Page 7

A lawyer at the firm who liked to gossip told me that once I left, he went half-crazy looking for me. When he couldn’t find me at home, he went to other countries, one after the other, looking for me.
Yes, he looked rough, but he was still good-looking.
That face was what tricked me before.
No one knew that the only reason I wanted that job was so I could see him every day.
They fell in love right away.
But I didn’t have any looks, a degree, or a family name. All I had was a heart that beat for him.
I chased after him with all I had. It hurt and was often embarrassing, but I put up with it all simply to be close to him.
I became his most trusted aide, the one who was always there for him, just by willpower.
But he ruined everything in one night, pushed me down to the bottom, and left me there to freeze for eight long years.
I’ve been through disappointment and suffering, but now I’ve discovered serenity.
I smiled a little and pointed to a bench nearby.
“Sit down.”
His eyes brightened up, and he came over and sat next to me.
I made him a cup of tea and gave it to him.
He seized it with both hands, never taking his eyes from mine. His voice was low and rough.
“I thought you would never talk to me again.”
I raised an eyebrow and spoke softly.
“Why not?  You are still the father of my child.  “I have to give you some dignity.”
Then I looked him right in the eye and spoke in a forceful tone, as if I were back in court negotiating conditions. “You’ve read the divorce papers.  I don’t want your cash.  All I want is to be the guardian of our daughter.
His face got darker and his voice got colder.
“I won’t divorce you, Ivan.”
I anticipated it would happen. I already understood why he arrived.
“That’s okay.  We’ll go through the law.  Remember that I used to be your legal assistant?  I’ve worked on a lot of divorce cases.
He slammed the teacup down with a loud bang. The power of it broke the porcelain, and tea spilt all over the table.
We both got up at the same moment.
“Ivan, please don’t go.  I realise I made a mistake.  I figured it out too late.  Please let me adore you.  “Let me fix things.”
But I stayed still and didn’t move.
“It’s too late.  “I’m tired.”
As he got closer, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Eight years ago, you crawled into bed with me, got pregnant, and married me.  And now you want to leave?  Is this a game of push and pull? ”
I couldn’t believe what he said.
I thought he finally got it.
But he still saw me in a selfish way.
“So, in your eyes, I’ve always been a scheming woman,” I murmured softly.
But I wasn’t let down. In fact, I could see through it all.
He was so haughty that he could never really lower his head for a woman.
“Albert, did you ever think that I was the one who got harmed that night? ”
He moved closer, and I moved back gently till I couldn’t go any more.
I stopped leaning against the wall. He also stopped, staring at me with a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”
I didn’t say anything. My thoughts went back to that night.
I helped Albert get to his room while he was inebriated and I steadied him.
I pulled off his clothing, tucked him in, and then I left.
But as I was about to go, he grabbed my arm, pushed me onto the bed, and lunged at me.
His eyes were glazed over and his face was red with passion. I knew right once that he had been drugged.
I fought with all my strength to get away, but it didn’t work.
What chance did a woman’s strength have against a man’s?
He ripped off my clothing and, because of the narcotics in his system, took me.
Even though I loved him, I never wanted to be with him like that in such situations.
It happened, and I had to accept it after that.
He didn’t remember anything. When he woke up and saw me naked next to him, he tossed me out of bed and called me shameless.
I convinced myself he didn’t mean to do it and that he had just forgotten.
But the silence, the coldness, and the ignoring for eight years were all on purpose.
“Say something.”
He pushed me while I didn’t say anything.
“Go look for the truth yourself if you want to know it.”
All of a sudden, I didn’t want to find it anymore.
“It’s over, Albert.”  Please don’t come back and mess up my life.
With that, I pushed past his heavy gaze and went to the bedroom.
Albert went away.
He stopped at the door before he left and said, “I won’t agree to the divorce even if you take me to court.”  And I’ll find out the truth from eight years ago.
I didn’t care if he really did or not.
He was gone, and I felt better.
I stayed in Norway and focused on my life and my daughter. I kept filing for divorce, even though my requests were turned down over and over again.
Over time, my feelings for him evened out. He became simply a small part of my life.
When he told Ginny not to call him “Dad” in the ninth year, she didn’t care anymore. She forgot how angry he made her and made a lot of new friends in Norway while learning a lot.
I had people who wanted to date me, and I liked feeling adored.
But I said no when someone asked me to marry them.
I didn’t want to walk into marriage lightly since it felt like a cage.
Albert would come to Norway every now and again to see our daughter.
I knew he wanted to make things right with her, and since she wasn’t against it, I didn’t say anything.
They were family, so it made sense to leave things as they were.
Later, Albert seemed to find out the truth. He called me many times to say he was sorry and even sent me a lot of money.
I didn’t pay attention to him, save for the child support.
I kept dating, though, looking for someone I could marry again and who could really be my love.