Love Like You Never Loved Before

I was heartbroken by every word that they said. Deep down, I felt that I was under a curse to have to go through the excruciating pain every day.

If Christopher didn’t comfort me, I would have gone insane and perhaps ended my life.

“Why didn’t you take care of yourself? Yvonne, I’m disgusted by your attitude. You always behaved meekly as though the whole world is bullying you,” Lyle began to criticize.

Isn’t it the truth? Everyone around me bullied me, and none was sincere to me.

“Don’t touch water for the next few days. If you need anything, ask the housekeeper to do it for you. Stay in the old mansion for a few days before going back,” he chastised me while seemingly distracted by some thoughts.

“Say something. Why do you keep silent all the time? Do you know that I’ll be irritated…” Lyle suddenly stopped and gazed at me bewilderedly. A moment later, he reached out to my face and said, “Are you crying!”

Why am I crying? I promised myself that I wouldn’t cry for Lyle ever again.

Avoiding his hand, I touched my face and realized that tears were all over my face. I was downcast, for someone I cared for hurt me deeply. I couldn’t help but wonder if Sharon’s affection towards me was sincere.

At that point, I didn’t know what was real anymore.

I covered my face and sobbed silently. As much as I tried, I couldn’t stop my tears from rolling down. I had not one, but many times, persuaded myself not to cry; nonetheless, all attempts were to no avail. Whenever I thought I had sunken into deep despair, there was more devastating news awaiting me.

I wondered if God had tormented me because I had committed some unforgivable crimes in the past.

“Lyle, have you brought along the divorce agreement? If you have it, I can sign it now. I’ll agree to all of your requests. You can accuse me of being a mistress or a slut, and I’ll admit to it willingly.”

I had fallen into a trap and was severely tormented by it. Although getting a divorce meant that I would lose everything, I was prepared to accept it wholeheartedly. At the very least, I could live a better life going forward. Even if it were short-lived, it would still be worth it.

“What did you say?” Lyle looked at me in disbelief. Perhaps, it never came to his mind that I would willingly agree to the harsh conditions.

“I said that I don’t want anything and will admit to all accusations as long as we get a divorce. Let’s do it now. Even if you accuse me of having an affair with every man in Avenport, I won’t mind,” I yelled. The sound of glass shattering in the living room came.

“But… everyone will look down upon you,” Unexpectedly, Lyle hesitated.

I smiled bitterly and took out a newspaper clipping from my bag to show it to him. “Would it make any difference? I mean, I’ve already become a homewrecker anyway.”

“Yvonne…” As Lyle gazed at me, I couldn’t tell and wasn’t interested to know what was on his mind. He beat me and intended to rape me when he forced me to get a divorce. Yet, when I agreed to it, he became hesitant.

“Eve, Lyle, come here,” Sharon called us from the living room. At that moment, I was reluctant to see her. Recalling their conversation, I could only feel anger.

The mysterious shares that I wasn’t aware of until recently destroyed my career and my life.

Many dishes were on the dining table as it was already dinner time. When Sharon asked us to come over, I thought about walking off without saying goodbye. However, my heart softened once I saw her begging gaze.