RETURN OF THE FORGETFUL HEIR

DIVORCE PAPERS

FOUR YEARS LATER

**

Dennis was more devastated than he was surprised. He tried to recall ever being the cause of what was before him, but nothing came to mind. His wife, Hailey, was pregnant. She just handed him the test results that proved it but he was so stunned that the paper dropped from his hand and fell to the floor. Dennis looked from the paper to Hailey, and then back to the ground. How did this happen? He had never touched Hailey sexually, they had barely even kissed since they got married.

It was mostly occasional pecks that he gave her, which she was usually quick to wipe off with her hands when she thought no one was watching. All this time, she claimed to be off sex for medical reasons Dennis did not understand, but respected still because he loved her. She even brought him a doctor’s report on their wedding night years back to show him that she wasn’t lying and made him promise never to tell anyone. So what was going on? How could she be pregnant when they had never had sex? Was this some kind of bible story like where Mary gave birth to the Saviour Jesus Christ even though she was a virgin? 

Hailey on her part was feeling very happy to break the news. It marvelled Dennis that she was so proud of what she was saying. Was this some sort of prank? because it definitely wasn’t funny.

"What do you mean you're pregnant, babe?" Dennis asked, standing up from the couch where he was seated, to meet his wife who stood close to him. 

"I don't understand why you're asking me that.” Hailey scoffed. 

“I'm pregnant as you can clearly see in the test result, I’m going to have a baby. You should be happy, I’m definitely overjoyed." She squealed in excitement.

"But, babe we've never…" Dennis continued his sentence by demonstrating with his hands. 

He was still too astounded to articulate his words properly.

“How can you be pregnant, Hailey?” He asked and his voice was louder this time.

"If you can't be happy with me, at least be quiet," Hailey shook her head and bent to pick up the paper from the table.

She looked at him sneeringly before leaving him alone in the sitting room. Dennis looked around in disbelief. It had to be a dream, a prank of some sort. He went after Hailey as she went into their room upstairs. 

"Hailey, baby, is this like a prank? Some new trend on Tiktok that I don’t know about?" Dennis asked with a nervous chuckle, hoping desperately that he was guessing right.

Hailey looked at him with unmistakable disdain. She was seated on the bed now, watching her husband at the door. She rolled her eyes. She wondered what her grandfather saw in Dennis that made the man love him so. It was only on Papa's insistence that she married this man. Neither she nor her mother wanted Dennis for her, but they had to please her grandfather in order to get a chance to inherit his wealth.

Her father was long dead and didn't leave any inheritance for her, so she just had to please her grandfather who gave a deaf ear when everyone else refused to accept Dennis as a part of the family. Dennis was so daft. How could it be a prank that she was pregnant? Why would she joke about this when it was the happiest news she had received in a while. All her plans were falling into place now and he was throwing a tantrum. How stupid.

"No, it's not, it’s true. I just showed you the test result, didn’t I? How can it be a prank?" She replied since Dennis was obviously in denial. 

"So how come you're pregnant? We've never had sex. We hardly even kiss!" 

"Oh, please Dennis. I could get an implant, you know right? There’s such a thing as IVF, don’t act like pregnancy without intercourse is impossible." She said as she rolled her eyes.

"So you got an implant?” He asked and Hailey rolled her eyes again.

 "If you have nothing meaningful to say, please leave. Or maybe go find a chore to do. It’s the only thing you’re useful for anyway."

Dennis' eye twitched with anger. But he remained calm. Yes, he did most of the chores in the house, but he did them of his own accord because he didn’t want it to seem like he was just living off the people that took him in without contributing in any way. He felt insulted that she told him to go find a chore to do, like a dismissive adult talking to a child. But he remained calm and focused on the matter at hand. 

"But how could you get an implant without even telling me? Aren't we supposed to be married? How did you even get my seed to implant yourself with? I don’t remember you taking my sperm nor did you ask for it."

"Dennis, please just leave, I’m not in the mood to deal with your silliness right now." She said to him and he clenched his fist.

"No."

"Dennis. I said leave me alone."

"No. I'm not leaving till you talk to me!" He snapped.

"Oh, you really want to know? You want me to talk to you about this? Well then, fine! I’ll tell you right now. I am pregnant with Evan's child."

"What?! Who's Evan?" He asked incredulously.

"How would you know? You’re so dense sometimes, it’s like you live on another planet. Evan is the heir to the TYREN ENTERPRISE. Not that you'd know who they are anyway, given how wretched you are." Hailey said offhandedly. 

"You cheated on me," He said, unbelieving, and with tears welling up in his eyes. 

"Was it cheating if I never loved you? Or never considered myself married to you? Look. Evan is the man I want, not you. He’s the man I’ve always wanted. I don’t even like you as a human being much more as a lover or a husband. I thought you'd have figured that out by now. I never wanted you, I was forced to marry you by my grandfather and you were more than happy to accept his offer. Well he’s gone now so I don’t have to do what he wants anymore. I don’t have to shackle myself with you anymore when I can’t even stand your presence. Just seeing your stupid face irritates me to no end and having your hands on me makes my skin crawl. It’s a miracle that I’ve survived sharing a room with you for so long."

He was stunned at the harsh words leaving her mouth.

"Hailey..."

"No, don't Hailey me," Hailey cut in, "This is where it ends. This is where this sorry arrangement of a marriage made by you and Papa ends. I don't love you, I've never loved you, and I never will. I was only trying to please my old grandfather just because you saved his life and because I wanted my inheritance."

"Hailey..."

He tried again.

"No," she raised up her palm to shut him up, "I want a divorce. You can't live here anymore. I can't stand you and your sorry sight anymore. I can't keep lying to myself about wanting you around me anymore. So, tomorrow, you'll be signing the papers and leaving this house. And no, I don't care where you go."

Dennis stood by the door, crying. The tears had come and he could not hold them back. It was true that she did not love him, but he had always hoped that somehow, she would come around to finally seeing him, that she at least cared deeply for him but it had all just been a pretence. It hurt him because over time, he had fallen in love with her. It was true that she was given to him as a reward for his kindness to her grandfather, and that their marriage was not based solely on love, but he had hoped that soon enough, love would be a part of why they were still married.

They had been married for more than three years now, and just two months ago, Papa died. Her grandfather, Sir Bellwether, who they called Papa, was the sole authority in the household, and whatever he said was final. But the man was gone now and the family was free to express their hatred of his rules. Even though he was expecting a little bad treatment from Hailey and the others in the house, this came as a shock to him.

As he cried, he recalled having saved Papa from being crushed by a car on the road. To pay Dennis' kindness back, Papa invited him over to his home for lunch, and that was where Papa introduced him to Hailey. It was only a matter of time after that, that Dennis was on the altar with Hailey as his bride. The marriage was a miracle to him, as he had no memory of a home to go back to, he didn't even remember who he was, but Bryan Bellwether welcomed him into their family with open arms.

Being a stay at home husband as Papa had asked him to be as a reward and a precaution was a very welcome offer that he did not hesitate to accept. The old man had been afraid Dennis may miss the way to work one day and forget the way back because of his amnesia, which was why he refused to allow Dennis work. However, it came with a price – the hostility of everyone in the family except Papa and his wife. But after Papa’s wife died of a sudden heart attack last year, the man’s health began to deteriorate. He had loved his wife so much that living without her seemed too much for the old man to bear and he died just months after her.

And not only was Papa dead, now Hailey wanted a divorce. It all came crashing on his head. Where would he go? He didn't even have any savings enough to keep him going. He always gave his monthly allowance from Papa to Hailey. He did this out of love as a way of providing something for her in his own little way even if Papa was actually the breadwinner of the household. And since the man died, Dennis hadn’t even received any allowance from them but he didn’t complain. But now he had no penny to his name so where would he even start from now? 

Hailey was still on the bed. She stood up and went to search in a drawer for a file and offered it to him in the offhand manner that she had been speaking in. 

"That's the divorce paper. Better sign it." She said to him and his eyes widened in surprise.

She already had the divorce papers ready? That just means she had been planning this for a while behind his back.

"I’m starving. I hope you didn't cook that stupid curry sauce you sometimes make." She said as she walked past him to go find food.

Dennis was stunned and speechless. How had his life just turned upside down in less than ten minutes?