The Court of Redemption

Chapter 3

Zoilo stared at the empty side of the bed and felt alone to say the least.

It had been days since Arabella left and having to wake up without her brought him more pain than it did when she was around because this time she was actually gone. It didn't make it any easier knowing that he was the reason why she left.

Zoilo knew he had messed up. He knew that after the first time he had begun to ruin what he most dreamt of. To live the rest of his life loving the woman he married. To start a family with her and watch their children grow as him and his wife grew old together.

How beautiful she would look, he thought. No matter how old they got. No matter how many wrinkles or grey hairs came upon her. He believed she would still be the most beautiful woman his eyes ever saw.

Zoilo knew that if he didn't get up now he'd probably stay in bed all day. He sighed and made his way to his closet. He had done this to himself. He knew this would've been the outcome. He had no right to feel this way. Yet he still did.

Once in his dress shirt and pants, he walked into the bathroom and got ready for the day. He was starting to hate himself more than he already had. He was also starting to hate the house. There were just too many memories here and it hurt him that he could remember all of them.

He tied his tie and placed his navy blue suit jacket on.

He made his way downstairs and contemplated whether to make himself breakfast. Zoilo shook his head and grabbed his things before he left. He was suffocating in guilt. Live with it. You did this to yourself.

He decided to stop at a café and took his order to work. When he stepped into his building, he took the elevator up to the thirteenth floor. Once the doors opened, he noticed Sefora sitting behind her desk, typing something into her computer. Veronica's desk, which was situated across from Sefora's, had all her things but Veronica was nowhere to be seen.

Noticing his presence, Sefora lifted her gaze and gave him a toothless smile. "Morning."

"Morning," he nodded and continued his walk. Other employees greeted him on the way before getting back to the task they had been assigned.

Switching the lights on, he shut the door to his office and placed his breakfast on his desk. He sat on his chair and began browsing through his calendar. He had five meetings to attend during the first half of his day and paperwork to complete during the other half. He took the next ten minutes to eat his food before getting ready to head to his first meeting.

A knock on his door made him glance up. He told the person on the other end to enter. As the door opened, heels clinked against the tile floor. He leaned back on his chair when he saw her step into his office.

He didn't say anything. He watched as she walked further into the room and placed the folders she held on his desk. "For today's meetings," Veronica said.

He nodded but continued to keep his mouth shut. She took that as her cue to turn and leave.

Since Arabella found out about them, Zoilo and Veronica had barely spoken. A week after Arabella left, Zoilo told Veronica she had two weeks to find someone to replace her and to find a new job. She accepted his decision and promised she'd settle everything in two weeks.

He couldn't and wouldn't put all the blame on Veronica for his failed marriage. Neither was he going to put all the blame on her for the affair. It takes two for that and he knew what the consequences were. Sadly, he didn't realize what he would lose before it was too late.

Zoilo sighed before collecting the folder for his first meeting and left his office.

Before he knew it, it was time to head back home. He picked up his things and took any paperwork he needed to go over. He no longer spent late hours in his office and instead continued to work at home when needed.

He lit a cigarette and lowered the window of his car. Within thirty minutes he had gone through three cigarettes and was parked outside his home.

Home.

The word no longer sit right with him. The inanimate place might've been named as a home but it wasn't to him. It didn't feel like home. His home had left him.

His steps felt heavy whenever he stepped foot in the house. He wished that it would fall apart on him, ending his pain. But that would be too easy of a death and unfair for Arabella. If she had to live with the pain he caused then so would he.

He placed his things on the kitchen island and pulled out one of the many bottles of alcohol from his pantry. With a glass cup in hand, he filled it halfway and instantly downed it. He took his time drinking his next few glasses as he looked over the paperwork he had to finish.

An hour later, he signed the last document and placed it in a folder. He drank what was left of his fourth glass and headed upstairs, into his bathroom. Clothes fell into the hamper before he stepped under the shower head.

For a moment, his thoughts occupied him from reality. Mixed feelings filled him when he thought of Arabella and their children. While he never voiced his thoughts, he did miss the child they were never able to hold. He still had nightmares of the night Arabella miscarried, only to wake up with a heavy heart and tears running down his face. He never blamed Arabella for the miscarriage. He knew it wasn't her fault and that sadly it had happened to them just like it did to many others. He still loved his child and would continue to love him or her.

He then thought of Arabella's current pregnancy — their second chance at parenthood. Whether him and Arabella would end up back together or not, he wanted more than anything to be a father again. He promised himself he would do everything he could so that Arabella and their unborn child would be okay.

He ended his shower and dried himself before stepping out. Zoilo ran the towel through his wet hair and then wrapped it around his waist.

He ran a hand over the fogged mirror and stared at his reflection. His five o'clock shadow was beginning to show. Zoilo thought of letting it grow for a chance. His eyes then landed on his tattoos. He hadn't gotten a new one in over a year and wanted to complete his sleeve. Zoilo made a note to call his friend tomorrow morning to set up an appointment.

He entered his room and put on a pair of boxes. He slipped into bed and sent a good night message to Arabella. He put his phone away and fell back onto his pillow, letting his thoughts occupy him once more.

Meanwhile, Arabella had just finished searching the web for potential homes. She closed her laptop and got settled for bed. She checked her phone and noticed Zoilo's message. Like always, she opened it but didn't respond.

She sighed. She knew she couldn't deprive him of their unborn child — she didn't want to. She knew above all that Zoilo would be a great father despite any issues they might have.

Arabella had already set up an appointment with her doctor for the next week. She was four weeks along and so far things were okay with her pregnancy. Having gone through a miscarriage, Arabella and her doctor agreed to have more frequent checkups in hopes that if anything went wrong they would know before it was too late.

Seeing the time, she told herself she'd call Zoilo tomorrow to tell him about the appointment. Arabella put her phone away and fell asleep.

That night two people who loved each other, slept several miles away from each other. That night two broken hearts shed tears as they broke more and more at the thought that things were coming to an end. What was once supposed to be their happy ending would probably end just like the stories that no one ever wanted to hear.

It was the first of many nights were that ending they never thought would happen was slowly sinking into their hearts and minds that it was; And that nothing could turn this sad ending into the happy ending they wanted.

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Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

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