Beyond the Divorce

A Pleasant Surprise Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Ava seemed to cling to me more after the fall. She remained glued to me, and I could not move without her, which drove me crazy at times. Meanwhile, Matthew didn’t give me space to figure things out.

His work hours were punctual, and I had no room to pinpoint issues with him. Everything he brought back yielded no clues. I even began to question if I was hallucinating at times.

After finally putting Ava to sleep at noon, I realized we were out of fresh vegetables and fruits at home. Since Ava was fast asleep, I knew I had to rush to the market before she woke up.

The market was nearby, and I was too lazy to change my clothes, so I hurried out the door and aimed to return as quickly as possible. However, I was dumbfounded when I returned from buying groceries because I didn’t have my keys.

I pondered for a while and smacked my forehead in frustration because I must’ve forgotten to bring them when I left. I decided to call Matthew, and he answered in a hushed tone. Afterward, I explained the situation, and he responded, “I’m in a meeting and can’t leave. Get Mel to bring them to you.”

Another meeting? That excuse was consistent over the years. Since I had no choice, I called Melanie. She also had the spare keys, which would be perfect if I could get the ones she had borrowed.

The phone rang for quite some time before Melanie finally picked up. There was a lot of commotion in the background, and her voice came through, “Chloe, what’s up?”

“I forgot my keys at home. Can you bring yours to me?”

“I’m out right now and pretty busy. I can’t do it,” Melanie responded swiftly, and then she shouted to someone nearby, “Hey! Wait a moment!”

“Where are you? I can come and take them from you,” I sputtered, seeing a chance to retrieve my keys.

Before Melanie could reply, I heard someone talking to her on the other end, “Miss, can you come and see if the closet is—”

Then, the call ended abruptly.

Closet? What closet? I was puzzled and wondered what kind of closet she had to go and see. Melanie had always been pampered, and people always handed things to her. I couldn’t understand why she would need to inspect a closet.

I grumbled, “She must be up to no good again. She always lazes around and is only happy whenever she receives money.”

With the heavy bags of groceries in my hand, I couldn’t help but sigh as I leaned against the door helplessly. I feared Ava might wake up and get scared if she couldn’t find me. Ultimately, I decided to go to the company building.

So I set the groceries by the door and hurried to the office to get my keys. Since I would be there, I could also see if Mattew was telling the truth about being in a meeting.

When I entered the cab a while later, I rested my forehead in my hands and fell into deep thought. I wondered how I could go to the company in my home attire, but I had no other option.

After getting off the cab at Galar Tower, I looked at myself and laughed bitterly. I knew I had made a fool of myself and regretted not changing before leaving home. I felt embarrassed to walk into a place like this in my home clothes.

I called Matthew again after a momentary hesitation, hoping he could bring the keys downstairs and save me some dignity. However, he didn’t answer his phone, so I reluctantly entered the building.

Also, I had to be quick, or Ava would wake up, and I wouldn’t be home.

As expected, I received many curious glances once I entered the lobby. After all, these socialites always cared too much about appearances. I hurried to the front desk, hoping to get upstairs quickly, but quite a few people were registering for visitation.

I tried getting someone’s attention, but everyone ignored me. Ultimately, I patiently waited for the receptionist to finish with the other visitors before I said, “Hi, I need to go to the tenth floor, Tanum Corporation, to see Matthew Murphy.”

I got straight to the point this time, not waiting for any questions from the receptionist. However, the receptionist habitually asked, “Do you have an appointment?”

I felt the person behind the counter seemed familiar and realized she was the one who told me that Mr. Murphy and his wife had gone out that day. Just as I was about to speak, the receptionist’s face lit up with a brilliant smile.

She sweetly addressed someone behind me, “Mrs. Murphy, you’re here!”

Those words blew my mind, and I quickly turned to look at the person behind me.