She was finally pregnant and couldn't wait to break the news to him. Maybe their marriage would take a positive turn at this point. She already imagined him kissing and hugging her at the news.
She completed her painting and tucked it safely away at one end of the room.
"Serve dinner," she instructed the maids. They nodded and went out to carry the tasks. They looked at her with traces of pity in their eyes.
Amy always tried to be a perfect wife for her husband. She prepared food for him everyday but it ended up being eaten by the maids, dogs or thrown away. He never spared a glance at the dinning table, not even for a second.
7pm but her husband wasn't home yet.
"He'll be back soon. Maybe he was caught up in traffic," she assumed, trying hard not to be negative.
8pm, there was still no sign of him. She decided to call him. She picked her phone with trembling fingers and dialed his number.
The phone rang and he didn't answer. He had only answered her call once throughout their three years of marriage and that was because his grandmother was around.
She called again and it was still the same old story. No answer. She tried her best to stay calm and prevent the tears from falling.
She glanced at the dinning. Dinner was served but he wasn't at home yet. She wore a nice dress specially for him but he didn't show up at home. She decided to try once more. She waited anxiously as it rang.
After two rings, the call connected.
"He..hello, Anderson good evening," she stammered.
"What is it?" a cold voice which contrasted sharply with her quiet voice was heard over the phone.
"I..I was expecting you for dinner. It's 8pm and you..."
"So what? I will return when I'm done. I have dinner with a business partner."
"Andy, do you want anything else?" a lady's voice was heard over the phone.
Andy? That sounded very intimate. Wait. Was her husband with another woman?
No!There was no way that would happen.
"Anderson would never cheat on me. Maybe it's the waiter or a business partner."
Damn! Why will a client address him as Andy?
The thought of the man she adored and loved dearly in the arms of another woman shook her badly and the tears fell in torrents. She cried until she was too weak to continue. She just lay on the couch, distressed and heart broken.
The rays of the morning sunlight struck her face from the curtains as the maid pulled it open. She opened her eyes and realised she had slept on the couch last night while waiting for her husband.
By reflex, she turned and glanced at the dinning. Sure enough, the dinner lay there, untouched.
"Did Anderson return home last night?" she asked the maid with doubt.
"No ma, he didn't."
Her heart went cold and stopped beating for a second. She wanted to cry again. Anderson was...
She felt her stomach rumble and this took her away from her thoughts. She didn't have dinner last night as she was waiting for him.
"This isn't good for the baby," she thought as she went inside.
She had just finished breakfast when she heard his car drive in. Her heart was suddenly filled with excitement as she waited eagerly for him. Her heart did a mad palpitation as she heard his footsteps and anticipated his entrance.
With a smile plastered on her face, she walked towards him.
"Good morning sweetheart."
She opened her arms to hug him but he halted her. He flung an envelope at her.
Amy stopped and looked at him in shock. She perceived a female fragrance from him and swallowed hard. Was he really cheating on her?
She picked the envelope and opened it.
"Divorce papers? Anderson? Why? We can sort it out..."
He couldn't divorce her now that she has gotten pregnant. She loved him and would do anything to keep him.
"Sort what out? Are you that dumb that you can't see that I have no interest in you?"
His words hurt and pierced her heart like sharp arrows.
"I don't love you and I will never love you. Sign those papers and release me from this mistake."
He just told her to her face that their marriage was a mistake. She thought of the baby in her womb. She didn't want him growing up in a broken home with a single parent. She didn't want him to feel neglected just as she was while growing up.
Anderson might reconsider his stand if she tells him about her baby.
"Anderson, don't do this. We can talk about it. I have something to tell you. Don't do this for me, do it for..."
"Save it. Just say the damn papers. I won't say it again."
"I won't sign it. I will not divorce my husband," she yelled.
Hot tears streamed down her face. She thought of everything she had given up, everything she had done and gone through just to be with him. And he wanted to end it all just like that. To him, she was a piece of filth.
A familiar perfume wafted into her noistrils and she turned in the direction it came. A beautiful pair of legs walked gracefully into the house. She looked stunning as she chewed her gum and walked towards Anderson.
"Andy baby, what's taking you so long?"