Chapter 1 Misery

Catherine's POV I nervously nibbled on my lower lip as I paced the large expanse of the living room. Sighing, I glanced at the wall clock and exhaled heavily when I saw the time. It was ten minutes past nine in the evening and Alessandro was yet to come home. "Excuse me, ma'am," Someone spoke from behind me, and I turned to face them. The head maid of our household, Alice, grimaced as she fiddled with her fingers. "Yes, any problem?""Should I place the food in the refrigerator?" She asked, and my heart cut as a bitter realization struck me. Just like in the past, Alessandro was really going to be absent on our wedding anniversary. It wasn't just an ordinary anniversary; it was our third marriage anniversary and according to what I read on a website some years back, three was a lucky number that signified prosperity. Thus, I had gone over the top by preparing a variety of dishes that I was sure he liked. Since he rarely ate at home nowadays, I had secretly called his grandmother because he usually ate there, and she had made a list of his current favorite foods for me. Madam Anita, the heavens bless her heart was one in a million. While my mother in law loathed my existence to the core, Madam Anita loved me like her own and would often rebuke my husband on my behalf. Although I appreciated her effort, her reproaches never yielded results. If anything, they worsened the sour relationship between my husband and I. I could vividly remember how he had packed most of his belongings to where I presumed was HER place after Madam Anita gave him an earful when she found out that his first love was back in town and that they had been seeing each other for a while. As stupid as I was, I had decided to stay, instead of leaving him after finding out about his extramarital affairs. Damn, I was truly the most idiotic woman on earth. My foolish self had been too desperate to remain married and had decided to keep suffering, instead of filing a divorce. Something in me that gradually diminished as the years passed, still believed that my husband would change his ways and become the doting husband that he used to be. "Ma'am Catherine," Alice's voice yanked me back to the brutal reality of my life. "Y-Yeah, you were saying?" I asked, frazzled. "I asked if I should place the dishes in the refrigerator to prevent them from going bad," She said. "The time is almost ten and he's still not back." Suppressing the urge to burst into tears, I inhaled sharply. "Just go to bed. I will take care of it.""I can wait here with you," She said, and I shook my head. "No. You should sleep because you worked really hard today. I wouldn't have been able to prepare a platter of dishes if you weren't there with me." I forced out a smile which she returned, albeit, hers was sympathetic. "You also worked hard, ma'am. I only prepared the ingredients but you made the food." She countered. "Just go to bed, Alice," I gently pushed her out of the sitting room toward the stairs. "I can take care of the rest. I'm serious.""Alright then, if you say so," She still seemed reluctant to leave. "Goodnight, ma'am.""Goodnight, Alice." And with that, she climbed the stairs and was gone. Alice and the rest of the maids probably thought I was the dumbest person alive. I mean, they had witnessed almost every one of mine and my husband's fight. Even our recent fight which was the most embarrassing one ever. Like a weak bitch, I had clung onto my husband's leg while weeping for him to stay and never leave me for his first love, Laura, when he wanted to storm out of the house. I was truly a loser who relied on her husband too much. But I just couldn't help it because he was the first man to ever ask me out on a date. Throughout the nineteen years that I had spent in an orphanage, no guy had ever found me attractive. Yes, I was an orphan. According to what the governesses at the orphanage told me, they had found me in a box without clothes when I was barely a week old, crying my little lungs out. I had been in my third year of medical school while he was training to be the CEO of his family's company. A mutual friend had introduced us during a volunteer outreach. He asked me out on a coffee date some days later and subsequently, after three weeks, we started dating. The most foolish thing that I ever did and would continue to regret until the day I died, was dropping out of medical school to follow him from London to America. He had told me that a new branch of his company had been established in America and he needed to be there to manage it. It was highly unlikely that he would ever move back to London, he had divulged. And like the asinine idiot I was, I had dropped out of medical school in a heartbeat, with the assurance that I could easily transfer to another medical school, with my high grades. However, I was met with a hostile reality than I had expected when I discovered that I couldn't transfer to any medical school in America as their curriculum was completely different from that of my former medical school. A year later on my twenty-first birthday, he asked me to be his wife and I happily agreed, thinking we would live happily ever after. If only I knew that our marriage would be the start of my misery, I would have never agreed to marry him and become his housewife. The sound of footsteps approaching drifted into my ears and yanked me out of my reverie. Before I could take a step, he stormed into the house, looking livid which made my heart cut. "Welcome home, Alessandro," I croaked, and he scoffed before flinging a brown envelope at me. Inhaling shakily, I picked up the envelope and gave him a confused look. “What is this?”“Divorce papers,” He snarled. “Sign it before tomorrow ends and leave my house, you fucking leech!”“It’s because of Laura, isn’t it?” I kept my gaze rooted to the floor, as tears rolled down my cheeks. “I don’t have time for your useless questions. Just sign the damn papers and leave!” He barked, before marching upstairs. With tears rolling down my cheeks, I placed the envelope on the dining table, packed all the dishes I had prepared, and placed them in the refrigerator before cleaning the dining table. Then, I headed upstairs to my bedroom with a myriad of thoughts assailing my mind. I was truly done for. Where would I go from here? Begging him not to leave me would probably worsen his temper and cause him to throw me out of the house that night. And I couldn’t have that because I had nowhere else to go. I had zero dollars in my bank account and less than $50 at hand, with a rickety phone. After his first love showed up, Alessandro started sleeping in the guest room. He had told me that my scent disgusted him and that seeing my face whenever he woke up was irritating. Some weeks ago, he had been intoxicated and had shared my bed, for the first time in almost three years. Alessandro had woken up angrier than I had ever seen him and had called me a useless leech. As if it was so wrong to have sex with his wife. After peeling off my clothes, I stepped into the bathroom to take a shower. However, I was extremely shocked to see Alessandro sitting on the bed, with an eerie grin plastered to his lips, when I came out of the bathroom. "Y-You are here," I stammered, fidgeting with the straps of my bathrobe. "Why do you look so shocked to see me?" He scoffed. "Have you forgotten that we are married?" Wait, what was happening? Wasn’t he the same person who hurled an envelope containing divorce papers at me? Or was I hallucinating? "I-I don’t understand," I stuttered out, and he huffed. "You don’t have to,” He spat. "Come and sit on my lap." I couldn't believe my ears. "W-What?" Had something happened? Why was Alessandro acting so weird? "Fuck this," He gritted out. Before I could make out what he meant by that, he flung me on the bed.

Chapter 2 Forced to fuck

Catherine's POV "W-What are you doing, Alessandro? Please I'm not in the mood," I begged, as he loosened the belt of my bathrobe. He paid no attention to my protests and just smiled wickedly before forcing my bathrobe open, and exposing my nakedness. "You are my wife and your sole duty in my life is to ensure that I'm always sexually satisfied," He spat, unbuckling his belt and getting rid of his pants. Interesting. So now, I was his wife because he was in need of a release. As much as I wanted to have the old Alessandro back, I didn't want him like that. He was a predator while I was his prey that was shivering with fear as he pried my legs open. At that moment, I realized that begging him wasn't going to do anything, so I just decided to lie down as take it. He was right. My job was to give him sex whenever he wanted whether I was in the mood for it or not. After all, I lived under his roof and he bore all my responsibilities because I was his housewife. It was my role to ensure that I always looked pretty and was ready to spread my legs the moment he asked me to. I was nothing but a human sex doll to him. Hell, even sex dolls were cared for better than I was. Scratch that, I was his cum dumpster, nothing more. The last time we went on a date or one of his company's charity galas was a month after our wedding. After the devil struck, he had completely changed toward me. He had changed from the kind and loving Alessandro who used to send mocha frappe and cinnamon rolls to me every morning, when I was a medical student. The Alessandro that used to buy me the most expensive custom made jewelry and clothing to a monster in the early months of our marriage. Sometimes, it felt as if an alchemy had occurred one night, and the devil had swapped souls with him. Because he wasn't the Alessandro that I got married to. Instinctively, I pressed my legs together while he fervently sucked and fondled my boobs. "Spread your damn legs, Catherine," He spat, yanking my legs apart. "This is the only thing that you're good for anyway. You are nothing but a leech of a gold digger." My heart broke into minute irredeemable pieces at his utterance, but I didn't show it. I only managed an expressionless mien while he lathered my chest with his saliva. "Your body is so fucking repelling," Alessandro said, but still reattached his mouth to my nipple. Since you find me so disgusting, please get off me. I inwardly thought. "You are no longer tight like before," Alessandro sneered, shoving three fingers at once into my pussy. "Have you been whoring yourself out?" Tears rolled down my cheeks as I shook my head, knowing fully well that he didn't and would never believe me. "I-I would never do that," I wept, and he scoffed before forcing his cock inside me. Today was the worst wedding anniversary ever. Not only had he asked for a divorce, he had also ignored the food that I had painstakingly prepared for him. And now, he was forcing me to have sex with him, against my will, while uttering the worst accusations and insults ever. What exactly could I have done to him that made him hate me so much? Why did the universe hate me so much? Was I not worthy of a loving marriage with my first love? Was I undeserving of a happily ever after? "Oh, please," He scoffed. "You can't fool me with the miserable despondent aura that you carry about. Be honest with me, how many men have you had apart from me? Are they up to ten? twenty?" My ears had to be playing tricks on me because I couldn't believe Alessandro's disgusting utterance. Did he think I was also a serial cheater like him? How could he even think I would do something like that? "Laura is older than you yet she's tighter and smarter than you," He panted, delivering brutal thrusts to my pussy. Laura. That name always made me sick with jealousy and misery. She was prettier, smarter, and by far more gorgeous than me, according to Alessandro and his mother. I had neither seen a picture of her nor had I met her in person, and I was truly thankful for that. Alessandro didn’t even bother with foreplay before forcing his huge cock inside me. I burst into fresh tears as he wrapped a hand around my throat and fucked me harder. "Why are you pretending not to like it, huh?" He spat. "Do you act like this with your other men?" His thrusts were so merciless and swift, that I barely had time to gather myself before he pounded me again. "I-I have never and would never have sexual relations with any other man but you and you know it." I sniffled. "That's what I used to think," He scoffed. "Until I found out that I never truly knew you.""W-What?" I stammered. "You're a fucking pretender and a foolish tattletale," He spat. "You are also the most immature person that I've ever seen in my life." He didn't give me a chance to prod him for more information as he tightened his grip on my throat and plowed me as if I had offended him. This was too much. I thought, gazing up at the ceiling. An excruciating moment later, Alessandro released his seeds inside me with a groan, with his face buried in the crook of my shoulder. "You are actually useful sometimes," He grunted, gazing down at me. As I had no idea of how to respond, I just pressed my lips into a thin line and fluttered my eyes shut. A few minutes later when I opened my eyes, he was gone. With a groan, I dragged myself up from the bed, inwardly hoping that the child in my stomach was fine. Yes, I was pregnant. I had taken a pregnancy test some days ago, after struggling with incessant bouts of nausea and dizzy spells. After what happened that night, I resolved to leave Alessandro's life for good. A toxic marriage like ours was not a safe ground to raise a child. I didn't want to traumatize my kid. Even if it meant that I would become a maid somewhere in order to provide for my child, then so be it. At that moment, the scales of foolishness fell off my eyes and I realized that I couldn't put up with the maltreatment anymore. I didn't want Alessandro near us in the future or ever. It wasn't like he cared about me anyway. Hell, he'd probably host a banquet with Laura after I left. My former best friend, Mandy, would probably laugh in my face if she found out about how Alessandro had been treating me. When I told her that I was moving to America with Alessandro, she had strongly warned me against doing so. And had told me that I would live to regret it. Like the lovesick fool I was, I had ignored her warning to be with my love. As I scrubbed my skin under the trickling shower, I wondered why it took me so long to realize how much of an archfiend Alessandro truly was.

Chapter 3 The strange man

Catherine's POV As soon as Alessandro left the house the next morning, I retrieved the divorce agreement and perused it. Afterward, I signed on the designated corner before placing the paperwork back into the envelope and placing it on his journal. I wanted it to be the first thing he saw the next time he decided to come home. Exhaling sharply, I gave the study one last look and made my way back to the bedroom where my empty suitcase was laying on the bed. Then, I packed the last bits of presentable clothes that I still had into the suitcase, tossed my hair into a bun and darted the mirror above the dresser a sad look before exiting the room. "Are you going somewhere, ma'am?" Alice asked as I walked down the stairs with my packed luggage. "Yes," I said. "I'm going far away from this place and never coming back." Alice's jaw slacked in shock. "M-Ma'am, is this a joke? Are you really leaving Sir Alessandro?""My senses have finally come back to me and I've realized just how dense I was for the last three years." I uttered. Since I had no parental figure in my life, Alice was like my foster mother. Even without telling her stuff, she knew everything that I was going through. Some months ago, she had even given me a suggestion to add some sleeping pills into Alessandro's food, steal his money, and run away from it all. I had just laughed like a fool instead of taking her advice. Now that I think of it, I could have drugged him back then, make him open his gold store, and steal all of it. A piece of gold was about several millions of dollars. Damn, imagine how wealthy I could have gotten. Do you think he would have easily let you off the hook? A voice within me scoffed, and I couldn't help but agree with it. Knowing Alessandro's influence, the police would catch me within hours, and he would lie against me to aggravate my sentence. Hell, I would probably be sentenced to life imprisonment. "I can understand, ma'am," She nodded. "So where are you heading to now?""I have no idea either," I sighed. "But I have some friends that can help me if I reach out to them." It was a lie. I had no friend talkless of friends. My best friend had unfriended me the moment I decided to abandon my education for a man. Alessandro had also caged me within the four corners of his mansion and thus, I had no way to socialize with other people. The only place that I was allowed to visit was the grocery store and I could only spend thirty minutes there, lest his driver reported me to him which was never good. One time, he had even warned the maids against serving me food for a day because I spent thirty two minutes shopping. And that was because the cashier was unnecessarily slow and rude. But Alessandro didn't even allow me to explain myself. Thankfully, I had survived that day by feeding on the small sachet of chocolate that I bought at the mall with my money, the previous day. "Very well then, ma'am," Alice said. "Please take care of yourself, alright?""Alright, Alice. Thank you for everything," I smiled, fighting back tears. "Is Madam Catherine leaving?" One of the maids asked as three of them entered the room. "Why don't you use a megaphone?" Alice darted a stern look. "Have you forgotten that the useless hag of a driver could be lurking?""He drove the boss to the company today," The maid pouted, prompting Alice to scoff. "You don't have to be so harsh on her, Alice," I chided. "And yes, I'm leaving. Take care of yourselves and be good to him.""Oh, ma'am Catherine, we are really going to miss you," One of the maids, Rachel, started crying which made me sigh. "Don't cry, Rachel," I placated her by rubbing soothing circles on her back. "I'll be fine. I mean, I lived in this hell for three years, no?" My statement made all of us burst into a peal of laughter. When the laughter died down, I darted them a smile. "I guess this is goodbye then." With that, I trekked out of the house and exited the estate to the bus stop. I had just fifty dollars on me and I had nothing in the bank. How was I supposed to even save when I didn't have a job? "Where are you headed, miss?" The cab driver asked as I hopped into the vehicle. "Taco bell," I responded, patting my belly. The last time I ate was at noon yesterday and because I was still in the first trimester of my pregnancy, I could barely stomach anything. Thus, I had eaten just a pack of crackers. About thirty minutes later, we got to Taco bells and I paid the driver before he drove off. Then, I headed inside the restaurant and sat at the most secluded corner of the place. "Good afternoon, ma'am. Would you like me to take your order now?" A waiter stopped at my table to ask. "Afternoon," I replied. "I'd like some tacos please.""With what?""Nothing. Just water," I managed a fake smile which he returned before leaving. I had just thirty dollars left on me, so I couldn't even order the smoothie that I was desperately craving at that moment. Truly, I was overly dependent on Alessandro. I mean, it had not even been up to an hour since I left his house and I could barely afford stuff. "You are so pathetic," I muttered underneath my breath as the waiter approached with my order. "Thank you," I said, to which he nodded, and left. The aroma from the taco was so enticing that I momentarily forgot about the harsh reality of my life. I cleared the entire plate within fifteen minutes. Yes, that was how hungry I was. However, my stomach was still rumbling with hunger and since I had less than ten dollars left after paying for the tacos, I decided to drink more water. At least, that would satisfy my hunger until a miracle happened because I honestly had no idea what I was going to do with my life now. As I downed the last drops of water from the bottle, I felt a shadow looming behind me. Before I could turn around, the person, a middle-aged man, sat on the chair in front of me. "Who are you?" I tentatively asked, as I regarded him. The man looked rich. "Apologies for my rudeness," He bowed, to which I frowned. "My name is Thomas Dalton." A confused frown creased my face as he sat on the chair in front of me. Who was this rich looking man, and why was he apologizing to me? "You are Miss Catherine Williams, am I right?" He asked. He even knew my name! "Yes, what is this about?""I'm sorry that it took me so long to find you, ma'am," He started. "You need to come with me right now. Your mother is sick and wants to see you." My eyes doubled theatrically as my jaw slacked at his utterance. I had a mother? And she was sick? What in the world was going on?

Chapter 4 Reunited with my mother

Catherine's POV Both the man and my ears had to be playing jokes on me. And an unfunny one at that, because how could I have lived twenty four years of my life without a mother and then suddenly have a mother now? No matter the angle I tried to see the whole situation from, it still didn't make sense. "You are not saying anything, miss," Thomas said, and I huffed incredulously. "Are you an organ trafficker?" I asked, because that seemed to be the only realistic explanation for the whole mess. "What? I don't quite get what you're implying, Miss," He raised a puzzled brow. "You target vulnerable women and approach them with this cheap lie of yours, lure them to an unknown destination, kill them, and then harvest their organs, isn't it?" I snarled. "Tell me, how long have you been gathering information about me?""I do no such thing, ma'am," He slipped a card toward me. Begrudgingly, I retracted the card from the table and my eyes gaped when I saw that he was the owner of a large restaurant franchise in Canada and London. Back when we were in London, Alessandro and I used to frequent MT restaurant during his lunch break. The restaurant only catered to people of opulence and immense wealth, with their lowest dish costing a little less below a thousand dollars. Now, I was certain that the price would have drastically increased. "I'm sorry for accusing you then," I apologized, handing him his card, to which he smiled. "You don't have to apologize, Miss. I fully expected you to do that," He said. "So I have a mother, huh?" I snorted. Although I believed that he was the CEO of MT, I still couldn't believe his other claim. "Yes, would you like to see a picture of her?" He asked, and I nodded, albeit still skeptical. Nodding, he placed his briefcase on the table, opened it, and retrieved a photo which he gave me. On seeing the picture of my presumed mother, the muscles of my jaw slacked in astonishment. She was dressed in a simple yellow sundress in the photo with a pleasant smile radiating on her face. It was as if I was directly staring at a mirror. This was unbelievable. The only difference was that while I had auburn hair, she had black hair. "I-I don't even know what to say," I truthfully confessed, as I placed the picture on the table. This was surreal. I truly had a mother. Various questions and emotions tugged at my heartstrings as I stared into the voidness behind the man. "We have been looking for you for the past fifteen years," The man divulged, and I couldn't help but scowl. Where was my mother all these years that I had been suffering in the horror of my marriage? Where was she in middle school where I got bullied for being an orphan? Where was she on the day of my college entrance examination to cheer me up? Where had she been during the most important periods of my life? "So she abandoned me, didn't she?" I blurted out. The man shook his head, "No, Madam would never do that. However, she is in the best position to answer all your questions.""Good, because I have many for her," I retorted. "Where is she by the way?""Canada," I nibbled on my lower lip while I mulled over his response. Would I be putting both mine and my unborn child in danger by following him? How was I even sure that his business card wasn't forged? But then again, a voice in my head countered, he exuded an aura of sophistication plus it wasn't like I had anywhere to go from here. I could only hope for the best. "How will we get there?" I asked. "Have you booked the flight tickets yet?""There's no need for that, ma'am because we will be flying to Canada in a private jet owned by Madam." He supplied, and I nodded. My mo-the woman must be very wealthy then. I just couldn't bring myself to call her my mother. She didn't and would never deserve that title, no matter what her explanation would be. "So," I began, moments later as he drove us to the hangar in the airport. "I'm all ears, ma’am," He said. "Earlier, you said that woman is sick. What sort of illness is it?" I asked. "Terminal ovarian cancer," He revealed, and I gasped in shock. She really didn't have enough time left to live. "Yes, she doesn't," The man replied, only then did I realize that I had thought aloud. Great, I was finally going to be reunited with my mother and she had a terminal illness. The universe must really hate me. "What are you to her by the way?" I asked. "Are you her lover or what?""Of course not," He said. "I'm her assistant and secretary.""Okay then," About an hour later, we soon reached the hangar and I saw the private jet. It was a huge aircraft which had "OW" imprinted on it. Then, we boarded the private jet and set out to Canada. Thankfully, I didn't get nauseous when the plane ascended into the air. We got to Canada four hours later in the evening. The woman's house, scratch that, mansion was out of this world. Just like Alessandro's mansion, it was a four storey building. However, in place of the modern architectural design of his place, hers was a classic vintage design with red bricks and a beautiful water fountain sculpted in the form of a piano. When we entered the mansion, a more mind-blowing interior design graced my eyes. There was a vintage piano under the stairs with various picture frames of victorian era women and men. Although the house was opulent, it looked soulless. "She doesn't have maids?" I asked, my voice bouncing across the room in an echo. "Yes," He responded. "Would you like to meet her now or after you take a shower?""Now, please," I said, and he nodded. Then, we climbed upstairs and stopped at the first room on the left wing of the hallway. He gently knocked on the door thrice before opening it, and motioning me inside the dimly lit room. Someone, who I presumed was my mother, was in a wheelchair with her back facing us. "She's here, madam. I finally found her," He said, and the woman turned immediately. I couldn't help the gasp that escaped me when I finally saw her. In contrast to the picture, she looked old and sickly. She was wearing a pink flowy dress and her head was also covered with an overly large beanie. On her lap was a red knitted blanket that looked worn out with age. There was a nasal cannula in her nostrils and her face and lips were deathly pale. "Are you scared of me?" She chuckled; a croaky sound that made my heart break. "I'll be outside, ma'am," The man said, and bowed before leaving. My hands trembled in a mix of emotions that ranged from trepidation and sadness to anger. As much as I wanted to be mad at her, I couldn't do it. "Did you abandon me?" I asked. "Yes and no," She responded. "You see, it's a long story but I'll summarize it for you.""Thank you," I said. "But please, take a seat," She said. "You must be jet lagged.""Right," I muttered, and sat on the couch opposite her. "My name is Ophelia Williams," She began, and for the umpteenth time that day, I gasped. "That's right. I wrote your name and hid it in the box. I didn't even know that the governesses would name you that," She revealed. "I thought they would cast it in the bin.""Anyway back to the story, I met your father at sixteen. He was eighteen and was the son of my family's new chef back then. It was love at first sight for the both of us," She smiled. "Let me digress a bit from the story to tell you that he's dead. He died some years back in a car crash." Even though I never got to meet him, I couldn't help but be saddened by the news. My mother on the other hand seemed slightly enraged. "He was a coward anyway, so I don't care about him. Anyway, I got pregnant at nineteen and in a panic, he ran away and left us behind. My parents allowed me to have you but on one condition; I would give you up for adoption." She outstretched her hands and I took it, which made her smile. "Naively, I accepted their conditions and enrolled in college to study medicine. My plan was to become a successful doctor, look for you, and bring you back into my life. But let's just say, it was tougher than I thought it'd be." She said, and I tenderly squeezed her hands. "Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer which I treated. Five years ago, it came back with a more intense force and metastasized to my ovary," She revealed. "Now, doctors say I have less than a year to live. But now that I've seen you, I will do everything to fight it.""Oh, mum," I spurted out as tears roamed down my cheeks. "Mum," She smiled, her own eyes misty with tears. "I never thought that I would hear you call me that. I'm so happy, my child. You have no idea." That night, my mother and I slept together in her bedroom, tightly clinging onto each other, as if to make up for the lost years.

Chapter 5 Regrets and sorrows

FIVE YEARS LATER Alessandro’s POV I heaved a sigh of despair as my eyes landed on her dress which was the only memory of her that I had left. Initially, I had wanted to burn it as I did the rest of her belongings, but something from within had restrained me from doing so, thus I had left it in the closet. Nowadays, whenever I saw it, it always awoke a mixture of misery, despondency, and fury that was directed towards myself. The universe had blessed me with the most precious jewel of inestimable value but I had been so indifferent about her and had broken her both emotionally and physically. The memory of how I had forced her to satisfy my sexual needs on the third anniversary of our marriage still haunted me every second of my wretched life. I had it all. And I literally meant it. I had several fleets of cars, five estates, abundant wealth, literally everything the average man wanted yet a hollow pit of sadness still existed in my heart. Fuck, how could I have been so cruel to a pure soul like Catherine? Why had I chosen to divorce her for Laura? She had the purest soul ever. To me, she was an angel in human form because there was no other explanation as to how and why she put up with me maltreating her while we were married. "I miss you every fucking day, baby," I muttered, pressing the dress against my nose to inhale lungfuls of her natural, calming scent which was now faint. In all honesty, I had no idea how it all started. How I had gone from a loving husband to a beast within the span of three months. Putting the blame on Laura was completely out of it because I could have told her that I wasn't interested in rekindling old flames. I should have never asked her for a meetup when I learned that she had returned to America. I could have told her that I had the most caring wife ever. I could have warned her against showing up at my office for unofficial purposes. My stupid self had made every day a living hell for Catherine. I had looked everywhere for her yet all my efforts proved abortive. The only time my hopes were high was last year, when my assistant, Marco, had informed me that Catherine was sighted in Japan. Without bothering to confirm from my private investigators, I boarded my chopper immediately to Japan. My hope dwindled when I got to Japan airport that day and Marco called to tell me that the person only looked like her. It was as if the universe was trying to tell me that no matter how much wealth I had, I would never be able to find her; the key to my happiness. "Alessandro!" Laura's chirpy voice drifted into my ears and snapped me out of it. Sighing, I returned the gown into the closet before donning my tie. The security men would take care of her. "Alessandro, you fucking bastard!" Laura yelled again, but I paid her no mind. "Please leave, Miss Laura. Boss doesn't want to speak to you," I heard the distinguishable voice of my butler, Hopkins. "Does it look like a give a fuck, you old thing?" She barked. How the hell had security been so dense that she entered my house? Hadn't I told them to make sure that she never set foot into my estate? "Stupid fuckers," I seethed, grabbing my phone from the bed and placing a call to the security office. They picked up at the first ring. "Good day, Sir Alessandro. How m-""Do I not pay you guys for your jobs or what?" I snarled. "You do, sir. Even more than what we deserve," The person replied. "Did something happen, sir?""Can you imagine? Didn't I warn you against letting Laura into the estate? Why the hell is she shouting in my mansion? Do you want me to fire all of you or what?" I gritted out, clenching my hand into a fist. "Definitely not, sir," He said. "I'm so sorry about that. I'll see to it that she leaves immediately.""Just get the hell off my phone," I snapped, and hung up. Almost immediately, Laura was whisked away by security and tranquility was finally restored to my abode. I could still remember the day Catherine left vividly. + FLASHBACK "Where is the sales memo?" I snapped at Marco, and he frowned. "You have it, sir. I gave it to you yesterday.""Then, why can't I find it?" I spat, as the memories from the night before rushed in. On getting home last night, I had served Catherine the divorce agreement and had been elated as she wept crocodile tears. Afterward, I headed to the study to do some work. However, while reviewing the sales memo, a voice urged me to go to Catherine's room and I did. Somehow, we ended up having sex, even though that wasn't what I had planned. Having sex with her had been such a bore. As usual, she had pretended not to like it and had wept as I fucked her. She was such an annoying wench and a useless liability who didn’t know her place. Her vagina was all she had to offer yet she had the audacity to tell me that she wasn’t in the mood. "Fuck, I truly forgot it at home," I muttered. "Go to my place and get it for me. It's in the study.""Very well then, sir." Marco bowed, and left. About thirty minutes later, I received a call from him. "Have you seen it?" I asked. "Yes, sir," He responded. "But I saw something else, sir. Marco sounded a bit off. What could he have seen? "What is it?" "A divorce agreement," He said, and I scoffed. "Is it signed?” "Yes, sir,” He replied. “Ma’am Catherine is also not at home.” Surprisingly, she didn’t waste time in signing the divorce agreement. I thought I’d have to force her to inscribe her signature on it because she could be a stubborn bitch. "Don't worry about it," I retorted. "Just come here with the sales memo." And with that, I cut the call. For the first time ever, Catherine had done something smart. FLASHBACK ENDS. + I signed my part of the paperwork when I got home later that day. Initially, I was beyond thrilled at the fact that I was now divorced and free from Catherine. However, as days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, the elation I had initially felt started to diminish. It was on the fourth anniversary of our wedding that I realized I needed her back in my life. Things with Laura had gone south about six months after she left because I was too fixated on finding Catherine, that I didn't realize I was doing so, because I missed her and could barely function without her. I checked everywhere ranging from hospitals to airports but couldn't find her. It was as if Catherine had disappeared into thin air. Even with that, I was still hellbent on finding her and I didn't care how much resources I lost in the long run. All that mattered to me was finding her. "Breakfast, sir?" My private chef, a middle-aged lady called Patricia, asked as I strode into the dining room. "Just prepare dinner," I said. "Make whatever you deem fit." As expected, Laura couldn't believe that I wanted out of our weird relationship. At first, she would show up unannounced at my workplace to beg me to take her back. Later, she took on a more aggressive approach after I barred her from my company, and started coming to my house to yell that I was hers and hers alone. She would also yell profanities and different sorts of bullshit like a deranged person. The stupid restraining order was taking a long time to process, so I hadn't been able to file one against her. "Please come back to me, Catherine," I whispered to myself moments later, on my way to work.

Chapter 6 I’m over him

FIVE YEARS LATER Catherine’s POV "Okay, so his blood pressure is now stable," I said, gazing at the waves on the heart monitor. "You did great, guys.""It's all thanks to you, doctor Williams," One of the nurses said, as she handed me a pair of tongs. Currently, I was in the midst of a major brain surgery. The patient had almost lost his life in a car crash some hours ago due to his reckless driving. Thankfully, the surgery was a success but I would make sure to give him a strict warning when he woke up. "I will leave the rest to you guys, then," I said, placing the forceps on the instrument table. Afterward, I headed out of the theater where the mother of the patient was waiting and dumped my surgery outfit into the trash can. I was now clad in just a pair of teal scrubs. The poor woman looked exhausted and her eyes were as red as cherry, probably because she had been crying ever since her son was rushed in here. "Doctor Williams!" She shot up from her seat and sprinted up to me. "How is he? Will he be okay? Will he live? Did he survive the surgery? Will he lose his locomotion?" Her eyes were moist with unshed tears as she tightly clasped my hands. I gave her a gentle smile. "He is doing well and he will be okay as long as nothing goes south. And no, there's no indication that he will lose his locomotion. Be rest assured that he will perfectly heal, ma'am.""Oh, really?" She shrieked, as her shoulders heaved in relief. "Yes, ma'am,""Thank you so much, Doctor Williams. You are truly one in a million," She confessed. "Your parents must be so proud of you." Darting her another smile that didn't reach my face, I gave her a gentle shoulder pat and made my way to the locker room. Then, I peeled off my scrubs, took a warm shower, and donned my extra pair of scrubs and a white coat before slipping into my white scrubs that were adorned with various scribbles, which was courtesy of my sons. Nine months after I was reunited with my mom, I gave birth to a set of twin boys who I fell in love with at first sight. And from that moment, they become the center of my universe. A week before my babies clocked three months, my mother died from a seizure and was buried the next day just like she has written in her will. After her death, I inherited the whole of her wealth. She had settled Mr Thomas prior by willing her art gallery and restaurant to him while I got her estates, business firms and wealth. However, I couldn't bring myself to live in her mansion after she died. Not that it was eerie or anything, it just felt empty and cold like it had been on the day I first got there. Hence, I had renovated it and rented it out to a middle-aged greek couple who had taken a quick liking to me. I had done the same with the rest of her estates; I rented them out. With the help of Mr Thomas, I managed her business firm and the huge amount of money in her accounts by investing in other companies. Mum had left billions of wealth for both me and her grandchildren and I couldn't be more thankful. On the day the twins clocked six months, I returned to medical school and graduated summa cum laude with a medical degree in neurology, the first female to do that in almost fifty years. If only my mum was alive to see me become a doctor. Now, I was one of the most sought after neurosurgeons in the whole of Canada. I couldn't be prouder of myself for not giving up even in the face of challenges. "Good morning, Nurse Collins," I greeted the young petite nurse as I strolled into the pediatric ward. "Good morning, Doctor Williams," She raised her head from the notepad in her hold to dart me a smile. "Are you done with the surgery?""Yes,""Wow, as usual you never fail to amaze me. You are wonderful, Doctor," She shook her head in awe. "Thanks, Nurse," I smiled at her before looking through the file on the bedside table of my patient; a seven year old girl who had tripped and fractured her skull. Currently, she was sleeping peacefully with a bandage wrapped around his head. I covered her properly with the blanket and gently stroked her hair before scribbling on her file and placing it back on the table. "Alright, Nurse Collins. I will see you soon," I waved, as I strolled out of the ward. She nodded. "Very well then, ma'am. Have a nice afternoon." As I strolled into my office, I was surprised to see my boss, the director of the hospital, Dr Coleman, sitting on a couch in the middle of the room. "You're here," He waved at me with a smile. "Come and sit down. We need to talk." For some unknown reasons, both his presence and statement made me feel somewhat uneasy. "Uh, sure, sir," I said, and sat down on the sofa beside him. "Would you like some tea?""No, thank you." He said, and I nodded. "You know how we're establishing a branch of our hospital in America," Dr Coleman started. "Yes, sir." I responded, confused about where the conversation was headed. "Good. You also remember how Dr Anderson was supposed to be the neurosurgeon over there, right?" Okay, I was starting to deduce what he wanted to say. "Yes, sir.""Apparently, she can't go there anymore because her husband is relocating to France and both her and their kids are going with him. I know you said you don't want to ever go back to America in the past, but I j-""I will do it, sir," I interrupted him with a smile. "Like you said, it's in the past. And I'm more mature now and can face anything.""Alright, that's settled then. You will be leaving in two days," He said. "Thanks a lot, dear.""You're welcome, sir." Afterward, he left. Later that day as I drove home, I wondered if I had made the right decision by agreeing to go back to America. As much as I didn't want to admit it, the thought of ever running into Alessandro greatly unnerved me. That was the main reason I had decided to stay in Canada to build my career and raise my children. I hated the fact that he still managed to infuriate me whenever I thought of him. My experience with Alessandro was the sole reason why I had resolved to remain single forever. I just couldn't bring myself to deal with men and their evil, two-faced personalities. But then again, America was large, so the chances of me ever running into Alessandro was low. Soon, I got home and headed into the elevator to my block. Yes, I had decided to live in a condo instead of one of the estates mum had bequeathed me, in order to raise my kids in a humble way. I didn't want them to grow up and become scumbags like their father. Correction, their sperm donor. Then, I stopped in front of the third room on the right wing of my block and knocked thrice. A few minutes later, my neighbor, Miss Helen, a middle-aged woman opened the door, with a smile adorning her face. She was the first person I warmed up to when I first moved to the condo, and had babysat my children for the past five years, without asking for a dime. Whenever I offered her some money, she would refuse it, so I really had no way to repay her. Her own children were all grown up and living across the continent. "Hello, dear. How was work?" She asked, as I walked into the apartment. "Work was alright," I sighed, plopping onto a couch. "Are the babies sleeping?" Usually, they would come running out, the moment they heard my voice. "Boo!" I heard my sons yell from behind me, and I shook my head as they came in front of me. "Mummy, we scared you," Leo, the older twin giggled, and his twin followed suit. "Yes, baby. You did," I said, ruffling his hair. "How was school today?""Good. We drawed and singed and Miss Helen cooked chocolate cake for us." The younger twin, Liam, chattered excitedly. "It's drew and sang, baby. Also, she baked the cake, not cooked." I corrected, and he pouted. "I said the same thing.""Of course, you did." I ruffled his hair. "Did you thank her?""Yes, mummy. We did!" They said enthusiastically. "Great," I nodded. While Liam looked exactly like a miniature version of Alessandro, Leo resembled him and I. He had his grey eyes and black hair while he had my nose, eyebrows, and smile. I rested at Miss Helen's place for some time while the twins drew and played, before we finally headed to our condo late in the evening.