Fated Retribution

02 [Target Gamma]

11th September, Thursday, 7:45 pm, 2028

Every day, my belief in love keeps getting closer to diminishing completely.

I stared at the golden invite on my desk, hands trembling in anger and eyes watering with humiliation. I always wondered where I had gone wrong when all of this happened. If there was something that could have been done to save us. if we were ever meant to be or always fated to separate.

The invite was for an anniversary party. A divorce lawyer getting invited to a wedding or anniversary was pretty ironic but this wasn't anyone's anniversary party, it was my ex-husband's 5 year anniversary and he had the nerve to walk into my office and hand me that card.

I could still feel his smirk and teasing eyes boring into me, words echoing in my ears, "Do come, princess. Won't be the same without you." I should have done something, had him kicked out or thrown the card in his face with a simple 'no' or just kicked him in the balls.

But no, I had to keep sitting on my desk, frozen in shock and watch him leave satisfied without doing anything. It infuriated me, it made me see red how he had the nerve to show me his face after being the most horrible husband and an absent father. It was as if this was all planned, a well-thought strategy to piss me off and show off his new wife like some trophy he won.

Like I wasn't the one who stood beside him at a point.

Carl Frank Henderson, a lying, arrogant, disrespectful, two-faced pig and also the man I once loved. If someone told a 20 year old me that he and I had gotten married, had a kid and then got divorced she would flip, not because of the divorce but because the Carl Henderson married her.

Fresh out of high school and separating ways from my previous life, I had for the first time lived away from the shadow of my parents all alone. Flimsy steps and awkward greetings was all I could muster in the first few weeks of my college and managed to make up the most horrible impression one can; the awkward introvert.

Well, that was until I fell in love and not only did I, he did too.

It was mid-semester of my first year when I met him. He was my senior studying criminal law and I was into civil law. I saw him in the library first, square-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, wisps of blond hair kissing his forehead and his lip bit in concentration.

It was as if I was enchanted by him, drawn to every little thing he did and when my footsteps carried me to his table and my lips shaped in words of introduction, it was as if all my fears and worries had vanished away hearing his voice in response.

He was sweet and caring and gentle, respecting my boundaries and putting up with the awkward silences when I didn’t know how to carry a conversation. He was as if written by a woman, everything one ever wanted and needed.

Things were great, we dated for two years and were going super strong but then we got married and I was pregnant with my first baby. Carl’s behaviour rapidly changed towards me in terms of everything. He was still sweet and kind but we didn’t spend time together and he always found excuses to be away from home.

He used to miss doctor appointments, lunch dates, even our baby's gender reveal. His reason being the same old every time; work commitments.

Still, I ignored all of that but when he decided not to attend the birth of our first child, it was game over for me. We had a huge argument that night and didn’t talk for days. That was when I came back in contact with my school best friend, Daphne Petrova.

She had been moving in and out of court for the transfer of rights of her company and I had had my first mental breakdown in front of her after months of pent up anger, frustration and guilt. Afterwards, she had been with me through every step of my life and I had tried to be with hers too.

Carl never mingled with me and my son, his son, after our disagreements and the re-entry of Daphne in my life hadn't exactly been an elating news to him. So when she suggested that I get a divorce, it was an easy answer.

And here I was. A single-mother of a three year-old boy who is a divorce lawyer.

I scoffed, as I crumpled the invite in my hand and threw it in the trash can. I picked up my purse and started to exit my office, the sound of the clicking of heels echoing against the marble tiles loudly in the empty halls.

I made way towards my car and threw my purse in before settling myself on the driver’s seat and putting my forehead on the steering wheel. I fished my phone out of my purse to see the unread messages of today. One of them being from Amelia, Daphne’s wife with whom I had left my son, Nico.

Daphne’s youngest, Ivy and Nico had pretty much grown up together, both being the same age, Ivy a month older. The message was a picture of her and Nico on the couch, Ivy’s hands wrapped around Nico’s as she directed him to write something on a piece of paper and Brenda, their oldest, smiling at them fondly while Ivan, the middle one, was rolling his eyes.

Ivco or Nivy?

The caption read, I giggled and texted back a reply and sighed in content. The photo brought forth a sense of comfort and peace in my system as all the worries and negative thoughts drained out of my mind and I had a light-tipped smile on my face as I kept my phone on the passenger seat.

That’s when I noticed the weird letter.

It didn’t have a seal or address, just a logo. A logo I knew too well. Wide-eyed I grabbed and looked around the empty parking lot only to find a man in a trench coat walking round the corner of the street and disappearing.

I gulped nervously, a little sceptic as to how the letter was here and not delivered to my house. Nevertheless, I decided to open it and read the contents. I had been invited to my old school Ash Field Academy as the Guest of honour at the 40th anniversary of its inaugural.

The mention of Ash Field brought forth an array of memories and experiences back in my head and I wondered if Daphne had gotten something like this too.

Her and I had been quite a pair back then as well, contrasting personalities making us a perfect balance for each other. Her recklessness with my well-planned actions, her daring nature with my timid one. One thing we both shared was a broken sense of humour and a love for books, that’s how we had started talking.

A light chuckle left my lips as I started the car and more memories flooded my mind. How Daphne had pined over Amelia, for two years straight and compromised her dignity several times for the girl she loved. How she had  tried to set me up with her friends several times only for it to end with them being stood up or leaving early because I could not make conversation. How she had once drunkenly flirted with our teacher and I had to drive her back home and convince her parents she was just sleepy.

Those times had shaped me as the person I was that day and to get a chance to go back to the school was definitely one I wouldn't miss.

So, as I made a sharp turn towards Daphne's house to pick Nico up, I made up my mind to go on the 15th of September to my alma mater, even though I had a hearing scheduled that day, Ash Field was too close to my heart and the honour of being there as the Guest of Honour was too big to let go.

Besides, it was just a function. What's the worst that could happen?