Chapter 13

At exactly 9am the next day, Tobias was standing in front of the civil court, ready and willing to sign those divorce papers. The divorce was set to take place at the same courtroom he and Amara had their wedding in. It was ironic how things ended up this way. As he stood in front of the large doors that led into the courtroom, Tobias had no expression on his face. He had made sure to put on his cold and emotionless mask before heading out and now, he wasn't going to remove it unless he was absolutely alone. Without hesitating, he opened the door and walked in, not surprised at the sight that greeted him. Sitting at the center of the court room, looking prim and proper, was his wife, or rather soon to be ex-wife, Amara. And beside her was the one person he had developed a hatred for overnight. Lorenzo. Lorenzo was dressed in a suit and looked every bit a gentleman that he claimed to be, with a charming smile and a hand on top of Amara's as if he was trying to comfort her. The sight alone was enough to make Tobias's blood boil, and he had to use every bit of willpower in him not to go up there and punch the man. “Both parties are officially present, shall we now begin the signing process?” The judge announced and just like that, everyone snapped out of their own little worlds and turned to face him. Amara didn’t bother looking in Tobias’s direction as she nodded. “Yes,” “Alright,” the judge began, pulling out the files. “Since both parties have agreed to divorce, all that’s left is the signing. Please come forward and put your official signatures down.” Both Amara and Tobias stood up and in seconds, they both stood in front of the divorce papers, pens held in between their fingers and ready to be used. Amara didn’t hesitate to sign the Papers. Tobias was a bit slower. If he was hesitating, it didn’t show in his expression. His eyes were cold and unfeeling, and he had no emotions on his face whatsoever. But despite that, it took him a minute to sign the divorce papers, a minute he used to stare at his signature as if he was hoping something would happen. He knew nothing was going to happen, but still, he wanted to hold onto a whatever little and vague hope that danced around his mind for some reason. However, his little hope was dashed the moment the judge spoke. “Congratulations, the divorce has been granted. You two are now officially divorced. Please leave the courtroom and make sure to leave peacefully.” With a small and curt nod, Amara turned on her heels and began walking out of the courtroom, Lorenzo followed closely behind, while Tobias walked slowly, watching them from a distance. “Careful.” Lorenzo extended his hand, offering his service when it was time for Amara to descend the courthouse’s stairs in her heels. When Tobias saw her take his hand with hesitation, he scoffed loud enough to finally gain Amara’s attention. “You just can’t wait, can you?” Those were the first words he said to her all morning. “Now that you’ve finally gotten what you wanted, you’re already running off into someone else’s arms.” He knew his words were harsh, especially because they were said with a hint of sarcasm and heavy venom, but Amara wasn’t going to take it lying down. “Don’t play saint here, Tobias. You also wanted this divorce. We both got what we wanted.” She replied with a cold look in her eyes that was enough to shut Tobias up. For some reason, he couldn’t think of what to say back to her, not when the eyes that used to be so full of love now stared coldly at him. He parted his lips to speak, but before the words left his mouth, the sound of his phone ringing cut him off. When Tobias fished out his phone, Amara caught a glimpse of who was calling. She silently scoffed when she saw Celestine’s name, feeling irritated when Tobias did not hesitate to answer the call in front of her. “Toby, all the scandalous posts have disappeared!You successfully divorced Amara, didn't you?” “…yes.” Tobias answered, his eyes not once straying away from Amara’s. “Oh, Great! You've finally gotten rid of that viper!” Celestine sighed, sounding so relieved that it was sickening for Amara to listen to. “As you can see, I’ve kept to my end of the deal, so you best keep to your and keep your nose out of my business while you’re at it, after all, we’re going to be total strangers from here on out and it’d be unpleasant of you keep trying to stick yourself into my business.” Amara sneered and turned around, taking Lorenzo’s hand once again as she walked off, leaving Tobias to stare at her distancing back. “Toby? Was that Amara?” Celestine asked, having heard the other female’s voice. “Are you guys together?” “She was just here,” Tobias replied half heartedly. “Oh…okay,” Celestine mumbled, the relief from her voice no longer there. “So, are you coming over tonight? Should I have the housekeeper prepare your favorite?” “…I’m sorry Celestine, I’m going to be busy tonight, let’s meet some other time.” Tobias replied.“ He declined Celestine's invitation, knowing what would happen if he went to see her. It was something he had always wanted. Yet he subconsciously refused, but why? Could it be that he had truly fallen in love with Amara? No, impossible! But as he watched the direction Amara's car drove away, a sense of emptiness and loss followed. This was a new feeling to Tobias and he felt his frustration gauge rising when he couldn’t figure out just what it was. He also knew he needed to do something about his rising frustration, else the new sets of furniture he had ordered would be reduced to nothing more than broken pieces like the last ones. He could already Imagine how messy the house would become. ~•~ A few hours later, Tobias found himself standing in front of a bar. It was one of his many bars, the one he frequented when Amara’s attitude had annoyed him in the past. “Boss,” One of the waitresses greeted the moment she saw him, recognizing his face. “Just the usual, thanks.” He replied and took his seat at the corner of the bar, looking out the window at rapidly darkening clouds as he thought about the divorce process today. The whole thing didn't sit well with him, in fact, it annoyed him, so much that he didn’t notice the waitress returning with his drink until she called his attention. “Boss?” “Huh?” Tobias snapped his attention away from the window and to the glass of whiskey she was holding. “Thank you,” He nodded and took the drink from her, not once hesitating to down it and order another. “Right away!” The waitress said and just as she walked away, Tobias felt his phone vibrate inside his pocket. He pulled It out and without looking at the contact name, answered the call. “What it is?” He asked, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice. “Hello Mr. Larsen, my name is Penny calling from Necker Island. I’m calling in regards to find out when you and Mrs. Larsen would be checking in as the vacation tickets won are about to reach their expiration date.” Hearing this had a lost memory resurfacing. The tickets for a vacation to Necker Island. Right. That was where he and Amara first had their honeymoon. She loved the island so much that she always wanted to come back and purchased tickets for them to use for their anniversary this year. But now, there was no point in using them anymore, since their marriage had officially been terminated. “There won’t be any checking in,” Tobias replied after a few minutes of silence. “Pardon?” Tobias drank from his glass and nearly slammed it down in annoyance. “Burn the ticket, give out the resorts, I don’t care, because…” He paused and swallowed thickly, bitterly. “I won’t be needing it, ever again.” Enough! Amara was a viper, he should be glad to be rid of her! To stop himself from thinking about Amara, he kept pouring 100-proof vodka down his throat! The next morning, Tobias was woken by a phone call from his assistant, reminding him of an important gala in a month's time, as the heir to the Crawford family would be attending. Rumor had it that their London branch would be getting a new general manager. Tobias knew he had to meet this new general manager to further the Larsen family's business interests.