Chapter 12

Looking at her name displayed on his phone screen, Tobias felt numb. When Celestine reappeared in his life after six years, he thought he would be happy. Of course, he was happy for the first few days initially. He had successfully taken revenge on his wife, Amara - that viper who used his grandfather to force him into marriage. Seeing the anguish on her face brought him immense satisfaction. He even filed for divorce, wanting to see her despair further. He thought she would beg him as usual, but this time, she didn't. Infuriatingly, she was even more eager for the divorce than him, and it was obvious there were other men in her life. At this thought, Tobias gripped his phone tightly, clearly forgetting he was on a call until Celestine called his name again. "Toby?" Celestine said. "Yes, Celestine, it's me. What is it?" Tobias replied. "I just wanted to ask, did Amara agree to do those photoshoots with you to quell the rumors?" Celestine asked expectantly. "No. She didn't," Tobias said angrily. "What? Then what are you going to do next?" Celestine feigned surprise. "Does Amara want more monetary compensation before she agrees?" Tobias took a deep breath, then said, "No, Celestine. She doesn't want a single penny, which is what surprises me. She only asks for a divorce." "Celestine, was she really just a gold-digger?" Tobias said softly, as if asking himself. Celestine bit her lip, listening to Tobias's change in demeanor with fury. How dare this orphan steal Tobias's attention from her! She would never allow a repeat of six years ago. "Toby, are you drunk?" Celestine thought he must be intoxicated to be so harsh towards Amara. "Have you forgotten seeing her get into a car with another man outside that bar?" "Toby, Amara has found someone better now, so she wants a divorce, right?" Celestine would never let Amara steal Tobias's attention again. Tobias recalled the facts - first Timothy, then that young man at the hotel! She was always flirting around with men, always so cunning - is that how she won over his grandfather's heart? "Toby, are you okay? You must be drunk. Don't drink anymore, I'm coming over right now," Celestine said with concern. "No, Celestine, no," Tobias refused, suddenly disliking the idea of seeing her. But why? An unconscious answer flashed in Tobias's mind. Amara wouldn't like that. She never liked anyone stepping into their home. For some reason, Tobias felt he had wronged her before and didn't want to make the same mistake again. "It's too late, Celestine," he lied, moving the vodka bottle and glass away to better control himself. "Don't come over." "Okay." Celestine reluctantly agreed after a few seconds of silence. "Good night, Toby." "Good night." He hung up and sat alone in the silence. His phone still displayed Amara's name. He suddenly wanted to call her again. Were these other men really so great that she couldn't wait to get out of their marriage? The thought angered him again as he saw their wedding photo hanging on the wall. Without a second thought, he grabbed the whiskey bottle in front of him and flung it across the room, shattering it against the wall. The shattering sound echoed loudly through the empty house, but it wasn't enough to ease the pain in Tobias's chest. He wasted no time moving on to his next target - a beautiful vase, Amara's gift for their second wedding anniversary. He threw the vase against the wall, watching it shatter into pieces like the whiskey bottle. But like the broken whiskey bottle, the shattered vase wasn't enough. Tobias let out an angry roar and grabbed a paperweight from the table, hurling it at the TV screen. Hearing the resounding crash as it broke into shards satisfied him. The TV was followed by many other objects - lamps, chairs, mirrors, expensive bottles of wine, and the precious paintings he'd bought in Paris. Tobias wasn't one to easily anger. He'd been raised not to allow anger, to control it, swallow his rage, stay calm no matter what happened. And that's what he did. But not tonight. Tonight, his anger was uncontainable, to be vented on anything. Or so he intended, until he knocked over a photo frame and his rampage ended. Of all the things that could fall and break, his and Amara's marriage certificate happened to be the lucky one. Tobias looked down at the certificate, now framed with shattered glass. His gaze locked onto the "Tobias and Amara" at the bottom, coincidentally split by a large crack between the two names. The fury that filled him just seconds ago was gone, leaving only a hollow feeling as he realized his grandfather's blessing on their marriage wasn't as powerful as he'd imagined. Because tomorrow, like that damaged marriage certificate, he and Amara would be permanently separated. In the end, they had failed to live up to grandfather's expectations after all. No, he had failed to live up to his grandfather's expectations. He had failed his grandfather, not Amara. Suddenly, his phone rang. It was his assistant calling. Until the ringing sound woke Tobias up, his assistant's anxious voice came through the phone. "Boss! Did Mrs. Larsen agree to your request? Our stock price has already hit the limit down, and now the company is surrounded by shareholders!" Tobias tightened his grip on the phone, hung up, and immediately sent Amara a text message.