Chapter 2 She Left?!

• Cassandra groaned lazily when she felt the persistent hand wouldn't stop shaking her. “Mrs. Go, wake up,” finally came the voice of their middle-aged housekeeper.
• “You have been sleeping since yesterday evening. You should freshen up, then come and eat. I've prepared your meal,” Cassandra exhaled as she sat up.
• “What is the time?”
• “It is almost noon. I guess you've been sleeping since yesterday, right? The housekeeper answered and she nodded her head.
• “You should freshen up. By the way, Madam Go is here.”
• “My mother-in-law?” disgust spread over her face.
• “Yes.”
• “Where’s Lucian?” She asked.
• “I’m afraid he didn’t come home last night,” the woman answered.
• “Okay. I’ll be out soon,” she answered.
• After Mia, their housekeeper had left, she looked around her room and her eyes unconsciously fell on the divorce paper on the bed beside her.
• Of course, she was back to reality. She was getting a divorce.
• She stood up grudgingly and dragged her already wobbly legs to the bathroom to have her morning business there.
• ***
• “I thought I wouldn't see your face after today. Lucian said he was divorcing you after all.”
• “It’s what you have always wanted, mother,” Cassandra forced a smile.
• “Of course, it is! I bet you loved my surprise.”
• “Surprise? What sur… No way, did you provide Lucian with those fake pictures?” Cassandra widened her eyes.
• “Fake, you say? Come on, I would do anything to protect my family,” she sneered and stood up.
• “I think it's you the family needs protection from,” Cassie shook her head.
• “Sign the divorce papers, get the alimony, and leave. You were never welcome from the beginning. You only wanted to reap what you didn't sow.”
• Cassandra said nothing and watched her mother-in-law leave after she grabbed her purse.
• After she had left, Cassandra turned to return to her room when the housekeeper, Mia, stopped in front of her.
• “You should eat something, Mrs. Go,” she looked at her with so much pity that Cassie could only wonder if Mia knew what was going on.
• “Mia, I…”
• “You should eat,” she interrupted her, took her hand in hers slowly, and then walked her to the cushioned chair.
• “I will bring your food.”
• **
• After eating half of the food Mia had served her, she refused to eat any longer and then gulped down water.
• “Thank you.”
• “I didn't mean to eavesdrop on you two, but I heard everything you discussed yesterday. I am sorry,” Mia started after she had dropped the plate on the table in front of her.
• “Oh,” Cassandra pressed her lips together and forced a smile.
• Mia was a mother she didn't have. The past two years she had spent in this house had Mia helping, consoling and being her talk partner.
• There were times she'd spend the night in the woman’s room whenever she was depressed or sad, and the woman had always welcomed her with wide arms.
• “You have feelings for Mr. Go, don't you?” Mia jerked her from her thoughts.
• Cassandra sniffed and smiled. How had the woman figure that out?
• She was still in denial of her feelings for her husband.
• Yes, she had feelings for Lucian but she'd constantly reminded herself that she was never going to get him to love her back.
• Lucian loved another woman, and she knew that.
• After all, his mistress had made sure to remind her that she was just going to be with Lucian for a while and would leave their lives sooner.
• “I have to let him go now, Mia. It doesn't matter if I love him. It never does,” she shook her head.
• “I know. I just want you to know that I believe you,” she said with a smile.
• “I know you'd never cheat on your husband. Life just does not always go the way we want.”
• “Thank you. It means so much to me that someone had my back. I am so grateful,” tears dropped from her eyes unconsciously.
• “You are a strong woman, and I respect you for that. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met, and I wish Lucian would realize that sooner,” she fondled her hands.
• “It doesn’t matter, Mia. It doesn’t.”
• “I pray that you find peace wherever you wish to go, and I will miss you.” Mia pressed her lips together to avoid tears rolling down her cheek.
• Cassandra was a good woman, and her boss didn't know the treasure he was losing.
• “Thank you, Mia.” Cassandra nods her head and pulled the woman into a hug.
• “It's fine. You'll be fine,” she stroked her back.
• ***
• Cassandra picked up the divorce papers, sat on the bed, and began to read through them.
• No matter how long she tried to delay it, she was still going to sign the divorce papers.
• Their marriage hadn’t been a convenient one, that she wouldn't deny.
• Her father had run off with L.G group of companies money two years ago and instead of being punished for her father's crime, Lucian’s grandfather and founder of L.G group of companies insisted she had married Lucian.
• Maybe if she had refused, things would have been so different.
• Life wasn't as easy as portrayed in the movies. This was real life and there was no way Lucian would fall for her in those two years just because she was married to him.
• With a heavy heart, Cassandra began to sign the papers one by one till she reached the last page. After she was done, she removed the ring that symbolized their marriage from her finger, strolled towards the drawer, dropped the papers, and then placed the ring carefully on it.
• ***
• A bar in the middle of Los Angeles.
• “Why would you call me out in the middle of the night? You have a wife to return to, and a hot mistress of course,” Hames, Lucian’s best friend shouted amidst the deafening music.
• “I am getting a divorce,” Lucian stated, almost forgetting that he was in a bar and he needed to speak louder.
• “What?!”
• “I am going to divorce Cassandra!” he yelled.
• “What? Why? I mean… “ Hames dropped the glass of alcohol and tapped Lucian to follow him as they both headed to the VIP area.
• “Why?”
• “Why? You know I don't love her,” Lucian said distastefully.
• “So what? I told you that you could develop feelings for her. Are you letting her go to be with Rosaline?”
• “Hames, Cassandra cheated on me with another man. Another man was fucking my wife!” he shouted
• “And you believed that?! I mean… You've known that woman for two years and you know her better.”
• “I don't know Cassandra. I married her because I was forced. I don't love her and I feel the happiest that she's finally leaving my life with no objections!” Lucian retorted.
• “Then, why are you at a club?”
• “I am celebrating my divorce,” Lucian rolled his eyes.
• “Okay. You don't look like you are celebrating,” Hames raised a brow.
• “Oh, come on. I am. You started questioning me as soon as you arrived.”
• “So, what now? Are you going to marry your mistress?”
• “Rosaline is the woman that I love, not my mistress, and yes, I will marry her,” Lucian stated firmly.
• “Oh,” Hames drawled indifferently.
• “Oh?” Lucian frowned.
• “What? You love your mistress so much that you'd believe some filthy rumor about your wife and choose to divorce her.”
• “Cassandra cheated,” Lucian frowned.
• “Yes, yes. She did.”
• “Hames?”
• “Of course, she did.” Hames faked a smile which annoyed Lucian.
• Cassandra was finally going to leave, why the hell was this guy trying to make him feel bad about it?
• =
• The next morning.
• Seven AM the next morning already had Cassandra dragging her box outside the big gate of her husband's mansion.
• Now that she was leaving him, she hoped he’d find peace.
• She had made sure she only packed stuff that belonged to her. She wasn't going to pick things that belonged to Lucian only to be reminded of him.
• Maybe one day, she'd return to claim her position. Not as his wife, but as the father of her baby.
• Staring at the big gate of the mansion once more, she walked further away from it till she finally saw a cab running in her direction and flagged it down.
• **
• Lucian yawned lazily as entered the living room, the eye bags under his eyes as evident as much as it could.
• He ignored the greetings from the maids and said instead, “I'll have my food after I freshen up,” as he ascended the stairs slowly.
• As he got to the doorstep of his room, he wondered if Cassandra had signed the papers or was still crying miserably in her room.
• He removed his hand from the knob and moved to the door opposite his room and then knocked. When he wasn't getting any answer, he turned the knob and then entered the room.
• “Listen, if you are still crying your…” he stopped talking after looking around the room.
• It looked as if no one had ever used the room he was in right now.
• The skincare products that had always sat on the table in front of the mirror were gone, and the one or two pieces of jewelry that were always on the dressing table weren't there either.
• He kept scrutinizing the environment till his eyes met the papers on top of the drawer and he hurriedly rushed to get them.
• There, he found her ring on the papers.
• Cassandra signed the papers?!
• Of course, he was surprised.
• He had expected to meet her here, crying and begging him to not divorce her, but what is this?
• She had signed the papers and had left.
• He bolted out of the room and shouted, “Mia! Mia!” the only housekeeper’s name he remembered.
• “Sir,” ascending the stairs hurriedly, Mia answered.
• “Did Cassandra go somewhere, she's not in?”
• “She…left this morning,” she answered unsurely.
• Didn't he want the divorce?
• Why would he look troubled?
• “Oh,” he scratched his head and then returned to her room.
• He removed his phone from his pocket and dialed her number.
• ‘I am just going to confirm if she is really gone.’
• He tried to convince himself.
• “Hello?” came the soft voice of his wife. Now ex-wife.
• “Uhm, hi.”
• “Why are you calling? I signed the papers already,” she said.
• “I know. I just… I just want you to know that…uhm… Your alimony! I'm going to arrange it tomorrow,” he said hurriedly.
• “Okay.”
• Okay?
• Just okay?
• “Bye,” she added and then ended the call before he could even think of something else to say.
• ‘You’re being so pathetic right now, Lucian.’
• He said to himself.
• ‘You are so glad she is out of your life. Remember! You've always wanted her out!’
• He reminded himself.
• It was for the better.
• Cassandra was gone, and now he was going to be with the woman of his dreams, Rosaline.