Trapped In His Love

3-The Agreement

I already knew that it was very unlikely that I was actually going to be able to convince him to stay, but there was a plan forming in my head, a long shot that I would have to take.

"If you stay here tonight, I'll agree to the divorce."

He stilled.

Completely.

He was staring at me as if he was waiting for me to burst out laughing, to tell him that I was joking, but I wasn't. I was serious. I had already known that I wouldn't have a choice in the end, but if I could actually get something out of it, then why not?

"What did you just say?"

I took a deep breath, trying to build up the courage to repeat myself and what I had just said.

"If you stay here tonight, and accompany me to your grandfather's funeral, then I will agree to the divorce. I will even sign the papers immediately after the funeral."

He was still staring at me with those narrowed eyes, like he was waiting for me to tell him that I was taking him for a fool. Was it really that had for him to believe that I would be willing to let go of him? Admittedly, I had been putting up a good fight, but now, I was done. I was tired of fighting. And if spending one night with me, wasn't enough to remind him of the fact that I was a great person, then I wasn't going to be the one who missed out on anything.

"So help me god, I am going to kill you if you're lying to me, Laela. You will keep your word."

I raised my eyebrows, struggling to believe what I had just heard him say. Had he honestly just threatened my life? For absolutely no reason? Before I could make a comment on it, or say anything to him, he started to take off the clothes that he had put it, carelessly dropping them to the floor.

I didn't need to ask to know that he was staying.

I couldn't deny the fact that even though his statement had caught me off guard, I still felt a heavy wave of relief upon being able to spend the night with him. I didn't think that he would agree, but now here we were.

But I should have known that this relief that I was feeling, would be nothing more than short lived. I should have known that asking for a night with my husband, was too much to ask for. Why do I say this? The answer was as simple as it was complicated.

There was a knock on the front door, and as soon as I registered it, my stomach started to turn and knot. No one would come and call on us at this time of the night—no one except for Simone. My heart had dropped into the pits of my stomach, and as Austin made his way to the front door, I couldn't keep myself from following him. I wanted to see what was going on. I wanted to know who it was that had come to our home at this time of the night.

"Austin."

My grip on the railing tightened, and I felt myself taking a deep breath, trying to come to terms with the fact that I had been right. Simone was standing on our porch, soaked through from the rain. But it hadn't even been raining that much, so how was it possible that she had gotten to this point? It was something that didn't make sense to me.

And what made the situation so much worse, was the fact that she was wearing a thin dress. If she had known that she was going out, why hadn't she worn something else? Why hadn't she worn something that would have provided her with more protection from the elements of the world? She looked miserable, like she was absolutely heartbroken, practically falling into Austin's arms, her sobs ringing through the air—all the while, I stood here watching what was going on with a heavy heart.

It was as difficult for me to admit, as it was to ignore, that this right here, was the very reason why I hadn't been able to compare to the lovely Simone. It was because he was in love with her. One phone call from her was enough to send him spiraling, and this was proof thereof. And when he didn't go to her, it seemed like she was more than willing to go to him.