HIS GREATEST MISTAKE: the wife that became untouchable

Chapter Four

Leilani

I don’t know how long I stayed there in the chair before I could gather enough strength to walk out of his house. Numb. Dead on the inside. By the time I got to Asaph’s apartment, my hands were shaking so badly I could barely knock. The door opened almost immediately.

“Leila?” she frowned. “What happened to you—”

I  stumbled forward, tears blurring my vision. I leaned in her arms and sobbed so hard I couldn’t breathe.

“He… he gave me money,” I cried. “Like I was nothing… like I was something he could just pay off and throw away…”

Asaph stiffened. “What?”

“And… and a divorce letter,” I whispered, my voice breaking into pieces. “He said it was compensation…”

Her grip on me tightened.

“That bastard,” she muttered angrily. “That heartless bastard!”

I shook my head, crying harder. “He apologised… he said he was wrong… and then he still left me…”

Asaph didn’t say anything else. She just held me as I cried like my world had ended. The nausea that had been building up inside me all day peaked, and I vomited all over her. The bitter taste of bile in my mouth made me cry even harder and I apologized to Asaph who had been soaked in my vomit, even as I cried. She invited me into the house, cleaning me up and giving me new clothes. Everything was blissfully quiet and dark afterwards. 

Sometimes I would just sit there, staring into space, hearing his voice over and over again, and each time, it hurt like it was happening all over again.

I felt weak and sick. I had been forced by Asaph to take in breakfast but again I threw everything up. Asaph followed quickly. “Leila? Are you okay?”

“I… I don’t know,” I whispered, holding onto the sink. We were in the hospital moments later, my heart pounding loudly in my chest as I sat there, waiting for my results. Asaph had suggested a pregnancy test and I had taken it just to prove to her that it was just malaria or my emotional stress taking its toll. But deep down…I was afraid.

The doctor smiled gently as she walked to the waiting room, giving me the results.

“Congratulations,” she said. “You’re pregnant.”

My fear was confirmed. I was carrying his child. It was from the one night we shared. Tears filled my eyes and an influx of feelings. A mix of fear… pain… and something else.

What was I supposed to do? Go back to him? Beg him?

My chest tightened painfully. He had already made his choice and I didn’t want him trapped or hating me again.

“I’m keeping the baby,” My voice was a little more than a croak as I whispered to a concerned Asaph.

She had tears rimming her eyes as she stared at me deeply. “Leila. Are you sure?”

I nodded slowly.

“It’s mine,” I whispered. “Even if he doesn’t want me… this child is mine.”

She reached for my hand and squeezed it. 

“I’m so sorry about this, Leila. We’ll figure it out together.” She pulled me into a comforting hug as I bawled my heart out.

Three months later, I left quietly without telling anyone. I changed my name, starting a new life in a different city.

Six years later…

“Ms. Vale, the meeting is in thirty minutes.”

I nodded, adjusting my blazer as I looked at my reflection. Leilani was gone and I was someone else. I was the CEO of Palmfrond enterprises, a fast growing multi-million dollar enterprise, known internationally. A proud mother to Lisande, a beautiful and smart five year old, and one of the city’s most powerful investors.

I was back as a different person. But the city hadn’t changed.

“Ms. Vale,” someone greeted politely. “Your potential partner is already inside.”

I nodded in response and turned to look at my reflection, smiling proudly at how far I had come. 

I had prayed for answers, but nothing came to me, and it hurt to think that even God had been silent. And so I had simply worked. My job and my child made me feel important, and that was the next best thing to happiness. My job made me feel respected, even if I was unloved. So I worked, and worked, and worked, until I couldn’t breathe anymore.

Now I was back in the city that raised me, to expand my name.