Trapped In His Love

6 -Pregnant? Too?

"Simone. Your true colors show too soon, once he leaves."

But once the words left my mouth, I came to the conclusion that getting involved in all of this, was not something that I was not going to do. After all, where was it going to get me? What could I possibly benefit out of any of this?

Just because Austin believed himself too good to attend the funeral, did not mean that I felt the same. I was going to go. Come hell, or high water.

I had already decided last night that I would go somewhere else and get ready for the funeral—I would even get ready in the car if I had to! But what I wouldn't do, is stay here and allow myself to be degraded like this. I simply refused it. Due to the fact that I had already made this decision beforehand, my suitcase was waiting downstairs, by the front door, which would make it much easier for me to make a quick get-away. No one needed to know where I was going.

But as I reached the door, I found myself blocked off by no one other than Simone. It seemed to me like she was determined to get in my way, literally. And that was something that I simply was not comfortable or happy with. She was already pushing her way into my home, and now she wanted to push her way into a conversation as well. When was this going to end?

"When are you planning on signing the divorce papers, lovely Laela? Austin has been asking you for weeks now, and you still won't give in. What is it going to take?

Her tone of voice was just as cold as her expression was, and I couldn't help but feel my anger flair up at the unfairness of the situation. After all, I didn't have someone breathing down Austin's neck, telling him that he shouldn't divorce me. And now, here Simone was, doing that exact thing. Who did she think she was?

"Excuse me, Simone, but I was not aware that you were a third party in the divorce."

Having her as a third party would make things so much easier for me, financially, because then I would have proof of the fact that Austin has been sleeping around, and then I would be able to take everything from him that I possibly could. I could tell that she was quite unhappy with what I had said to her, because that cool gaze of hers fired up with rage, and I knew that whatever was coming, was going to be something that was specifically designed to hurt me.

"That's rich coming from you—the woman who is a third party in her own marriage!'

And there it was.

The statement that I had been preparing for.

It was amusing for me to realize just how predictable Simone actually was. After all, could you imagine someone who didn't even know you, being able to predict what you were going to do? But something that didn't sit well with me, was the fact that despite this, Austin still hadn't been able to see through her bullshit and lies. It seems like I was the only one who was able to do it for the both of us.

"Laela, you know just as well as I do that your relationship with Austin is nothing more than a front. If it weren't for you standing in the way, I would be the one married to him! This would be my house instead of yours! And now that his grandfather is dead, there is no one keeping him from leaving with you. There is no one to protect you anymore. Do you hear me? No one. Just make your life easier and sign the divorce papers—before Austin changes his mind and gives you nothing."

If Austin did happen to change his mind and decide to leave me with nothing, I knew that it would have absolutely everything to do with her. She was the one pulled the strings, and I knew that Austin would lovingly dance to the tune of her demands. I couldn't say the same. She wasn't going to manipulate me in the way that she was manipulating him.

I would rather die and fall into a sewerage hole, than to allow that to happen with me.

"Simone. Something that you need to realize, before trying to convince me to sign anything, is that you will never be able to fill the shoes required to be Austin's wife. If he was really so desperate to marry you, he would have forced me to sign those papers a long time ago."