The Insurmountable Rise Of Ethan Watson

CHAPTER 6

"Divorce papers?” Ethan echoed with bulging eyes while frantically trying to grab the papers that were flying around to confirm if they were divorce papers.

“Yes, divorce papers with your signatures on them," Melissa yelled with hatred evident in her tone.

"That can't be possible. I never got divorce papers prepared, not to talk of signing them, so how are my signatures on this?" Ethan tried to defend himself while raising his eyebrows in confusion.

"Don't play dumb with me. You're only upset because I'm not in my room crying into a pillow like a 14-year-old." Melissa paused and started laughing maniacally.

"You thought you could live without my family's money and now that you've been proven wrong, you want back in and you think I'll jump right into your arms?'' Melissa tutted in disbelief.

“Babe, this is a misunderstanding. I didn't sign these divorce papers. Someone must've forged my signatures on them. You've got to believe me." Ethan said, trying to hold Melissa's hands to make her look into his eyes and see that he was telling the truth but she yanked her hand away.

Irritated by Ethan feigning ignorance and trying to play the victim card, she brought her phone out of her purse and showed Ethan, "What about this breakup text you sent the same morning you left the divorce papers on the nightstand? I'm guessing someone stole your phone and sent the text right? Pathetic liar." Melissa sneered.

Ethan grabbed the phone from Melissa and read the text that was sent from his number, he fell to his knees in disbelief shaking his head, he muttered to himself, "No way! There's no way I typed this. But it's my number."  

He facepalmed himself as he pondered on how this was possible. In a bid to make sense of it all, he mentally retraced his steps to the day of the accident. He checked the breakup message again and saw the date it was sent and the time stamp.

He noticed that the text was sent around 7:10 am on the day he had the accident, but he left the house before 7 am that day after handing over his phone to Eric, his father-in-law. 

He also remembered that Eric had given him some documents to sign that morning which he believed were contract papers but now that he thinks of it, Eric must've deceived him into signing the divorce papers under the guise of contract papers. 

Everything dawned on him and he stood up from where he knelt with the realization that Eric must've planned the accident, to get him out of the picture.

Enraged by this, he stood up and pointed to Eric, and yelled out, “It was him! He planned this whole thing, he did all these just to get rid of me” 

He turned to Melissa and tried to convince her, “Melissa, believe me, you know he has had it out for me from the first day I came into this house”

“Don't you get tired of lying? This act you're putting up is draining, especially after I've shown you the divorce papers you signed and the text you sent. You want me to believe that it wasn't you but my dad who planned this whole thing?” She replied with a disappointed look.

“Yes, I do and you know…”Ethan tried to explain

Melissa cut in saying, “You don't feel any iota of shame, running in here and making a scene just for everyone to see the foolishness you've always had. To think I even put up with you for five years and in one week Jason has shown me that he's more of a man than you'll ever be.

Melissa's words cut through Ethan deeper than a 9-inch blade could and he caught a glimpse of Eric smiling proudly.

"You think so little of me. Did you try calling or texting me to know what was wrong? Did you even try looking for me? I have been in the hospital for a week fighting for my life. I was gone for just a week and here you are in the arms of another man getting engaged. Did our love mean so little to you?" Ethan lamented bitterly.

"Love? Hahaha. How delirious. I only just realized that it wasn't love I felt for you all these years but mere pity."

"Pity?" Ethan's world seemed to be closing in on him.

"Yes, pity. It was my late grandpa that convinced me to get married to your sorry self. The only reason I accepted to be with you back in college was to spite my cousin, Sarah." Melissa spat.

"Sarah? But what does Sarah have to do with all of this?" Ethan was still reeling from shock at all the spiteful words Melissa was hurling at him.

"You didn't know, did you?" Melissa laughed before she continued, "Sarah had an undying crush on you back in college but she couldn't express her feelings and I found out about it. In a bid to spite her as you know we don't get along very well, I accepted to be with you, and that's one decision I regretted making as I realized that you were smitten by me and I had to play along so as not to break your heart. You turned against me and decided to leave me instead. I felt belittled and betrayed by a common pauper like you, but not anymore."

"What are you saying? All these years and our time together have been nothing but a game to you. It can't be, Mel. You promised me forever Mel. Forever." Ethan tried to hold on to the last thread of hope he had left.

"Yes, it was all a game. I realized that I was suffocated in my marriage to you and now that you've freed me, good riddance to bad rubbish. I think I need to toast to that." Melissa said as a smile crept onto her face as she picked up her glass cup.

"To freedom, everyone" Melissa cheered.

"To freedom." Everyone replied before clinking their glass cups together and Melissa smirked at Ethan.

Ethan was dumbfounded by Melissa's behavior but he made a last attempt to clear things up with her, "Can we just talk for a minute in private, Mel?"

“You still don't get it, Ethan, you have lost me and you have to deal with it. Now take your sorry self and get out of my house right this moment. Security! Throw him out. He has been a nuisance for long enough. I'm getting tired.” Melissa cut in before walking away from Ethan into Jason's arms.

3 men came to lift Ethan from where he was and throw him out, but this time, Ethan didn't struggle or put up a fight. He felt defeated, heartbroken, and helpless. He had been living a lie all these years and he didn't realize. He dedicated so much to his relationship and this is what he got, just because they believed he was a pauper and undeserving of their love?

Ethan came out of his trance when his body hit the ground outside the Graham's mansion gates and Tony rushed towards Ethan to pick him up. He caught a glimpse of Sarah trying to leave the front door to check on how he was, but she was stopped by Eric Graham.

Tony, out of worry and concern, asked, "How dare they treat you like an animal?"

Ethan went from feeling heartbroken to feeling betrayed and then he clenched his fists and all he could see was red. He turned to face the Graham's mansion gates and spoke menacingly, "I am going to make every last one of them pay."