“Sign these,” Ben handed Meera a brown envelope.
Eagerly opening it, Meera smiled as the guests in the living room cheered the couple on in excitement.It was their third year anniversary and they were holding a little gathering with family and friends in the couple’s matrimonial home.“Aww...” someone purred.“If my future husband is not like Ben, I’m not marrying him.”“I’m about to cry out of jealousy, wish my husband was as considerate and romantic as Ben. The love he has for Meera is immeasurable.”“Meera is so lucky. I’m sure she got a land or some share transfer this time.”The people’s words became distant as Meera’s smile slowly slipped away when she saw the bold letters on the front page:[ DIVORCE PAPERS ]“Anything you want for compensation, you’ll have it. I— ”“I– I don’t understand,” Meera cut him off while staring dumbly at the papers in her hands. It was supposed to be her third year anniversary gift… what is the meaning of this?The cheering guests held their tongues and inched closer to Meera, trying to see what was written on the papers to make Meera lose her smile, while Ben looked on like a drenched chick. But unfortunately, none of them could see beyond the white papers before Meera slammed them close.“I’m sorry, Meera… you can call me a jerk, yes I am. But I can’t continue to lie to us anymore.”Staring at her confused face that was slowly turning blank, Ben sighed and gently tugged at his tie to loosen the knot– he was choking. “I tried to make it work,” he added.“What is going on?” some of the guests whispered.Suddenly, a fifteen year old boy yanked the papers from Meera and read through them. The more he read, the redder his face became. His anger flared and as he was about to lash out, Meera suddenly laughed out loud.“Hahahahaha… You got me, damn! You win. I must admit, this is the best prank you ever pulled. Hahahaha– “Hearing the contagious and cute laughter, the guests joined in to have a good laugh even though they had no idea what was funny.Of course, Meera and Ben were known pranksters. They would prank each other with unimaginable things each time and that was what many of their fans loved about them.“This is not a prank, Meera, I’m serious.”Meera did a double check on him. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t smiling. His eyes were red and he seemed to be helpless.He was telling the truth.“What is this about?!” Meera asked quietly. She didn’t know what she was feeling at the moment. She felt he was going through something tough.To Meera, Ben was the most loving person any woman would wish to be with. He was kind, humble, romantic, funny, and well-mannered.The two of them were best friends before they got married, so they knew each other’s Dos and DON’Ts like siblings and made sure never to cross those lines.So, why was he divorcing her when she never did anything to upset him? A few hours ago, he delivered her this anniversary cake. They spoke on the phone like newly wedded couples, so why this now? What went wrong?“I’m sorry, Meera,” he uttered as tears pulled in his eyes.This was getting more serious than she thought. Meera closed the distance and hugged him. Her husband would never cry in front of others. For him to do this, he must have encountered something he couldn’t handle.Her heart broke when he didn’t hug her back. Swallowing the urge to cry, she consoled him, “Shhh… Don’t say anything. I’ll dismiss everyone and we’ll sit and talk this through.”Without waiting for him to speak, she glanced around, their friends and family were looking on with baffled faces. Camera was rolling. Although they were public figures with millions of understanding fans, It wouldn’t be good if her husband’s weakness goes public, so she waved at their crew: “Turn off the camera and everyone please, excuse us.”“No,” he suddenly pulled away from her and created a distance between them. He wiped his tears and pointed to the divorce papers, “please sign that and let’s call off this sham of a marriage.”Everyone gasped in alarm except for two other guys who glanced at each other and shrugged.This news came as a big shock to their crew who had turned off the camera. What would they tell their fans?Ben and Meera are big time celebrities who got famous by putting their lives out there for the world. From when they were high school students, the two created a channel where they did cute things as friends. They practically grew into the wonderful people they were in the eyes of the public, which was why, when they got married, it didn’t take them much effort to win the ‘perfect couple’ title for three years straight, which was why, hearing the abominable word felt like a weird imagination to them.Meanwhile, the fifteen years old David couldn’t hold back and yelled, “Brother-in-law, what the fuck is wrong with you?!”“Don’t talk to my husband like that!” Meera glared at her younger brother who was holding the divorce papers.“I– “ he wanted to protest, but seeing the dangerous look in his sister’s eyes, he apologized and lowered his head, “I’m sorry.”Others who wanted to get involved all shut their mouths and continued to watch the drama play out.Meera turned to her husband of three years and asked, “Do you want to embarrass us in front of everyone? Then go ahead, but I need to know what I’ve done to deserve a divorce.”“You did nothing wrong, it was my fault. I caused it, so I don’t blame you. Just sign those and– ““You better start talking, Ben!” Meera suddenly lost it. Her heart was about to explode from beating faster than usual. He was implying that she did something that warranted the divorce but from her memory, she couldn’t remember doing anything wrong.“I’m sorry– ““Don’t apologize!” she screamed. “Explain yourself, otherwise, I won’t sign those papers.”David gazed around, seeing everyone was still present and were waiting with eagerness to know what his sister had done, he barked at Ben, “I refuse for you to humiliate my sister in the presence of everyone. Send them all away, otherwise, I’ll tell your fans what you’ve done to my sister!”David knew how much Ben treasured his reputation so the threat would certainly work.As he thought, Ben sent everyone away, but the only person who refused to leave was Meera’s best friend, Maria.“Everyone is gone, don’t you think my friend deserves to know why she’s getting divorced?” she questioned.“What more do you want him to explain? He doesn’t want your friend anymore because… I’m back now!”Everyone turned to look at the entrance. Meera was familiar with that voice and as expected, it was none other than Vivian, Ben’s ex-fiance, the sensational B-list singer who chose her career over Ben three years ago. Never would she have guessed that Vivian was his reason for asking for a divorce. Didn’t he tell her all these years that he was over Vivian? So, what is the meaning of this?! “Ben? What is going on here?” Meera questioned. Her chest constricted. She was about to go insane! “I– ““Ben never loved you. It was me he loved. The three years of your ‘happy’ marriage was a plan we made to fool his grandfather. Now that his grandfather is dead and the company is Ben’s and his grandfather’s inheritance would be his from next week, there’s no reason to continue this facade anymore,” Vivian beat him to it. “Wow,” none of them could believe what they were hearing. Meera’s heart was in turmoil as she stared blankly at the duo in front of her. “Asshole!” David yelled and lurched
“Is she carrying your baby?” Meera let out the question that was bugging her mind. Although she didn’t want to believe that he cheated on her, her husband didn’t give her another option. Silence descended in the room as everyone directed their glares at Vivian’s flat tummy. “You’re not dumb after all,” Vivian puffed her chest and smirked. A sharp pain stabbed Meera in the heart. It was so painful that she wanted to die. “You evil woman!” David freed himself from his captive and swiftly pounced on Vivian. Vivian, who didn’t expect such an attack, took a hard kick to her stomach and fell back with a sharp cry, ending up falling on the tall cake. “Ahh!”“Vivian!”Ben rushed forward to rescue her but it was already too late. Her white dress was stained with different colors of cake. He scooped her in his arms and was about to rush her to the couch when David swung another vase at them. Unexpectedly, the vase, which was meant to hit Vivian, slammed on Ben’s head, causing him to fall
It was night when Ben returned home from the hospital with Vivian. Ben paused by the entrance and took a glance around the living room. The house which used to be a cozy home suddenly was shrouded in sadness. “Ben, why aren’t you entering?” Hearing Vivian’s soft voice, he flattened his lips and stepped in. “I’m hungry, get the servants to prepare me something.”Ben glanced at her, “We don’t have servants in the house.”Vivian gasped, “What do you mean? Then who used to prepare everything? You?”“Where do I have the time? All the work in the house was done by Meera.”“Then, get her to prepare something for me. I can’t cook and the doctor said I mustn’t starve.”“Right. Her brother hurt you, so she should take responsibility until you’re well,” he helped her to the couch before adding, “I’ll be right back.”Ben left for the stairs and soon enough, he arrived at their bedroom door. He stood there for a few moments, thinking of how to start a conversation before he turned the knob and
The next day...Meera was seen coiled up in her bed, refusing to eat or drink. Maria looked worried as she paced back and forth, trying all she could to get her friend out of that destructive mood. “Meera, David is worried about you and he wouldn’t eat since you refused to eat. You know he has an ulcer and you don’t want him rolling around, so please eat something.”Meera stayed silent while staring down at her toes. She wouldn’t blink nor utter a word. Maria sighed, “Come on, don’t do this to yourself. This is exactly what they want to see. Get a hold of yourself, Meera. Do you think they’d give a fuck if you die?”“What did I do wrong? He told me he was fine with my body’s situation after what happened six years ago, so why did he try to bring it up yesterday?” Meera lamented in a hushed voice. Her eyes were swollen and red. More tears cascaded down her cheeks as she spoke. Maria sighed again and sat beside her on the bed, “I understand. You were not to blame for what happened si
A few hours later, Maria barged into Meera’s room, yelling in excitement. “Meera, look, yours and Ben’s news is all over the internet and everyone is on your side!” Meera, who just managed to fall asleep after not shutting her eyes since yesterday, moaned as she tried to sit up. She was having a severe headache and her dimmed eyes wouldn’t open wider than it already had. Seeing she was having difficulty sitting up, Maria put the matter aside and got on the bed, “Are you okay?” she touched her forehead and winced, “Oh My God! You’re burning up. We have to go to the hospital.”“I’m fine... What happened on the internet?” “Forget about the internet, you need to see a doctor. You look excessively feeble and dying!” without waiting for her to protest, Maria helped her out of the room while screaming for her brother. “David, we’re going to the hospital, your sister is unwell!”David, who was in the sitting room, impatiently waiting for Mr. Greg’s message while also reading the news abo
Vivian froze and slowly looked up at him. “You have feelings for her...” not hearing a response after a while, she added, “I knew it!” standing up, she pointed at him, “then why did you betray her? Why have you been sleeping with me behind her back?”“Be thankful that I chose you over her. Whatever I do should not be your business– ““You lie! Benjamin, you lie! The earlier you know that I’m not Meera, the better for us all,” she glared at him. “What makes you think you can ever be Meera? If not that I needed a child, would I have accepted you back?”“Excuse me?”“You heard me. You can’t hold a candle to Meera in any way. She doesn’t give me as much trouble like you do.”“Then why did you come running back to me? Was it that she couldn’t satisfy you in bed like I do?”“Don’t delude yourself,” with that, he walked out of the house and slammed the door behind him. He needed something to calm himself. Vivian narrowed her eyes at his disappearing back and a villainous smile crept into h
“What’s wrong with Meera?”“She’s dear to my grandfather. What if she gets some shares from him? Some of the board of directors want my stepsister on the seat. And you know how her mother is. She would do anything to have her daughter on that CEO seat. As it stands now, she and I have the same amount of shares. She’s intelligent and capable, so right now, I need more shares to be victorious. I can’t count on my grandfather’s shares, but I am more inclined to think that he would reserve some shares for Meera.” “Since you have such worries from the start, you should have waited until after the Will was read. How did you manage to ruin your chances so badly?” the other guy couldn’t understand. Ben sighed in frustration, “It was Vivian. She wanted me to give Meera the divorce papers on our anniversary, otherwise she’d abort the pregnancy.”“Wow, Vivian is ruthless and I tell you bro, you have a dim future with that girl around you.”“You’re not helping matters, James.”“Hahahaha... Poki
The frustrated Ben had no idea what to do next. The papers were already with his lawyer– Vivian’s uncle. The man had been pestering him to give Vivian what she deserved after she got pregnant for him and now, trying to take the divorce papers back from him would be impossible. Meera will definitely be enraged if she knew that he already sent the divorce papers to court. A thought crossed his mind and he went for his phone. “Let me call her and explain,” he picked the phone he threw away only to see it was damaged. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” anger and frustration burned in him. He passed a hand over his hair as he paced the room. “I have to go to her, I have to…” he picked up his car keys and dashed out of the room. Meanwhile, at Meera’s home..Maria sighed for the umpteenth time as she looked worriedly at her friend who was lying on the bed with eyes fixed on her phone. Her friend received a court summon from their lawyer a few minutes ago. She agreed to go, but her eyes had been stuck t