My Marriage Died with My Mother

I was sure he meant to end our marriage. He must have found the divorce letter I had left on the table. Sure, it was time for this loveless five-year marriage to come to an end. I propped myself up, washed my face, and brushed my teeth. After throwing on my casual yet semi-formal outfit, I took a breath before walked down the stairs. 

As soon as I walked through the door, Esther's pitiful cries reached my ears, sending a shiver down my spine. Without hesitation, I confronted Lucian sharply, my voice tinged with concern and anger.

“Why did you bring her to our house?” I demanded, trying to mask the rising panic I felt at the sound of Esther's distress.

Lucian's reaction was immediate and explosive. Lucian launched himself up from the sofa as soon as he saw me, and slammed his hand down on the table with a force that made me jump. His eyes bore into mine with a mixture of frustration and accusation.

“I've only been gone for a couple of days, and already you've turned into such a vile woman," he accused, his voice filled with disbelief and disdain. “What are you up to?” 

He held up the divorce agreement that I had already signed and questioned, his tone edged with frustration and disbelief, “I'm asking you, what exactly are you trying to achieve? Will this ever stop? Is this just a way to get my attention?”

I stood my ground, feeling the weight of my decision settling in my chest like a heavy stone. Straightening my shirt, I met Lucian's gaze with unwavering determination.

“No,” I replied firmly, my voice steady despite the tumult of emotions swirling within me. “I'm serious. I want to get a divorce.”

Lucian's expression hardened, his jaw tightening as he processed my declaration. The room fell silent, tension thickening between us as we both grappled with the weight of my words.

“This isn't the time to play around, Olivia,” he said through gritted teeth, his voice cold and sneering. "You really think you can leave me?”

With a sudden, furious motion, Lucian ripped the divorce agreement to shreds in his hand.

“Don't you ever think you can leave me,” he continued, his voice now tinged with desperation and possessiveness. “I am your husband, and as long as I don't bring up divorce, you'll be my wife in this lifetime.”

“Oh, I see,” he said and paused. “It's because you think I'm cheating, so you want a divorce? You’re completely out of your mind. Even if you want a divorce, do you think your mother will allow it?”

“Where is she anyway?” Lucian demanded again. “Get her out here right now!”

Considering our impending divorce, I chose to ignore his outburst. I turned to Esther, who was standing stiffly– she covered all parts of her skin she even wrapped veil around her head, and asked, “Why are you here?”

As I directed my attention to Esther, Lucian's agitation escalated. He shouted at me, his words tinged with anger, “Where's your mom, Olivia? Tell her to come out! If she doesn't explain herself today, I'll call the police to sort this mess out.”

He approached Esther, his demeanor suddenly shifting to a softer tone. He spoke to her in hushed tones, his hand gently reaching out as if to comfort her. Esther, in response, slowly lifted her hand to remove the veil that concealed her face. The veil fell away, revealing Esther's complexion marred by angry red rashes, which shocked me.

Before I could ask anything, Lucian rushed to speak, “Just because you were jealous of her, you instigated your damn mother to poison her. Esther got lucky this time. What if she didn't survive next time? You've practically killed someone! How could I miss your wicked nature all this time?” 

Lucian's words hit me like a bomb, leaving me shattered. Unable to contain my anger, I tried to speak, but Esther interrupted. “I know you were jealous, but there was nothing between Lucian and me,” she said, wiping away her tears. “Why did you want to kill me?”

“Olivia, get your mom out here right now! Esther deserves an explanation.”  Lucian yelled in unbearable frustration. He threw the torn divorce agreement into the air. As the white fragments fell before my eyes, I felt like I was back to yesterday when Lucian tore up my mother's death certificate.

My eyes were red with tears, and I couldn't hold back my anger any longer. I stepped forward and slapped him across the face. “Who do you think you are to speak about my mom like that? Why do you keep accusing her?”

Lucian seemed infuriated. He scoffed and said mockingly, “You think I accused her unfairly?” 

He forcefully shoved his phone into my hand. “Here’s the proof. Take a good look. See if I'm wrong about your two-faced mother.” 

The phone played a video. In it was someone wearing a headscarf, bearing a strong resemblance to my mom. She nervously handed over a lunch box with some wild berries in it at the counter and said something before leaving. Later, Esther came down and took away the lunch box. Glancing at the date on the screen, it wrote October 20, 2020. It was a day after my mother's death.

“This can’t be right,” I gritted my teeth, refusing to believe it.