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2024-10-29 19:42:56CHAPTER ONE
"I guess I'll see you later bro…" Anthony waved at Atlas as he exited the building of the factory he worked in.
"Yeah, later man." Atlas waved back at his colleague and friend without looking at him. After the day's work he was too exhausted to move anywhere but straight ahead.
Atlas lets out a sigh of relief as soon as the outside breeze enveloped him, glad that he was finally away from all that toxic chemical in the factory.
The only good thing about work these days was when Atlas got to go back home to his wife and sleep. Usually he would be on his way to his second job where he worked as a waste carrier by now but it was his day off and as much as he had pleaded with his boss to let him take up extra shifts today, he had vehemently refused, saying that he was taking too much space here and that he wasn't the only one that needed money.
It would have been funny if it wasn't completely true. Atlas was in fact always there, picking up extra shifts every chance he got. It wasn't exactly because he loved his job so much, after all, his job was to pack and dump waste, it was because he needed the money even though the pay was piss poor. He'd even gotten himself a nickname, Shift sniffer, because of how eager he was to take up extra shifts.
He was doing all of this work for one reason and it was Jessica, his wife.
Atlas walked along the sidewalk, his hands in the pocket of his worn out jeans and his eyes trained straight ahead. He couldn't wait to get home and crash. He had not gotten much sleep throughout the week. Hell, he had not gotten much sleep in years and it had begun to take a toll on his body albeit slowly.
As he continued down the busy sidewalk of Preston, his thoughts focused on getting home and falling into the arms of his wife, his phone buzzed loudly in his pocket.
Without hesitation, Atlas plucked out the buzzing phone from his pocket to check who was calling only to find out that it was simply his alarm. He'd apparently set a reminder for something he couldn't remember.
Confused as to what he had set a reminder for, he typed out his pin, opening his phone.
Atlas stopped abruptly in his tracks as soon as he saw the words ANNIVERSARY! Written in bold letters onr his screen.
"Oh shit!" He cursed, his eyes widening in shock and distress still staring at his screen.
"Don't just stop in the middle of the road like that, you don't own it, you know." an annoyed voice snapped as the owner ambled past him.
"Move out of the way!" Another voice said, ambling past tge still shocked Atlas.
"Sorry." Atlas said absent-mindedly without so much as glancing up at the stranger who had almost bumped into him. He was more concerned about the crisis in his hands.
Shit! Shit! He cursed again as he stepped to the side of the walkway. He'd forgotten about his wedding anniversary!
He ran his hands through his brown moppy hair, as he began to race frantically.
Jessica, his wife, was going to kill him.
No wonder she hasn't texted all day. She had expected him to do the texting and the way she'd spoken to him on his way to work had been off and had sounded rad bitter. He hadn't wished her a happy anniversary.
A feeling of panic came over him and without thinking he began to type out an apology to his wife, hoping to mend the situation before it got out of hand.
Abruptly, he stopped typing as an idea popped up in his head.
He could apologize now and make his wife think he'd actually forgotten about their anniversary and never hear the end of it or surprise her with flowers and chocolate and maybe wine.
It would definitely beat apologizing and admitting he completely forgot about their precious day.
But even as the idea came, the realization that he didn't even have enough money to get these things for her caused his shoulders to slump like a fish that had just been taken out of water.
He could only afford to get her a single rose or at best the cheapest bouquet there was which would still look piss poor.
Atlas ran his hands through hair again, almost pulling the strands out as an overwhelming need to yell out in frustration hit him. How could he have forgotten about a precious day like today and how come his alarm clock had not buzzed earlier?!
He hated that he couldn't afford basic things such as chocolate for his wife.
No! He couldn't go home empty handed, not after forgetting to text her all day. He knew she would completely understand but he was beginning to tire of putting her in a position to always understand. He hated that for her.
Atlas and Jessica have been together since highschool. She was the popular homecoming queen that every guy wanted to be with and he was the nerdy, poor, quiet kid that was constantly bullied for being poor.
How they had gotten together when they were worlds apart still surprised him till this day.
It had been an unsual meeting but there was no denying that day had been the best day of his life.
It had been on a rainy day when they had first interacted. He had just been beaten up by the quarterback of the football team because he had forgotten to do his assignment.
In his defense, he had fallen asleep after a long shift at the factory and had forgotten to finish his work.
He had been walking under the rain with a bloody nose and shirt back home when he noticed Jessica parked just outside his house with the hood of a car open and a disgruntled look on her face.
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Confused, Atlas had walked up to her and she had glanced up at him, a distressed look on her face."Everything okay?" He had asked her against his better judgment. He knew well enough to never speak to the popular crowd except spoken to by then but he couldn't just ignore her."No, my car… it won't start." She had pointed at thel herb car.Her soft but clear voice had done something to him that day but he had refused to acknowledge it at that time. "I have tried reaching my dad but he's not picking up and the stupid thing won't start no matter how much I try." She had whined, almost at the verge of tears."Oh, I can take a look at it for you." Ii had shrugged.She had looked at him with so much appreciation in her eyes that he had been ready to do anything for her in that moment. The truth was that he had always had a little crush on her. Hell, every red blooded male and even female in and outside school had had a crush on her. She was the definition of soft and feminine beauty mix
Revenge of the betrayed husband CHAPTER 3
Atlas stared at the document, unable to believe what he was reading. This couldn't be real! He thought. There was no way this was real. He re-read the document again, his hands shaking in the process and he hadn't been mistaken. These were divorce papers and Jessica had filed for it."You are home early."Jessica's voice took him by surprise.He glanced up to find her staring at him, a resigned look on her face.She was holding a laundry basket in one hand with only a few clothes in it."What is the meaning this?" Atlas asked, his voice strained as he put up the divorce papers for her to see.Jessica let out a sigh and dropped the basket of clothes close to the entrance of the kitchen."They are divorce papers, Atlas, isn't it obvious from what you read.""I don't understand…" Atlas confessed."Is this some kind of a joke? One of your silly pranks?" He said as he took a step closer to her.Jessica was known for playing random pranks on him but they were usually funny, this however
Revenge of the betrayed husband CHAPTER 4
Why was Jessica breaking Jim like this? Why on earth was this happening? How on earth had he let it happen? These were the thoughts that plagued his mind as he tried to make sense of the situation.The more he looked into Jessica's eyes, the more he realized just how far gone she was. The spark that used to be in her eyes whenever she was with him was no longer there and it was all because of that stupid man. He felt humiliated in his own home. Jessica had brought in another man into their home and possibly bed.He hated to admit it but it was what it looked like. The strange man had not only been half naked but he'd also been staring at her as if he wanted to devour her right there and there but was restraining himself.He wanted to kill him,wanted to beat the man to a bloody pulp for daring to touch his wife in his presence. "Is that why you've been so distant lately? Why you barely want to cuddle or be around me?" He asked. He was aware of how pathetic he sounded but he didn't
Revenge of the betrayed husband CHAPTER 5
Atlas paced the hallway of the hospital waiting for news of his mother's condition, his heart beating faster than a gym rat on a treadmill.He'd been here for almost an hour now and had still not gotten a response from the doctor and it worried him.The smell of disinfectant and other chemicals used to clean the hospital wasn't helping with his anxiety either.If the doctor did not come out from the emergency room to give him some news, he was fucking sure he'd collapse from a panic attack.The last thing Atlas had expected to see when he had arrived at his mom's hours ago was his mother lying face down on the kitchen floor with a bloody nose. After the shitty day he'd had, he'd wanted only to sleep but of course the universe was conspiring against him as always.Two nurses rolled a patient past Atlas that appeared to have a knife embedded in his arm and Atlas quickly stopped them, his intentions to ask about his mother's condition. He recognized them as the paramedics that had
Revenge of the betrayed husband CHAPTER 6
Getting fired barely hours after his wife had left him by a man that wanted his wife had to be the most ironic circumstances Atlas had ever been a part of. The tears he had been holding back for so long came crawling out of his eyes of their own volition.His life had gone from not so good to terribly unfortunate in a matter of hours.First, his wife had decided to leave him and then his mother and now he'd lost his job.Without thinking, Atlas picked himself up from the ground where he'd been dumped and began to walk down the road with tears streaming down his face.How on earth was he going to cough up ten grand from? He had nobody to call, not Jessica, not his boss. His father had died before he was even born or at least that was what his mother told him.He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't bear to see his mother die. He just couldn't. He'd been through too much…The universe had to be playing a prank on him, a very sadistic one and he didn't think he could take anymore
Revenge of the betrayed husband CHAPTER 7
Atlas got into her car, fastened his seatbelt and sat in silence, tired from all he’d been through today. He still didn't believe that the woman was going to send him twenty thousand dollars but it didn't matter either way. If she was some kind of kidnapper or con artist, she would be very sorry once she realized he didn't have a single dollar to his name.The strange lady parked her car properly then turned to face Atlas squarely.“So, tell me your account details” she said looking at a slightly annoyed Atlas“look if this is a joke, just end it right here and tell me what you really want, I’ve had quite the day already.” He let out tiredly“Account details?” she repeated not acknowledging everything he’d just said."Fine," Atlas gritted out and called out his details. He watched as the lady pressed a few buttons on her phone, a look of skepticism in his eyes.Few seconds later, his phone buzzed, he took a look at the message he'd just received and he froze.Staring at him was a mes
Revenge of the betrayed husband CHAPTER 8
Atlas got dropped off at the hospital by a taxi. He ran into the building like a mad man, he got to his mum’s ward and she wasn’t there, he grabbed a hold of one of the nurses passing by.“Where's my mum? Is she ok? please where is she?” Atlas rushed out his words as worry took off his whole being. He was doing his best to stay calm but the more he tried, the more he fidgeted with worry.“she was rushed into the surgical room a few minutes ago” “Where is the room?” he asked, panic still evident in his voice“just down that hall but…”Atlas rushed towards the direction she’d pointed at without waiting for her to finish her sentence. When he got there he was stopped by some nurses.“sorry sir, you can’t be inside the surgical room while surgery is going on”One of the nurses recognized him and spoke,“Oh Mr Atlas, it’s you”Atlas looked at the blonde haired male nurse that stood infront of him, he recognized him, he’d often come to take his mum’s vitals.“Don’t worry, she’s under the b
Revenge of the betrayed husband CHAPTER 9
He made his way back to his place to take a shower, he made a quick sandwich and got out a fresh pair of clothes to wear. He took a look at his sorry excuse for an apartment with hope knowing in a few minutes he could afford a better one, he stepped out and made his way to Esmeralda’s place.He reached her place in about 30 minutes, she opened the door for him and once again he was greeted by her huge corridors. He loved her art collection, medieval but so beautiful. He followed her to the living room and sighted a man in a suit and briefcase who stood up to greet him.“Good afternoon sir, pleasure to meet you, I’m barrister Lawrence” he took Atlas hand not waiting for him to offer it and shook him, atlas noticed how excited he was“it’s nice to meet you too” “he’s the Lawyer in charge of the Will” Esmeralda chipped in offering some clarity for Atlas.Atlas nodded. Everything still felt like a dream to him, like he'd died and gone to heaven. How a miracle like this could come his wa
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Curious, she asked, "What is this?""Let's write down our thoughts and ideas while we're inspired for the project," he suggested.As Bella opened the notebook, she felt a warmth inside. The blank pages before her seemed to be an invitation for her to express all of her dreams and aspirations that were just waiting to come alive within those lines. She couldn't help but exclaim with excitement, "This is exactly what I needed! Let's do it!"Seated side by side, their heads were lowered as they dedicatedly scrawled in the notebook. Their minds intertwined seamlessly while conjuring up concepts for "A Canvas of Dreams." This rendezvous was a fusion of intellect and emotion with every notion forming an indispensable component towards accomplishing their joint aspiration.Bella's eyes sparkled with inspiration as she proposed, "Why don't we add a section on the blog that elaborates on the stories behind every photo?"With a pensive look on his face, Rafael agreed by nodding and remarked tha
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Chapter 49
As the sun began to set, they stayed near the riverbank conversing and imagining amidst a golden world. This day appeared everlasting with each instant turning into a valuable recollection in formation- one of those flawless days.In due course, they packed their belongings and made their way towards the car while the sky wore a coat of vivid dusk hues. As they embarked on their journey homeward bound, Bella experienced profound contentment realizing that they were moving in the right direction.In their snug living room, they spent the evening looking through the photographs they had captured earlier. These images served as a pictorial record of their day and offered an account of love and harmony therein.As Bella scrolled through the pictures, she exclaimed, "Wow! These are incredible. This is definitely something unique and extraordinary."With a thoughtful expression, Rafael nodded and expressed, "I can sense it too. It's more than simply capturing images; we're seizing moments."
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Chapter 48
With a pensive look on his face, Rafael directed his attention to Bella. "It's been my belief for as long as I can remember that our dreams are held within the stars.""Let's make a wish," she said with a smile as she turned her gaze back up to the sky.With their eyes closed in unison, they hoped for a future brimming with love, excitement and boundless imagination."Let's make it a tradition, Bella. To dedicate time to gaze at the stars and dream alongside each other," Rafael spoke with earnestness after some time had passed."Count me in," she said with a heart brimming over. "It's just the right thing to keep my focus on what really counts."For hours, they remained in a tight embrace under the watching stars as their aspirations and desires were witnessed. This was one of those unique instances where time seemingly paused, leaving nothing but themselves and the vast cosmos.They eventually decided to call it a night when the cool breeze crept in, filling them with optimism for fr
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With hope in her voice," she whispered, "I am enthused for our future."Rafael's lips curled upward as he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Bella, I'm thrilled to embark on this journey with you. No matter what lies ahead, it will undoubtedly be magnificent."They snuggled up in each other's embrace, taking comfort in the warmth and readiness to take on their future together. With every passing moment they fell deeper into sleep, just as Bella couldn't help but feel how perfectly aligned their hearts were - almost like a sign that love was leading them towards endless possibilities of adventure.As the first rays of dawn filtered through the curtains, Bella stirred from her slumber. She yawned and lazily stretched out her arms only to realize that Rafael's side of bed was unoccupied. Intrigued, she slipped out of bed and traced the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting towards the kitchen.Lost in thought, Rafael leaned against the counter with a mug clutched in his hand as he
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A golden beam penetrated the curtains as dawn broke. Bella roused from her slumber, blinking lazily at its shine. Rafael was already alert, resting on one elbow and gazing lovingly at her with a gentle grin.He greeted her by saying, "Hello, beautiful," and gently removing a wayward strand of hair from her face.A warm feeling spread through Bella's chest as she smiled. "Good morning! How long have you been awake?""I couldn't resist watching you sleep," he replied, not too long ago."Such a sap," she said laughing, while giving him a playful nudge.Rafael leaned down and gave her a soft kiss, remarking "This is exclusively for you."Bella felt a sense of belonging as the tender and lingering kiss filled her. She pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. "What do we have planned for today?"Grinning with excitement, Rafael's eyes sparkled as he suggested starting on the project they had discussed the previous night.Bella's excitement caused her eyes to widen. "Oh, truly?