Chapter 7

Serena’s POV I have settled a date to talk to Damon about the divorce. He doesn’t know it was me since it was my private investigator who inquired and the schedule was set for next week. “Mommy, can I bring this with me?” Millie asked innocently as she hugged her big stuffed toy. Summer break has come and I asked Selena’s parents to take Millie with them to their summer vacation. I had to do this for my daughter’s sake. I don’t want him to witness how I would end the relationship between me and her father. I know my decision will also cause chaos since Tyler keeps on refusing to divorce, so taking Millie out of the picture is the best way to keep her from the pain. I will just…explain the situation to her soon. When the right time comes, of course. Caressing Millie’s hair, I smiled and nodded, “You can bring all the toys you want.” I watched her as she picked the toys she wanted to bring. Aside from keeping her out of the mess, I’m scared that Tyler would use her against me. Take her away from me so he can get what he wants. He wasn’t like that. I know him. But a desperate person can do anything to win and that’s what I’m doing right now. After packing Millie’s things, I hid the luggage under her bed and lay down beside her. She was looking at my face when I started tapping her shoulder gently. “Mommy, why won’t you come with me?” I caressed her hair. “Because I have work here, sweetie.” “What about daddy?” I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “He has work too. Besides, you’ll come back after the summer break.” She smiled and nodded. “I will buy you gifts.” “Sure, sweetheart.” I kissed her cheek and wrapped my arms around her tiny body. She hugged me back and while I was singing her to sleep, I couldn’t think about what would happen in the future. I decided to end everything between me and Tyler but I know it’s never gonna be easy. We have Millie to protect and no matter how much I shelter her and keep her from the pain, the time will come and she’ll learn about the situation. I’m afraid it would break her, but I also know that I will do everything to heal her once she learns all this. “Is daddy not coming?” Millie asked broken-heartedly while we were standing in front of the airport terminal. How can I even tell her that Tyler didn’t go home last night and I purposely did not tell him that I’m sending Millie away today? I squatted in front of Millie and caressed her cheek. “Sweetie, Daddy can’t come. He…has an emergency in the office.” Sadness filled my lovely daughter’s face. She looked down and I could see tears pooling in the corner of her eyes. “Is Daddy mad at me?” Her voice cracked and it broke my heart. “No!” I quickly shook my head and pulled her closer. “No… No, sweetheart. Daddy loves you so much. He can never get mad at you.” “Then why is he not here?” I bit my trembling lips. I don’t know what to say to her anymore. How to calm her down and convince her that her father loves her. Good thing Selena’s parents came to get her attention. Millie was able to forget about her sentiments earlier when Aunt Olivia told her what events they were going to do on the island. However, my Uncle Charlie was looking at me with a big frown on his face. “You are not involving your daughter in the mess you and your husband created, Serena. She’s just a child.” I looked down and nodded, “I won’t, uncle.” “You are not involving your daughter in the mess you and your husband created, Serena. She’s just a child.” I looked down and nodded, “I won’t, uncle.” I heard his long sigh. “Better be sure. We’ll take good care of Millie so don’t worry about her. Just make sure that when we come back, she won’t get hurt anymore.” I watched the plane in the sky as my voice silently pleaded for the happiness of my daughter. I know wishing her happiness while breaking off my marriage with Tyler sounds absurd but if possible, I would do everything to make my daughter happy. I went to the law firm where Damon del Real is working. He’s my husband’s best friend, but he never once bent his principles for something personal. I know he can help me. There are other lawyers but Damon is the only one I know who has the guts to oppose Tyler’s powerful family for his principles. Everyone but him could be bought with money. I was sitting inside his office while waiting for him. I roamed my eyes around and found some interesting picture frames. I pulled myself up to check the pictures up close. Creating a flaw in their smooth and strong friendship isn’t my intention. I just know that no matter how close they are, if Damon realizes that Tyler has been fooling me all these years, he won’t side with the wrong. I picked up the photo where I was in. It was a photo of the three of us on the day of my wedding with Tyler. No wedding gown or grand venue. Just the three of us after Tyler and I signed the marriage contract. “Serena?” The voice, I rarely hear after the wedding, brought me back to my senses. I turned around and saw Damon standing by the door. His forehead creased while he was still holding the door knob. He looked surprised, realizing I was his client. “Damon…” He slowly got inside and shut the door while not taking his eyes off of me. I walked towards the couch when he signaled me to sit. He sat across from me, still shocked. “What…brought you here?” I rested my back on the couch and stared into his eyes, “I need your help.” He cleared his throat and slowly nodded, “Okay? About what?” “Divorce.” His jaw dropped. I know he already has an idea. My private investigator briefed him about the case. He was just…in denial. He shook his head and palmed his face. He glanced at the photo frames on his table before he dropped his eyes on me again and sucked his breath. “Serena…” he trailed as if he was having a hard time processing what he heard. “Did you…talk to Tyler about this? Did you have a huge fight? You can’t end this with a divorce—” “I want to end it with a divorce, Damon. Now, I want to know. Can you help me?” “Tyler is my best friend…” “And I am his wife…and I want a divorce.” “What did he do?” “He cheated,” I answered without blinking. He was even more shocked by what he heard. He looked at me intently and shook his head, “No…No, Serena. You must be mistaken. Tyler would never…cheat on you.” “He did. And this time, with Catherine.” “W-What?” He paled. Now I know he realized that it’s possible. It is possible for Tyler to cheat especially if it’s Catherine. I looked down and played with my fingers. I still feel the burden in my heart whenever I talk or think about how Tyler cheated on me with Catherine. I could accept his other women, but I could never accept Catherine especially because they have a child. “Serena…” “Can you help me?” I lifted my face again to meet his eyes. “You’re the only lawyer I know can help me.” He clenched his jaws. “You should talk to Tyler about this…” I clenched my jaw angrily. “My decision is final, Damon.” “Serena, you might be mistaken. Catherine is a cunning woman. She hurt Tyler and left him broken beyond repair. So I don’t think Tyler would accept her again. Especially now that he’s married to you and you have a daughter.” “What if they have a child?” “What?” A child that is even older than my daughter. That means he got Catherine pregnant even before we slept together accidentally. I was even thinking that he just used me as a rebound. To forget about his first love and it hurts so much. Damon pulled himself up and turned his back on me. He pressed his palms on his table as he fell into a deafening silence. I don’t know what he’s thinking but I’m hoping that he’d consider my case. I need him. I need him to free me from my husband. The series of silence between us made me lose my hope. I slowly got my bag and started walking towards the door with a big disappointment in my heart. “Serena..” Just when I was about to open the door, he called my name. I didn’t look back but I paused to wait for him to speak again. “If… If you can prove to me that the child’s father is Tyler, I will risk my friendship with him to free you from your miserable marriage.” I faced him again after that. I realized he was already staring at me and just waiting for me to face him so he could see my face. I swallowed hard and gritted my teeth before I slowly nodded, “It’s not hard to prove something that’s true.” Somehow, I could grasp hope to finally find my freedom. When I got inside my car, I typed in the number that my private investigator sent me. This has started and I will finish it all at once. It is bound to end anyway. Tyler is refusing to divorce so I would need an ace to play and make sure that I will win the game he started. A mother can never endure a painful and bitter fate for her child. Catherine won’t settle in their situation. She would seek for her son’s rights as Tyler’s child and I will use it to my advantage. I dialed the number with a blank expression on my face. [Hello, who is this?] I clenched my jaws. “Catherine.”