“Where did you go?” June asked when the silence became too much to bear. “I waited all night.”
Rafael swallowed, unable to speak. “Did you sign the documents?”
“Did you cheat on me?” She asked, cutting to the point.
Rafael’s shocked eyes betrayed him. June felt a dagger stab into her heart and twist painfully. This man had done a number on her and here she was, hoping and waiting he would at least give an explanation.
Something to justify what he had done or at least the thought process behind it. At this point, she just wanted something. She needed to know what went through his head. But he gave her nothing.
No explanation. Just plain guilt written over his frosty face. When he gave her nothing, she pressed forward with a question. “Why?”
Rafael stiffened, his hands shook as he took in the pure pain in her eyes. He had done the unthinkable. He had succeeded in doing the one thing he never wanted to do. He hurt her. He’s hurt her so badly and there was no excuse.
“Where are the papers?” He asked with his jaws tightened.
June scoffed at the incredulousness of the man before her. “Was I a joke to you? When you said you loved me was it all a lie?” Her lips trembled as she asked the last question with a tear trickling down her cheeks. “Did I ever mean anything to you?”
When Rafael saw the tears that trickled down her eyes, he felt his resistance crash down. He yearned to wipe away her tears and kiss her feet while telling her all the reasons he was not worthy of her.
He wanted to apologise and beg her for making her cry and betraying her in such a shameful way. He yearned to tell her everything. narrate the entire experience to her and ask her to forgive his foolishness.
At that moment, his feelings were raw and painful to bear. He felt a strong need to offset the burdens in his heart and ease the pain in her eyes. He wanted to take it all away if he could and replace the light he had taken from her.
Just when he opened his mouth to speak, the front door opened and their attention turned to the guest who walked into the house unannounced. Clarence was dressed in a red dress and lavish make-up that accentuated her looks.
“Hello, Raffy.” She said with a sultry edge to her tone. “I think you have something that belongs to me.”
June watched in anger as Clarence walked towards Rafael, dipped her hand in his front pockets and brought out a pink lace panties. “I think it got misplaced sometime last night.” She said to the hearing of June who turned around and left the living room.
“Wait-” Rafael said but it was too late, he turned to Clarence with a livid look. “You little-”
Clarence raised her hands in mock surrender. “Don’t hurt me!” She said, wearing a scared outlook. “I was only trying to help!” She defended when he firmly gripped her wrist.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t ruin you this instant?” He asked, breathing fire and fury.
“You said you didn’t want her to know. You were seconds away from blurting your secret when I arrived. I couldn’t let you do something you’ll regret.” She rushed, grabbing his attention.
“What nonsense are you spewing? How did that get into my pockets?!”
“You told me last night.” She whispered. “The cancer. You made a fuss about how you wanted it kept a secret. I’m so sorry. You stole my panties last night and refused to give it back. I just came to take it back.”
Once again, Rafael swore never to drink again as shame consumed him. He let go of her wrist like it burned him and headed the same way June left. Clarence watched him leave with a wicked smile on her face.
It was only a matter of time now. She hoped that June would do the needful and sign the divorce papers. She had painstakingly plotted all of this to give her enough motivation to do the needful. With that, she left the house, deciding to return later and pick up the pieces of Rafael.
June went straight to her mother’s room, wiping tears from her eyes. “We will be leaving soon,” She announced without a second thought. “I just need to get a few things from his room before we leave.”
Evelyn felt something was wrong between her daughter and Rafael since the previous night. However, she didn’t think it was something they wouldn’t settle. Seeing her daughter so distraught brought her motherly instinct to the front seat.
“What happened? What did he do to you?”
June didn’t feel like speaking. She had gone through a rollercoaster of emotions in the past seventy-two hours and all she wanted was some peace and time away from the drama. She needed to organise her thoughts and find out the best way to address things.
“We are divorced. He is not my husband anymore. It was all a sham. Please pick some things and join me downstairs. We don’t have much time.”
It hurt June to say the words out loud. Saying it out loud gave it legitimacy. It made everything happening more realistic than ever. She didn’t wait for her mother’s response and immediately headed for Rafael’s room.
Her matrimonial bedroom. Or so she thought.
She forced the burst of emotions that threatened to combust her heart down her throat and pushed open the door. Rafael stood in the middle of the room, pacing until she entered.
June didn’t meet his eyes and went straight to their shared desk. When Rafael noticed she was packing, he walked up to her with his heart on his sleeves. “Please… Please don’t leave. I can explain. Please… Don’t leave me.”
June brushed him off with blazing eyes. “Save it!” She pointed to the carefully made bed which held the signed divorce papers. “You can take the papers. I signed them. You can move on with your life.”
“No…” Rafael muttered with panic-riddled eyes. “Let me explain, it’s not what you think..”
“Explain?! Explain what exactly, Rafael?! You had her panties in your breast pockets! You slept with her and have the guts to accuse me of cheating?!” June said with a raised voice.
“I don’t need your stinking money so you can keep it! I curse the day I met you! I regret falling in love with you and becoming your wife, Rafael. You can make babies with Clarence. But I promise she will never love you the way I did.”
Tears loosely dropped from her eyes. “You will never find a woman like me, Rafael. It’s your loss because I deserve way better than a cheating scum. You are no different from Ethan. You are all the same.”
With that, June wiped her tears and gathered the important things with a stoic expression. Rafael stood in the middle of the room, tongue-tied as he watched her rid his room of her essence. Soon enough, she dragged her bags down the stairs where her mother waited.
Rafael watched June leave the house with her mother in a cab that morning, leaving him all alone. Once she was out of sight, Rafael stepped away from the window with tremors in his hands.
He looked around the room and a shell of what it used to be looked back at him. He felt a mind-numbing pain take over and he opened the little fridge in his room and took out a bottle of wine.
The signed divorce papers remained untouched on the bed while he sat on the floor, opened the drink and drank straight from the bottle. Her words replayed in his head like a mantra. How did he lose something so beautiful?
How did he get to this point? Rafael refused to acknowledge she was gone. While he drank an unhealthy amount of alcohol, he deluded himself into believing that she was not gone. To believe it was only temporary and the love of his life did not just walk out of his life.
The more he drank, the easier it became to delude himself, only for the painful reality to hit him much harder than ever. It was a dark day in Rafael’s life and the air around the house reflected the mood.
Luis returned to his grandmother’s home and was placed in his old room. As expected, he obeyed and did everything he was asked without throwing a fit. Compared to the young terror he used to be, the employees were shocked at his peaceful demeanour.
His face remained aloof and cold as he went about his business, holding tight to his father’s words as he patiently navigated his new environment and routine. Night fell in South City.
June and her mother checked into a hotel in the centre of the city. June cried her heart out while her mother tried and failed to console her. Things were taking a different turn in their lives and for the first time ever, June felt uncertain about the future.