Capítulo 2: He's a jerk!
Ash's pov ;
I thought about all those times when we would fight. It was always me who gave in first, always me who sought to make peace. I was always so humble, so desperate to keep the peace, to make our relationship work. Maybe that was what gave him the power to cheat, to betray me so easily.
I remembered how my father, on his deathbed, asked Elijah's grandmother to take care of me and Samantha when we were kids. Which was how she made Elijah marry me.
At the time, maybe it seemed like a perfect solution to her and my father. Elijah and I had known each other for years. I was sixteen when I first met him, and I instantly got a crush on him. But to him, I was completely invisible. He would never spare me a glance.
He would only come home for Samantha. I thought back to how close Elijah and she had always been. They were inseparable, best friends who had studied together in the same school and college. And they were six years old than me.
I never saw the signs, never suspected that their bond could turn into something more. But I never once imagined that it would lead to an affair.
But now, it all felt like a cruel joke. He had never treated me badly, but he had also never shown me the love I craved. I always told myself that love would come in time, and that he would eventually see me as more than just an obligation.
The more I thought about it, the more I realised how blind I had been. I wanted so badly to believe in our marriage, to believe that Elijah would eventually love me. But he proved me wrong.
I feel betrayed not just by him but by my own naivety.
"I want a divorce," I stated plainly.
His reaction was immediate and explosive. "A divorce? Are you out of your mind? We're not getting a divorce!"
"Why not?" I shot back, my anger rising. "You don't love me. You said it yourself. What's the point of staying together if you don't love me? You should divorce me and marry Samantha."
His face darkened, his eyes blazing with fury. "You have gone mad!" he snapped. "You're being irrational. You should get some rest and forget about all this nonsense."
I felt a cold, numbing pain spread through my chest. He thinks my feelings are nonsense. He doesn't care about my pain, but he was quick to defend Samantha, quick to prioritise her feelings over mine.
"How can you say that?" I looked straight into his aggressive eyes which were aggressive. "You didn't even investigate the situation. You trusted Samantha without question but not me. You don't value me at all. You don't care how much pain I'm in. All you care about is defending her."
His expression hardened. "This conversation is over. I won't come back home tonight. Hopefully, you'll have calmed down by tomorrow."
He stormed out, leaving me standing there, my heart shattering all over again. But at that moment, I knew what I had to do. He might dismiss my feelings as nonsense, but I won't anymore.
I called the lawyer and told him to prepare the divorce papers. The next day, I signed them and packed my things.
As I closed the door behind me for the last time, I took a deep breath. It was over. I was free to rebuild, free to find my own happiness. And as painful as it was, I knew I had made the right choice.
****
A few days later, I met with Noah, my friend and the current manager of my company, Luxe Gemstone. Before marrying Elijah, I had built Luxe Gemstone from the ground up. When I married him, I handed the reins to Noah. Because he was the only one I trusted, not my sister and not anyone else.
Now, I'm ready to reclaim my role and take control of my life again.
When I arrived at the office, he welcomed me with open arms. But as soon as he saw my face, his smile faded. "Ash, you look terrible. What's going on?"
I tried to brush it off, but he wasn't having it. We sat in my office, and I told him everything. As I kept telling him, his expression turned from concern to anger.
"Men," he muttered, taking a long sip of his wine, even though he was also a man. "They're all the same, deceivable creatures. They take you for granted, thinking they can just waltz in and out of your life as they please."
I sighed, my mood was still dark. "I just don't understand how he could do this to me."
He shook his head in disappointment. "Listen to me, Ash. Men like Elijah are cowards. They don't value what they have until it's gone. They care more about their egos and appearances than about the people they hurt. He doesn't deserve your tears or your pain."
His words were harsh but true. I nodded, trying to absorb his strength. But the sadness still clung to my heart. I have lost my marriage after all.
"Come on," He let out, standing up abruptly. "We're going out for dinner. You need a change of scenery."
We headed to a famous restaurant, he told me about. On the way there, my phone rang. It was Elijah. I hesitated before answering, my heart pounding in my chest.
"Ash, what is this?" His voice was furious. "Divorce papers? Are you serious?"
I took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm very serious. I have signed them, now it's yours to sign them."
"Stop being unreasonable and come back home before I do something you won't like," he threatened.
Hearing his tone, I couldn't help but laugh bitterly. Noah's words echoed in my mind. Men really are like that. Even now, he wasn't admitting his mistakes or showing any remorse. He was just ordering me around, trying to control me.
"I'm not coming back, Elijah," I said firmly.
His voice grew angrier. "You must come back before Grandma gets to know about this. If her health gets worse because of this, I won't forgive you."
He hung up, leaving me seething. It was just like him to use guilt and threats to manipulate me.
Noah glanced over at me. "What did he say?"
"He said I have to come back before his grandmother finds out. He threatened me, saying he won't forgive me if her health gets worse."
He snorted. "Of course, he did. Typical. He's just trying to control you, Ash. Don't let him. You've made the right decision, and you need to stand by it."
He's right, I'm done letting him control my life. It was time to take back my power and live for myself.
I thought about it for a moment. Have I made the right decision? Grandma was the only person who had ever shown me love in that house. Leaving her felt like abandoning the one person who truly cared about me.
But as we pulled up to the restaurant, any uncertainty I had evaporated in an instant.
As we stepped out of the car and approached the entrance, I saw Elijah and Samantha getting out of a car across the street. Samantha's hands were tightly clutched around Elijah's arm, and he seemed perfectly okay with it.
I felt like pulling my hair. How could he be so bold, parading his affair around for everyone to see? Does he think that because I had always been tolerant, I would just accept this too?
"Are you okay?" Noah asked me.
Before I could answer, Samanatha's voice rang out. "Ash, what a surprise to see you here!"
Elijah's face turned pale as he saw me. He sheepishly tried to yank his arm out of Samantha's grip, but it was too late. I laughed bitterly, the sound was harsh and empty.
"Don't bother, Elijah," I taunted sharply. "No need to hide it now."
He shook his head. "No, it's not what you-"
Samantha quickly put on a mask of innocence. "Ash, you misunderstood. It's not what it looks like."
The sight of her false remorse made me angry that before I could stop myself, my hand shot out, slapping her across the face. "Don't you dare pretend to be innocent! You knew exactly what you were doing, breaking up my marriage."
She clutched her cheek and soon her fake sobs followed. Elijah immediately pulled her to his side while glaring at me. "That's enough, Ash! You're being too much now. Samatha isn't the one breaking our marriage, you are. You're the one who decided to run away and leave everything behind. You're the one who gave up."
His words hit me like a sledgehammer, each one driving deeper into my heart. "How dare you?" I choked out in pain and rage. "You never loved me. You were never there for me. And now you defend her, the one who helped destroy everything we had?"
"You're going too far. Grow up."
I couldn't bear to listen to any more of his twisted justifications. The pain of seeing him protect the woman who had come between us was too much. Without another word, I turned around and walked away while the tears of agony rolled down my face.
"Ash, wait!" Elijah called after me, but I didn't stop. I kept walking, each step taking me further away from the life that had caused me so much pain.
Noah caught up to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "You did the right thing, Ash. Don't let them get to you. C'mon, wipe your tears and cheer up."
Walking away from him, I realised that I had indeed made the right decision. His actions and words confirmed that he never truly cared about me. It was time to let go of him.
But then, I did something I shouldn't have.
When Elijah and I got married, it was the biggest wedding of the year. His grandmother urged him to make it a grand wedding. I was closer to her than to anyone else. So, despite Samantha being the one closer to Elijah, Grandma had forced him to marry me.
In my anger and desire to strike back, I told Noah to make headlines about our divorce. He praised my decision and did exactly that. But it turned out to be the biggest mistake I had ever made.
I received a call late that night. Grandma had been rushed to the hospital after reading the news of our divorce.
I quickly rushed to the hospital in fear. When I arrived, Elijah was already there. Grandma was inside the operation room, and Samantha was rubbing his arm in comfort.
I approached them cautiously, my heart pounding in my chest. "How is Grandma?" I asked in a trembling voice.
Elijah's eyes locked onto mine, filled with a rage I had never seen before. He slowly stood up and walked toward me. I gasped when he gripped my arms tightly.
"If anything happens to Grandma, I will never forgive you, Ash. I will make your life hell. You just wait and watch."
His words pierced through me, and I realised the enormity of my mistake. Even if I hate Elijah and want to hurt him, how could I do that to Grandma? She had been my rock, my only family after my parents' death.
"I'm sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I only wanted—"
He cut me off in a cold and unforgiving voice. "Save it. You wanted the divorce so badly, right? Sure, you'll get it. I will divorce you."
He let go of my arms and stepped back. Sitting back next to Samantha who whispered something in his ear and stroked his back.
She looked in my direction with an evil look and I figured out that I had played right into her hands.
Finally, the doctor came out after a few hours. Elijah and I both stood up. "She's stable for now."
I sighed both in relief and guilt. I wanted to see her but Elijah didn't let me. So, the next day, I planned to meet her when he wasn't there.
I was getting ready to visit Grandma at the hospital when my phone rang. It was Noah.
"Ash, we have a crisis at Luxe Gemstone," he let out worriedly and desperately.
My heart sank. "What happened?"
"There's been a hostile takeover. 55% of our shares have been purchased."
"What?!" I exclaimed, trying to wrap my head around the news. Luxe Gemstone was my father's pride and joy, a company he had built from the ground up. We specialise in high-end jewellery, using ethically sourced gemstones to create unique, luxurious pieces.
After he died, it was hard for me to work as an actor and handle the company so I handed it over yo Noah temporarily.
The company has always been financially stable. This sudden acquisition of such a significant portion of our shares is shocking.
"How is this possible?" I asked, panic rising in my chest. "Who bought the shares?"
Noah hesitated for a moment. "Elijah. He's the one who did it."
"Elijah?" I repeated in utter shock. He did this? "How could he do this?"
"I don't know all the details yet, but he must have used his connections and resources to buy out our shareholders. Ash, I'm so sorry. I had no idea this would happen," His voice was filled with sympathy.
So, this is how he wanted to play this because this is clearly more than just a business move, it is personal.
That bastard! I quickly sent him a text.
"Meet me at this address in an hour."
I can't just let him destroy my father's company so easily.
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