CHAPTER 1: DECISIONS: PAINS IN THE HEART

  ROSE'S POV   Laying down on the couch, watching television, and enjoying the soothing breeze as it passed through the window. The time was around 8 p.m., and this night would have been a special one. A night I wouldn't want to forget. But I guess I'd just have to forget about this one. It was my birthday, and my husband was supposed to be here to make this a memorable one. But too bad, he didn't show up. So here I was, feeling lonely. And I was drinking a whole bottle of chocolate to ease off whatever was going through my mind. A few seconds later, one of my friends started calling me. Her name was Daniella. "Hey Danie. I can't talk right now. I need to drink all my misery out at the moment," I said. My tone was quite downcast as I took more chocolate. "That means you must have seen the headline," Daniella told me. "What headline?" I sat on the couch that very moment. The bottle of chocolate was dropped straight on the table. "You haven't seen it?" She asked. "Seen what?" I bawled a little, as this lady was still trying to keep me in suspense. "Will you just tell me what's going on?" "Okay fine. It's about your husband," she finally said. "Who? Eric?" I was still trying to understand what was going on. "You talk like you have multiple husbands. Just check the headlines, will you?" Daniella hung up. And I was still wondering what she was talking about. Immediately, I went to view the headlines right on my phone. And I was surprised by what I saw. Well, I wasn't actually surprised. But still, it was quite aggravating. The headline stated as follows: "Tasha Royce was spotted at the airport with Eric Mandela in breathtaking photos. This love is one in a million."   Just reading this, my expression turned sour. The anger, which I considered little for the moment, intensified. And then I didn't waste time slamming the bottle of chocolate to the floor. I drove my hands through my hair, trying to understand what the hell was happening. This was really, really abrasive. And I didn't even know what to do. Because this was getting out of hand. A notification popped up on my phone, and to my surprise, I saw a photo of Tasha and Eric. She was sitting on his lap, and their lips were exceedingly close to each other. They could have come into contact, but the only thing stopping them was a strand of noddle, which was right in their good-for-nothing mouths. The question here was, why would she send me this worthless photo? Oh yeah, she only wanted to bring me pain. And I would be glad to tell her that her plan was working. Let's get things straight around here. Tasha Royce was a notorious actress, loved by everyone but hated by me. She only acted nice in public, faking a sweet character and making people believe she was one heavenly angel. But if they knew her true colors, they wouldn't even be wasting their time being her fans. And as for that husband of mine, he was a billionaire, also prominent in the country. And everyone in New England loved him. You'd see little kids talking about becoming like him when they grow up. Well, trust me, they wouldn't want to be a moron who relished bringing pain to his wife's heart. Yes, that was what Eric did most of the time. Back then, when Eric had not become what he is today, I helped him, even though my parents were against our relationship. I did so much for him. I even had to give up my wealthy background just so Eric could be successful in the dreams he was chasing. Most of my friends had warned me not to follow him. There were even different men who wanted me to be their woman. But I turned all of them down, all because of one man. The man who I used to love like hell. But the feelings had faded. And as much as I tried to bring everything back, I just couldn't. All my efforts were wasted. Eric became a silk-stocking man, and he just had to forget about all the things I did for him. We got married, as he had promised. But the marriage was then filled with broken promises and unkept vows. All leading to countless heartbreaks. I had to find out that he was just using me. He had another lady in his heart since the dawn of time. But they had not risen to fame back then. Such silly people.   If only I knew that this would be my fate, I wouldn't have made those decisions. I was indeed stupid back then. Love was nothing but a sham. Eric made it seem that way. This wasn't the first time he had done something like this. I even caught him this one time, sleeping with Tasha, right in our bedroom. He promised me he wouldn't carry out those acts again. Well, take a look at the current situation. Isn't this another broken promise? My eyes went to the dining table, which was laid out with plates of different meals. All prepared by me. And then the cake was also there. It was so sad that these were all going to be a waste. I closed my eyes, letting out a deep breath, trying to fight against the pain. Still having a hold of my phone, I went straight to my chat with Eric. A decision freshly unfolded in my head, and I was wondering if I should follow through with it. But then, those pictures of Eric and Tasha popped up in my head as well. And at this point, I didn't even want to think twice. My decision was final. My hands were shaking, and my fingers trembled. But it wasn't enough to stop me from sending him a simple sentence: "I saw the photos. Let's get a divorce." Yes, that was what I told him. And after that, I felt kind of unburdened. I could feel my chest being crammed with tons of weight. But it seemed like all of that had been lifted. That very minute, Eric began to call me. But I declined the phone call without delay. He called again, and I did the same thing. There was nothing left to talk about. I threw my phone on the table, leaned my head against the couch, and closed my eyes. But they were opened the moment my phone began to ring again. Eric was the one calling. In annoyance, I answered the call. "What the hell is wrong with you, huh?" He was quick to rant at me. "I thought I had told you a billion times not to act stupid!" His angry mode continued. "It's your birthday; okay, I get it. But you have to accept the fact that I love Tasha and not you. And since she's finally back in the country, I need to spend time with her." "I can't believe you're saying all these to me, Eric." My eyes were filled with tears. "After everything I did for you," "Oh, please, cut the crap." Eric chewed it out. "I paid you tons of money countless times, which you refused to collect. So now, stop all this nonsense. As for that divorce, we'll talk all about it when I get home." He hung up promptly. My phone slowly fell from my hands, and I couldn't help but burst into tears. Painful and detrimental. I wish none of these would have happened to me.   Still weeping and submerged in sorrow, I clenched my fists tightly. My cry only got louder, with a throe that's exhilarating as hell. And I felt like I was going to be broken into pieces. "And why are you crying like an idiot?"