From Betrayal To Billionaire's Bride

Pamela's POV “You always look beautiful in red.” I stared at my reflection in the mirror one last time, taking in every detail as Adam's compliment replayed in my mind. The sequined red dress clung to me tightly, accentuating my figure in a way that I hoped would catch Adam's eye. My hair fell in soft waves over my shoulders, styled just how Adam liked it. Everything I did tonight was specifically for him–the dress, the hairstyle and the food. Tonight wasn't like every other night where I waited on the couch for Adam to arrive home late from work. Tonight, we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. This occasion made my heart beat with excitement as it was another chance at patching the rough days we've been through–another chance to make things special like before. As I stared at myself in the mirror one more time, a soft breath escaped my lips, one that was a mix of satisfaction and excitement. It didn't matter if we argued the past few days or if he refused to eat my food because he was mad at me. All I cared about right now was making tonight the most memorable night we have spent together in a while. And if things go well, Adam might just find himself falling in love with me all over again. My cheeks flushed red at the thought of him confessing his feelings to me all over again. But somewhere along my thoughts, a memory of our last argument sneaked into my mind. Adam was extremely furious, he wouldn't stop shouting at me–something he never did. He was always consistently pissed off by the smallest things–things he'd usually overlook. At some point, I felt he was tired of me, tired of us. The frustration in his eyes made me feel like he wanted to end it all. And as days passed by, I felt him slipping farther away, he was becoming a different person and it scared me. The thought of him falling in love again now felt too skeptical to believe. Was Adam really going to let the past be? Considering it was our anniversary night and I had put in so much effort? ‘No negative thoughts Pamela. Focus on the good things,’ the little voice in my head reminded me and I got it out of my head. I clutched on to my purse tightly as I hurried down the stairs, headed for the car with a smile on my face. Adam had gone out of his way to reserve a private lounge in one of the city's finest restaurants—something he had not done in years. The small details he had planned like roses and candlelights made me feel as if I was about to be proposed to. ‘Maybe he still cared as much as I did, and he was making an effort too,’ I thought. Thanks to my fast driving, I arrived at the restaurant in no less than ten minutes. The warm welcome from the waitresses stirred a little bit of calmness to my pulsating nerves. I was led to a dimly lit hall towards the private lounge. With each step that brought me closer to the lounge, nervousness rushed through my veins in anticipation of seeing Adam. The image box in my head created a series of scenarios of Adam's reaction in my mind, deepening my excitement. Would his face light up the moment I walk in? Would he smile while examining every detail of my appearance? Would he run over and wrap me in his arms because he was just as excited as I was? These sweet thoughts and the clicking of my heels kept me in motion until I reached the door. The smile I was wearing–one that bore my expectations faded away when I stepped into the lounge. Adam didn't seem to be bothered by my presence. He barely looked up and there was not even a flinch of movement. I pouted my lips tightly in disappointment as I realized I was crushed by my own expectations. The roses and candles were there, scattered all over the room at specific corners just like I had imagined. but they felt cold and lifeless with Adam's icy persona. The sounds of my heels against the floor broke the eerie silence in the lounge as I approached him. "Hey," I greeted him softly, deciding not to think about anything else and to take it that he probably had a rough day at work. I forced a smile thinking it would lessen the knot tightened in my stomach but it didn't. "Pamela," he replied, his voice flat and cold, without any expression. I lowered myself into the chair across from him, and I felt a slight tremor in my hands as I placed my purse on the table. Adam’s face was void of joy despite the occasion, he was sitting so close to me yet he was so far, so out of reach. I waited for him to say something but his lips remained sealed. "Happy anniversary," I said, the words sounding too small in the quiet room. He fixed his eyes on me, giving a slight nod in response with no words. His eyes returned to the candles by the window and I felt the knot in my stomach grow tighter. My hands gripped the napkin in my lap, squeezing the neat lines out of it as I tried to ignore the feeling of frustration. My lips curled downwards, this wasn't how I had imagined the evening. "Adam...is everything okay?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I seriously needed to know what was wrong as the tiny string of hope in me was willing to fix the problem and still have a memorable night. He let out a deep sigh, his fingers drumming over the table, “We need to talk, Pamela." Chills ran down my spine upon hearing him speak. I tried to steady myself, telling myself it couldn't be anything bad like every other “we need to talk” sentence. “Okay, let's talk," I replied, with a shaky voice. Like the usual, I had expected him to look me in the eye and start venting but instead, he pulled out a small envelope from his pocket. My brows twitched in confusion as I watched him place the envelope on the table, then slid it across to me in a rather slow movement, like he was afraid but still going through with it. "What is this?" I inquired with a soft voice as I drew the envelope closer to me. Adam finally looked up, and his eyes were cold and somewhat unfamiliar. He looked so different from the Adam I knew– the Adam who had promised me forever. "I want a divorce," he stated in a firm tone. The words hit me like a slap. I froze. My brain could understand the words but they still sounded like gibberish because I was trying to understand where it was coming from. I couldn't get a grip of my senses as my breath quickened. This was one of those times I wished he was playing a prank on me but that icy look he shot me with furrowed brows showed he meant business. This was no joke. My heart raced with heavy beats in my chest, exacerbating the pain as each beat was louder than the last. “What...what did you just say?" He clasped his hands together on the table, his jaws tightening upon my question like I was irritating him. "It's time we end this Pamela. Can't you see it's not working anymore?" My breath stopped for a moment and I felt numb. My trembling hands lost grip of the envelope as a hard lump formed in my throat. "Adam, we…we have been married for years. Hell, it's our wedding anniversary tonight. We have been through so much together. How-how can you just say it's over?" My voice cracked into a whine and I hated the weight of vulnerability in my voice. He turned away, his face hardening. "I know this is hard Pamela, but we have grown apart and it's obvious. We fight way more than we make love and I can't keep pretending that this sham of a marriage is fine." Pretending? Sham of a marriage? The words echoed in my ears, making the butterflies in my stomach turn into venomous snakes that bit the walls of my stomach. "Pretending? Is that all this was to you?" Adam rubbed his temple as if to express tiredness. “Please, Pamela stop being dramatic. Don't make this harder than it already is. You may not be tired of this but I am.” Tears welled up at the corner of my eyes but I blinked them back, it was already bad enough that he called me dramatic so I couldn't cry now. The situation was out of my control and I was so helpless. I thought lovers were never going to quit on each other so why was Adam quitting on our love? Tonight was supposed to be a celebration but here I was, curling my toes in my heels because I was so overwhelmed with pain. As I lowered my head, my eyes caught a glimpse of the brown envelope that I was yet to open. My delusional mind hope that all of this was just the drama effect for the big gift but as my eyes ran through the stack of legal papers, I knew it was over for real. Adam watched me break apart as I read through and I couldn't hold it in any longer. My knees were too weak to stand up but I rose up anyway. But before I could leave, someone else came into the room. I blinked several times as I wondered what she was doing here. "Hi, Pamela." She said.