Chapter 2: The divorce

"Em... Em..." She opened her mouth to speak when suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look beside her. It was James Kesley, the blonde-haired man that she was dancing with.

"Baby, you seem scared of him. Why don't you just tell him the truth and what you intend to do?" James said while staring into Nathaniel's eyes.

Nathaniel looked away from him and turned to face his wife before asking, "What truth? What do you intend to do?" Lindsey inhaled deeply. Without answering him, she turned to the stairs and walked upstairs to her room

Beside her bedside table was a brown envelope and a stack of papers just on top of the envelope. She took them downstairs, but she was hesitant. She pitied him and wondered where he would go if she threw him out of her house. Her father would not be happy with her in his grave, but this was what everyone wanted. Her mother, James, and even her friends.

She walked downstairs and looked into Nathaniel's dull eyes with boldness

"I want us to get a divorce! I've already got the papers ready!” She said and handed the paper to Nathaniel. He scoffed and slowly took the papers from her.

"So all this while you deceived me! You made me believe that you loved me," He paused. He turned to the small crowd of people who took out their cameras to record and Lindsey didn't stop them.

"I think you're under the influence of alcohol!" He said and chose to walk away, but she immediately called him back

"I'm not under the influence of anything. This thing that we're doing cannot work! I deserve better," Lindsey said and took a few steps closer to him. With every step she took, her heels made a clicking sound, causing her aura to seem intimidating

"Let me see what you're holding..." she said and dragged the box from him. She stared at it with disgust as she opened it and caught sight of the diamond necklace

"Is this the surprise you talked about?" She asked and held the necklace like it was nothing

"It's not even a real diamond! You haven't seen what James got me. I bet that's why you still have the guts to speak." Her words fell into Nathaniel's ear.

He looked down at the divorce papers and the pen in his hands. In pain and anger, he signed them, causing Lindsey to open her mouth in shock. She was stunned that he didn't even beg her not to divorce him.

"Done! I've signed them...." He said sternly before throwing the papers back to Lindsey's face

"All that's left is your signature so that this so-called marriage will be over!" He said, causing Lindsey to smirk. At first, she was stunned that he didn't beg her, but she then concluded that poverty had affected his way of reasoning

"Don't make any of this wait! Just sign the papers." He insisted that she must sign the papers in front of anyone.

"Gladly! You've been a burden anyway," Lindsey said. Her mother has always wanted her to divorce Nathaniel, but she remained with him out of pity and now she expected him to beg her in front of everyone even as her friends were videoing them but Nathaniel didn't even show any sign of regret after signing the papers and it stunned her.

"I can't believe that you're so ungrateful! I can't believe that after all, my mother and father did for you! You couldn't even beg me," she said. James, who was standing next to her, scoffed and said,

"You don't expect an animal to know your worth. When he's out in the streets, I'm sure that he'll come here to beg you," James said. He sounded certain with no doubt, and Lindsey believed him because she knew that Nathaniel had no place to go. He could hardly feed himself from the income he makes as a delivery guy

Lindsey signed the papers and smiled at him before throwing them to the couch.

Nathaniel turned to leave without responding to James, but unfortunately, James wanted to irritate him with his words

"He's such a weakling! Look at him, leaving shamefully!" Nathaniel clutched his fingers into a fist and bit his lips.

"A poor fool..." Before James could utter another word, Nathaniel immediately punched him in the face in anger

"Watch your mouth, you pervert!" Nathaniel yelled. James was stunned, he scoffed and clutched his fingers into a tight fist and as he threw a blow to Nathaniel, he immediately dodged it before James could blink, Nathaniel held his hand and twisted it before pushing him to the wall, luckily James didn't fall, he maintained balance. Seeing his white sleeve stained, he proceeded to take off his jacket and unbutton the first three buttons.

"I was just being lenient with you! Let's see what you've got," James said. Unknowingly to him, when Nathaniel was in high school, he worked part-time at a taekwondo school as a cleaner so during his free time, he learned some skills from the students

Nathaniel scoffed. He didn't say anything, nor did he make any attempt to attack. He waited for James to make the first move. James moved towards him and threw another blow to his face, but Nathaniel caught his hand and pulled him closer. He turned to look beside him for any object that he could use on him. Nathaniel's eyes immediately fell on a cue stick resting on top of a snooker board. He quickly picked the stick up and threatened to use it on James, but in fear, James moved backward with his hands in the air

"Don't use that on anyone," Lindsey intervened. James was already out of breath, so he just kept moving back until he hit a wall.

"Get the hell out of here and I promise you that when you come back to beg, I won't listen to you!" She said, causing Nathaniel to narrow his eyes. He threw the stick to the ground and turned to the exit of the house.