James looked at her and sneered. "How will you survive without me?" he taunted mockingly.
Zelda felt the weight of his words. She knew what he meant, she belonged to the Ferguson family. They had saved her life, taken her to school, fed her, and clothed her. And then she became his wife, continuing to use the Ferguson name and power. How was she going to survive without him in her life?
Great question.
But beneath her doubts, Zelda was determined. She had a secret of her own. What James didn't know was that all the credit cards he had given her were untouched. She had never used a single cent.
Ever since she was old enough to start working, she had ensured that she bought whatever she could on her own without depending on the Fergusons. She took any side jobs she could because she felt guilty to depend on the Ferguson's so much. She felt like a burden to them and hence she tried to become independent on her own.
Since they had married, she had been taking care of her sick brother with the money she earned from various side projects, never touching a cent from his bank account or the Ferguson family's resources.
"I'll survive, James," she declared, her voice stronger than she felt. "I won't ask for anything from the divorce. I'm leaving you everything."
He laughed, mocking her.
"You think you can just walk away? What about your sexual satisfaction? Who is going to touch you the way I do? Who's going to take care of that itch when it needs a scratch?" His words cut through her and she felt humiliated.
It became painfully clear that he had only used her for his own desires, without a shred of real affection towards her.
That realization hurt and made her decision clearer; she was serious about the divorce, and leaving him felt more important than ever.
James then with a winning smirk made a move to touch her. Zelda moved away from him and when he caught her, she slapped him. But before her hand could connect with his face, he caught her and pulled her toward him, taking the breath out of her.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. It turned out to be Susan. She knocked only once and entered without waiting to be invited inside. When she found Zelda struggling against James, who had yet to let Zelda's hand go, her expression turned into fake concern.
She had found the two in an intimate position and they let go of each other abruptly. Susan quickly plastered on a worried look, trying to placate Zelda, though Zelda could see through her act.
" Sister, are you okay? Is everything alright? I hope James hasn't upset you. You know how he is, he can be quite.."
"Don't fake the gentleman's kindness toward me," Zelda snapped, her patience wearing thin. "I'm tired of fighting for James's attention. I'm letting him go. You can have him."
With those words, Zelda turned and walked away from James's office, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders as she exited the room.
'you can have each other' she said as she left.
****
When she got home, she gathered her things. Her marital home. She took all the essentials she needed, leaving behind the remainder of a life she no longer wanted. She had cut all ties with James and was determined to move forward without his shadow over her anymore.
As she stepped out of the house for the last time she couldn't believe that she was really leaving. After all those years, five years to be exact, and now she was leaving, never to return. The moment felt bittersweet. When James married her, she never thought this day would come. She never thought she would ever be the one to leave, but she was.
She called her best friend to see if Jian could pick her up from the house. She was leaving all the luxuries behind and that included the car she drove that James had bought for her.
She didn't have a place to go right now and she planned to stay with Jian for a few days until she figured out her next move.
When Jian arrived, she helped her with her bags in the trunk of the car. While they were in the car, Zelda's phone rang. It was Susan's manager, reaching out about a new song Susan was producing, in which she wanted Zelda to be involved.
"Why aren't you picking up your phone?" Jian asked.
"It's Susan's manager. She wants to feature me in her new music video." Zelda answered.
Zelda and Jian exchanged incredulous looks, wondering how Susan could take Zelda's husband and then ask her to work on her music video.
"Susan is truly shameless. The nerve of her!" Jian exclaimed angrily.
" Forget about her. I don't ever want to think about her or James, ever again. Let's go."
*******
Back at the office, James Ferguson sat by the window, lost in thought. He was busy thinking about the chaos in his life when Susan tried to get his attention.
" James, I really like what you did with the office, it suits you and your power." she said with a smile, beaming at him.
However, James remained unresponsive, lost in his own head. Frustrated, Susan placed her hand on her stomach,
"Oh!" she yelped.
This got James's attention as he got close to her with a concerned look on his face.
"what is it are you okay?"
" it's nothing. I get these aches that feel like gas passing and they hurt at times." Susan answered with a fake pained smile.
" What did the doctors say?" He asked, finally giving her his undivided attention.
"I have to take things slow and take better care of myself. I need your support right now. Stress isn't good for the baby." She added giving him googly eyes.
Just as James's mood began to soften at the news, there was a knock on the door.
" sorry to bother you Mr Ferguson, but I couldn't find Zelda and you're running late for a meeting." the office manager told him.
"got it." He answered and the man left.
" Sorry, I can't spend more time with you. You should have called before coming." James told Susan with a hint of disapproval.
"It's not a problem. I will finish having my juice and wait for you. It's not a problem." Susan answered with a smile.
James watched his phone and saw that he was late. He sighed as he left promising to be back very quickly.
James left Susan alone in the office. As she looked around, her curiosity piqued. Soon, she began to snoop through James's belongings, discovering the divorce papers and resignation letter that Zelda had given James on James's desk. A sly smile crept onto her face.
