking how I'd react when he'll tell me to sign those papers. I even practiced the lines. But I have to agree with the decision, no matter what. I can't shout or yell or over react.

We've no sort attachment towards each other. Okay, I have but he doesn't. I mean of course he is hot, look at him, girls die for him. And luckily, I am a girl. I crush my husband every single day. Not only his looks, but his humanity, dedication and hard work have made me fall for him endlessly. But I don't think I am that special one in his life because I am not Anne. And he doesn't want me anymore, not even for Hannah, because she's growing up and needs to live with what she can never have, her actual mother.

The next moment, he enters the room, intersecting his blue, sexy eyes with mine, making my heart skip a vital beat again. Gosh, his blue eyes. He needs to stop making that frequent eye contact with me.

I wonder I am still alive from the frequent heart attacks, he gives me, each time he looks at me!

"Salad?" I ask him but he nods as we eat the food. It's been more than twenty minutes since he entered but yet not spoken a word. The food is about to finish and he's not yet beginning with the talk. He is just focussing on the food, not even looking up at me.

"Government computers got hacked again for the second time in the history of the country." The news on the TV speaks, grabbing our attention. "It's been said that this time too, the person behind, is none other than Adam Foster."

"How can they say that?" He remarks, eating his food. "I wasn't alone."

"Though the hack lasted for few minutes, this isn't a good deal. Our Government need to take actions against such criminals." She speaks up again.

"They're making a huge s**t out of all this." He phews and I grin.

He is so cute when angry but quite dangerously too.

"Fire explosions in old buildings to the East that were no doubt planned to divert the cops' attentions. Not forgetting the two people who were almost exterminated for not hearing him." She continues and I can't control my laughter.

I told you he is dangerously cute. I mean who plans to exterminate people just because they refuse to your orders?

"What? They were frustrating me!" He says, phewing again as he sees me laughing. And I nod, still fighting to control my laughter.

We have never had any conversation so long. Yes, this was the longest normal conversation we ever had. And maybe the last?

"Hey you said you wanted to talk about something?" I remind him out of the blue. I don't know what made me say that but I just want it to finish it up right here and don't want to drag it long.

"Oh, yeah!" He realizes. "I forgot."

What? How could someone forgot his own divorce? I know, he is lying.

"Look, I honestly don't wanna extend it or something." I state and he stops eating, putting down his fork and his face drops in shock. "If you feel I am gonna yell or react hyperly, then believe me I will not."

"How do you...okay I understand Jane but why didn't you tell me earlier if you wanted it?" He speaks up in an awkward tone.

"I never wanted it!" I shout banging down my fork on the table. "But if you want it, I will agree, I assure you." I am feeling disheartened inside but I knew this was coming. Either now, tomorrow or some other day.

I won't be able to eat or sleep tonight until he takes this burden off from me. I may cry the whole night after signing the papers and decide what I'll do for my future but that's still better than thinking what will be my reaction to the papers and what will I say.

"Hang on, what? Why would I want it? It's for you!" He says surprisingly, as he stares into my eyes with his jaw dropped.

"Stop it Adam!" I yell, scooting my chair back as I stand up. Tears are on the verge of appearing into my eyes, my voice is disconnected and my heart is getting heavier each second.

"Why would I want it? If you had known what I want and what I don't, you'd never done this." I yell, holding back my tears.

Why he thinks I want it? That's so terrible of him to blame all of it on me!

"Jane...what are you saying?" His voice is soft as he gets up too from his place.

"No let's finish it up here. Where are the papers? I want to sign them." I ask him. "Are they in your lab or your study table? You bringing them or shall I bring?"

"Which papers Jane?" He asks but I roll my eyes annoyingly and begin to move to his Study room.