2 The Final Goodbye

2  The Final Goodbye The morning sun cast a warm glow as Emma packed her belongings, her mind replaying the harsh words of her mother-in-law from earlier that morning. For years, she had shouldered all the blame, all the aspersions cast on her by her loveless mother in-law, thinking she was the problem in her marriage to Alex. She had bent over backward to please his family, losing pieces of herself in the process. She sent Alex a text, giving him a two-hour ultimatum to meet her, or she would expose all evidence of his affair with Bella. Alex arrived about 30 minutes later in his Ferrari. His face was a storm of emotions, unused to being cornered like this. He stormed into the mansion and met Emma in the living room. Emma, her composure unshakable, asked, "Do you have the divorce papers?" Alex, visibly ruffled, retorted, "Why must you create such a drama? I told you when we married - your place is secure in this family. But there are things I can't give you right now, no matter what you sacrificed to be my wife. Can't you just accept it?" His words, laced with mockery, stung Emma to the core, but she remained stoic. Showing weakness or pain in front of Alex was a No-No. "Our marriage has always been a one-sided story, Alex. Your version. But I'm done with excuses. Finalize this divorce today, or Bella's career is over," Emma declared, her voice unwavering, her gaze icy. Alex scoffed, not believing Emma had any real leverage. But then, Emma produced the fat brown envelop containing the hardcopy pictures from nowhere and handed it to Alex. Alex paused, looked at the large envelop, hesitated before taking it from Emma. When he opened it, a stack of photos almost fell out to the floor. He could not believe his eyes as he saw that these photos revealed intimate moments between him and Bella, moments he thought were only between both of them with no third party present. The images were too revealing and held the power to ruin Bella's reputation forever. "I have more where these came from. Still think I can't push this divorce through?" Emma challenged. Alex, his face twisted with anger, crushed the photos. "How could you stoop so low to smear Bella's name and secure your status? Where's your dignity? Where's your honor?" Emma, unfazed, walked into her bedroom, with Alex following in a rage. "Where did you get these photos?" he demanded in a shaky voice, coming to rest just inside the door of Emma's bedroom. But Emma had no energy left for explanations. She wanted to cut ties with this toxic relationship and unkind man once and for all. Unknown to both husband and wife, Bella herself had sent Emma these photos, silently narrating this story of betrayal. Emma had always been the one overshadowed, while Bella enjoyed the limelight. She had never thought about the repercussions such action would have on her career. Emma knew Alex would take zero steps when it came to the divorce. So early that morning, after the call with Alex's mother in-law, she had secured the divorce papers from her lawyer and kept it on her vanity table. When Alex followed her into her room, Emma pointed to the papers silently. Alex glanced over at the table, came closer to check them out, and stiffened when he read the content of the papers. "You can't be serious, are you?" Alex looked strangely pained. "Have you thought this through? If I sign these papers, there would be no going back." Emma didn't say a word, but pointed to the ballpoint pen by the side of the divorce papers. He got the message. Reluctantly, Alex signed the divorce papers, convinced Emma would regret this decision. But for Emma, this was a liberating moment. "I won't wish you happiness. I just hope you never get what you truly want," She said, her smile radiant with freedom. Alex, taken aback by her venom, realized he had underestimated the depth of her resentment. He spun around on his heels and marched out of Emma's room, silently gloating. After Emma left the mansion with the signed papers, Alex glanced at the settlement papers, his own copies. She hadn't claimed any assets, leaving everything behind. What type of woman would do this, in this day and age? Women in Emma's position would have tried to take as much as they possibly can, just to enrich themselves. But Emma did nothing of the sort. She had always claimed she married him for love, not for his money. But Alex had always scoffed at the idea. Could it be true? He sneered, misjudging her intentions. Little did he know, in their three years of marriage, Emma had never depended on his wealth. She had maintained her independence, refusing to even use the allowance he provided. Marrying Alex was never about gaining wealth for Emma. It was a pursuit of love, a love that was never reciprocated. As Emma returned to the mansion after seeing her lawyer, she overheard laughter from inside. It was her mother-in-law and Bella. Both were in a room off the living room, but the door was slightly ajar so Emma could hear every word that was said by the women. Some people eavesdrop, while eavesdropping is sometimes thrust on people. Emma belonged to the latter category. She paused to hear what was being discussed. "This morning, Emma said she's divorcing Alex! As if she would let go of our wealth! If only things had been different, Bella, you would be the one in this family, not Emma," her mother-in-law mused. Bella replied, "Emma and Alex always seemed so loving and well-matched." Emma almost laughed at Bella's words. Loving? She wondered what version of their marriage Bella had been observing.