Lean on Me

Part One - Chapter Twenty-Six: The Divorce

Fernando sighed staring at his estranged wife, it had been two weeks since he had stepped out for lunch with Cassidy showing the world that he had in fact moved on from his destroyed relationship with Olalla.

“So after six weeks we finally have an agreement?” Olalla’s lawyer asked looking between the couple, Olalla nodded her head as she rested a hand on growing stomach.

Olalla was a little surprised at the media and fans reacted to the fact that Fernando had been with his new girlfriend for eight and a half months now.

“Yes,” Olalla said stiffly knowing that she had to think about her unborn son, she was twenty-five weeks pregnant and she knew that there was no way that Fernando was taking her back; she could see that he was happy, happier than he had ever been with her.

Fernando looked relieved realising that he was finally going to be able to move on, he watched as his lawyer nodded his head before looking stiffly down at the papers that he had; the lawyer had tried to talk Fernando into suing Olalla for telling the press about his private life.

“So Olalla will get the house here in London as well as the holiday home in Cee, Galicia, you will be paying her £280 a week in child maintenance for Nora and Leo, who would be staying with Fernando two to three nights a week,” Fernando’s lawyer said looking between the couple as he pushed the divorce papers towards Olalla’s lawyer who took them and checked them over.

Once he had done so he passed them to Olalla who stared at them before she picked up a pen and signed them without looking at Fernando who signed his own set.

The couple signed both sets of papers before their lawyers nodded once they checked that everything was in order and there were no lose ends.

“Congratulations… you are both now officially divorced,” the mediator said collecting the papers after they had been signed; she did a quick check before handing a copy to each of the couple.

Olalla risked a look a Fernando who seemed pleased with what had just happened, she knew that he would be heading home to his pregnant girlfriend and she wished that none of this would have happened; she hated that their marriage had ended like this.

Fernando shook the hand of his lawyer before he pushed himself to his feet and prepared to leave, he knew that Cassidy would be pleased to hear that he was finally a free man; the two had already started to look into new homes and apartments that were in the city.

“So what are you going to do now?” Fernando’s lawyer asked him as they exited the conference room, the two headed for the lift as Fernando thought about his girlfriend at home; everything had been going well lately and he knew that it was only going to get better.

***

Stepping into their apartment, Fernando smiled closing the door behind him and set down his keys in the hallway; he looked around knowing that Cassidy had the day off and was going to be home somewhere.

“Amor I’m home,” Fernando called walking into the living room, he smiled to himself as he spotted Cassidy on the couch watching television; she had a hand resting on her nineteen week bump that just seemed to keep growing.

“How was it?” Cassidy asked looking at Fernando, who had something hidden behind his back; she knew that there was a chance that he had come back still married to Olalla.

Fernando smiled watching his girlfriend, he couldn’t believe that they could finally be together without any problems.

“I am officially yours,” Fernando said making Cassidy stared at him shocked that he was finally divorced, she wasn’t sure what to make of it since she knew that Olalla hadn’t wanted to end their marriage.

“I got you these on the way home,” Fernando said producing a bunch of red, pink and white roses from behind his back; Cassidy blinked back tears as she stared at him surprised that he had done that for her.

“Nena don’t cry…” Fernando said amused moving to give her the flowers kissing her lips, it was probably the pregnancy hormones that were making her emotional but that didn’t stop him from caring for her.

“You didn’t have to,” Cassidy said looking down at the flowers, she was a little taken back that she didn’t have to be known as the other woman anymore and the fact that he had gotten her flowers.

Fernando kissed her again, this was the start of a new life for them; he had been waiting for this since they had started to live together and now he wasn’t going to mess this up.

“I love you,” Fernando said softly trailing his fingers through her hair, he knew that Chelsea were keeping an eye on their relationship and they were worried about how it would affect his playing but things had been going well for him lately.

“Love you too,” Cassidy said resting a hand on her stomach, she had begun to feel a little movement from their baby and she couldn’t wait to find out what they were having.

Cassidy knew that everything was going well and the doctor had told them that the baby was going to be a big one.

***

Olalla sighed settling Nora down to bed, she knew that she had done the right thing by letting Fernando go; she had done a lot of thinking after George’s visit and he was right, her ex-husband was never going to take her back.

Olalla shook her head ignoring the bitter thoughts about Fernando’s relationship with Cassidy, she knew that she had brought this all on herself by allowing the marriage to collapse especially since if things had worked with George, she wouldn’t have offered a second thought to divorcing Fernando.

Olalla walked out of her daughter’s room as she thought about what would have been, she should have considered all of this before she risked her marriage for an affair; she blinked away tears as she realised that Fernando really wasn’t coming back and he had replaced her.

Olalla choked back a sob walking into her bedroom and closed the door behind her, she had brought this on herself and that there was no way that she would ever be able to recover from all of this; she had made a big mess of her life and now she was alone.

Staring at her empty side of the bed where Fernando used to sleep when she didn’t kick him out of bed, she thought about the short time since they had moved to London and how sure she had been about her affair with George.

It was only now that she realised just how silly she had been about what she had done, she should have seen that George was only interested in her because she was something that she couldn’t have and now that she was available he wasn’t interested.

Olalla chewed on her lip, she had to start thinking of her future and it wasn’t going to be easy; she had a baby to think about coming soon.

Shaking her head, Olalla thought about what she was going to do now, she was aware that she was going to have to see Fernando because of their children but she didn’t want to stay around London; it was the city that had brought about her downfall.