Chimon - This Moment

Chapter 1

The fire crackled behind Cheryl as she enjoyed a cup of peppermint tea on the comfy sofa, reveling in the warm heat that waft against her cheeks. She sat with her legs curled, stroking the head of her little Buster as she stared into space with her pink fluffy slippers and cozy robe in tow. On cold nights like these, she fancied a nice cuddle in the arms of the person that she loved, just whispering sweet nothings into each others ears. With Ashley out of the equation, she sat in her large immaculate mansion all by herself and forced her mind into believing that she was content being on her own.

In less than two weeks time, Cheryl felt her entire world came crashing down around her. Reflecting on the past few days, it seemed like just yesterday when she and Ashley talked about having children in the near future, and she recalled just how keen he was about the idea. Little did she know that her plans of starting a family would soon be tarnished by revelations of his boundless deceitful behavior.

In all honesty, sex appeared to be the only thing on Ashley's mind, aside from football. Ever since his and Cheryl's first night together, he seemed to want her every night. In the beginning, it was easy to accommodate his desires since Cheryl didn't have that many commitments apart from Girls Aloud, but ever since she joined the panel on the X-Factor and launched her solo career, it wasn't always so easy to find time to be together. There was absolutely no doubt that Cheryl hated being apart from Ashley, but she also loved her work far too much to drop everything and play the role of the trophy wife who relentlessly stroked the ego of her footballer husband. Now, in the midst of her shattered verve, she didn't have to worry about reserving her time for anybody because work was all she had left.

Cheryl turned the page of the latest tabloid and read about Ashley's romp with girl number 7. She read the words over and over again, with her tears threatening to spill for the fiftieth time today. She couldn't believe that someone she loved so much could be so fickle and disloyal, especially after everything that they have shared together throughout the years. In simpler terms, his disloyalty disgusted her to the core and made her doubt her ability to pour her heart and soul into another relationship ever again. Without a shadow of doubt, Ashley ruined her, but more importantly, he wholly ruined her image of everything a marriage entailed. He destroyed her fairytale ending, and for that, she could never forgive him.

As she began to lose herself in her thoughts, Cheryl felt herself being snapped back to reality by the sound of consecutive knocks on her main door, echoing throughout the quarters. With a skeptical look on her face, Cheryl put down her cup of Tetley on the coffee table, removed Buster from her lap, and stripped off the thin sheet of silk that rested over her slender frame. After making it clear that she wanted to be alone, she wasn't expecting any company and was quite frightened as to whom it could be. In this moment in time, she wouldn't be able to bear it if it were the paparazzi, or even worse, if it were Ashley. There was absolutely nothing she wanted to say to him at the moment, and just the thought of him standing at her doorway made her queasy to the stomach. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind before she held her breath and looked through the peephole.

What she saw shocked her. Of all people, she wasn't expecting him. With much haste, Cheryl unlocked the door and unhooked the hinge that kept the large frame firmly shut. Before she had any chance to compose herself, she came face to face with the one person who's opinions and words of wisdom mattered most to her.

"Simon"