I'm Married To Pain

Chapter 30

I breathed hard, catching it. I even pressed my chest to help my heart calm down and it worked. I took a deep breath and exhaled everything at once.

I'm fine. Everything's fine. It was just a dream. A dream I would want to live in. No other people. Just me, Nate and my son. But I knew Nate just wanted to comfort me so he had to appear in my dream. Though it didn't make much difference, I, atleast, felt happy knowing I have him to comfort me.

"Thanks." I whispered.

I called Rose to ask for favor. "Can Jansen stay with you until next month?" They went to Flo Rida for vacation and I'm asking her to extend.

"We would love to, dear. You know, this is such an incredible place. It's very relaxing." She paused. "But is everything okay?" She asked.

No. Everything is not okay. Everything's messed up!

"Yes. I just want him to enjoy more before he comes home again for school. He hates school days." I just said.

She didn't bother to ask about it anymore and gladly accepted my favor.

It's 7 in the morning and I can still feel the stress I felt from yesterday. I just hope today will be as ordinary as possible. I've had enough reasons to commit suicide but my Jansen is defeating my urge to die.

You see, out of many reasons to die, there will always be one reason to live.

For Gina, for mom and for my son. I will take these men down, I promise.

I got up from bed and fixed myself. I went straight to where Jared is.

"She's in his office, ma'am." His secretary told me.

I went straight to his office and found several men inside. There must be a meeting. I didn't mind. Instead, I wait for him to excuse himself but to my shock, he dismissed all of them. "Come in." He let me sit in his visitor's area.

I knew he threw the divorce papers or probably burned it so I secured a copy.

"I know what you're here for." He said.

I just nodded.

"I just want you to know that I will never ever sign that." He told me as a matter of fact.

I held my breath a bit. He still cares about his reputation after everything that he's done to me.

He left me no choice but to stand from my seat and kneel infront of him.

I saw his eyes widened a bit. Like he didn't expect me to kneel.

"Please." I pleaded him, my head bowed. "Let me go. I can't take it anymore. I don't want this any longer. Like every second of it is killing me already. I am that tired, Jared."

I heard him breathing hard. All of a sudden, his knees fell infront of me. "Don't. Do this."

"Jared, I was tired of saying that whenever you come home late, whenever you make me feel unloved, every fvcking time, everytime you make me feel how much you love her. Please..." Tears flowed from my eyes. I didn't know I still have tears to cry. I looked at him but he, himself, is also crying.

But why? Is that how much he protects his reputation?

"... just stop. Let's just stop."

He cupped my face. "Look, Ash. I am willing to do everything you want. You want to put me in jail, I would. You want Stacy out of our lives, I would. Anything, Ash, but not this. Please." He pleaded back.

That's when I stood and left him kneeling infront of me instead. "Anything?"

He looked at me as if it was a bad idea. I smiled to a smirk and wiped my eyes. "First, sue Tyler. Make him pay for what he did to Gina. Second, open the case you guys tried to bury years ago. Reopen the case of Nate. Third, just keep on making Stacy feel how much of you is still owned be her. Fourth, dump her afterwards. Now, if you say you'll do it, I'll burn these papers in your very own eyes then you'll sign for an agreement with me. If you can't do all these, I will make sure your son will grow not knowing any bit of you."

He laughed bitterly. "Are you this angry?"

"I am not just angry, Jared. I am completely mad. Very mad." I told him with my eyes piercing to his.

To be honest, I am so much fearful he'll choose to sign the papers.

But then. "I will. Just promise me you won't break off with our marriage."

*****

Jared's POV

Tyler. No matter what, I promised myself I will never do anything that will betray them. It's hard for me to do this but no matter how much I think of it, everything Ashley asked me to do were for the better. She is making us face the consequences we tried to run away from.

It's time to face it. All of it. Time for the four of us to be a man.

All this time, all we really needed to grow up is Ashley. There's no way I will ever let go of her.

Or probably after everything. I just needed her to be beside me until all of these are over. I can let go of her til then.

The very next day, I talked to my lawyer about everything my wife asked me to do. Warrant of arrest has been issued and such. However, Tyler turned himself in even before the warrant of arrest has been delivered to him. The court declared reinvestigation of Nate's case starting next week.

The four of us became the hottest news on TV. Investments started to decline due to the issues.

Tyler was not sentenced for a forty-year imprisonment because Gina's parents declined to file a rape case saying they just need a good burial for their daughter and the custody for their grandson.

As for my case.

"... the car was flipped out of nowhere. In order to protect ourselves, we decided to cover the case." Jcee said.

"... I wasn't able to see how it flipped because I was driving myself." Cley stated. It was the same statement Tyler said to the court.

Many hearings came but I kept silent about it. If the court decides to imprison me, I'm fine with that. What I'm afraid is the truth. What if Ashley--

My secretary cut my thoughts.

"Sir, something happened with the shipments."

And all these bullsh*ts goes on.

"Jared, what are you going to do now? You have problems with the company, you are going to be imprisoned, the investments are declining. What now? No one wants to take over this shitty company once you're in jail." One of the board said.

I knew it will happen but I didn't thought it would be this fast.

I looked at dad. One look from him, you will know how disappointed, upset and disgusted he is with me. But when I stared at him while everyone else are ranting about the company, he smiled at me. The sweetest and most comforting smile I have ever received from him.

With that, I stood and calmed everyone down. "Gentlemen. I knew downfall to our company will come. However, I wasn't able to foresee how fast it will be. But then again, before I raise my hand in surrender to every evil things I did, I assure you that this company will never lose itself. I am prepared."

"That's bullshit! We are losing this company already! It has no where to go but either bankruptcy or worse, dissolution." Says one of them.

I smiled and walked around the long table as I speak. "You know, soldiers had undergone training for years. They are fit, trained, preapared and armed before they are sent to war. Most of them lose their lives and some wins the battle. But when they come home, dead or alive, a soldier is still a soldier. Their pride and honor matters the most. Only the brave ones are sent into battles. Our company's probability of losing the fight is higher than the probability of wining. Even so, I will face it with the pride and honor that has been built from generations to generations. I, being a Wills, is brave enough to fight. If you think you are too coward to fight with me, the door is open, gentlemen. Free yourselves from this company." I bravely said.

Everyone stayed quiet for half an hour. No one dared to go out.

"This is the best asset, the best weapon, of this company. It's bravest soldiers. Now, I have to go back to work." I said before leaving the room.