(ARIELLE’S POV)
I walked numbly beside Ashley, my body present, but my mind wandering. We were leaving the hospital, and I was still dazed. The doctor had asked me to return in a few days to start my antenatal, but up until this moment, despite seeing my child through the scan,
hearing its heartbeat, and holding pictures of it, I still felt like I was in a dream.
One that fate has plunged me into, and sooner or later would cruelly pull me out of it. Ashley, God bless her, understood the state I was in and held me firmly by the arm. A gesture I was grateful for because I didn’t trust my legs not to give in and wobble under me. We continued walking, lost in our thoughts when suddenly, Ashley’s grip on my arm tightened. “Arielle, look,” she whispered.
I followed her gaze and my heart sank-coming from a corner in the hallway ahead of us was Jared and Sofia. From the look on their faces, they looked surprised to see us, too.
Oh, no! I whimpered. This can’t be happening. “Should we turn back around?” I whispered to Ashley. “They can’t find out why we’re here.”
“We can’t turn back, instead, we’d ignore them and keep moving. Come on,” Ashley nudged. I looked at her, and she nodded reassuringly.
We resumed walking, and by now, Jared and Sofia were close to us. I locked my gaze with Jared fleetingly before looking away, as Ashley and I made to walk past them. But Sofia blocked our paths, spreading out her arms to block it further. “What’s the meaning of this?” Ashley snapped.
“Oh, hi Ashley and Arielle. It’s been a moment, and I must say, it’s a pleasure to see you both again.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t say the feeling is mutual. Now if you don’t mind, leave the way,” Arielle barked.
But while the exchange was going on, my eyes were elsewhere. They were fixated on Sofia’s outstretched right hand, the ring finger precisely. My pupils dilated as I kept staring at the ring in her hand. Hold on, is that not my wedding ring? And before I could stop myself, I blurted, “Is that my wedding ring you have on?”
Ashley halted in her argument with Sofia, her eyes snapping to her fingers. “Wait a minute… that’s indeed your wedding ring, Arielle!” She exclaimed.
Confident now that the ring was indeed mine, besides it was customized with me and Jared having only that design, I took a step forward. “What is my wedding ring doing with you? How did you get it?” I demanded coldly.
Sofia smiled smugly, running her hand through her hair before placing it on Jared’s shoulder. “Jared gave it to me,” she said.
“Jared gave it to you?” I repeated, just to be sure I heard clearly. “That’s my wedding ring.”
Sofia’s smile widened. “Was,” she taunted, her voice dripping with mockery. “You should be mindful of your tenses, Arielle.”
I ignored her and shifted my gaze to Jared. “How did you get my ring!” I asked, my voice low and icy. “I remember misplacing it, where did you find it?”
He shrugged. “I found it on our bedside table, where you used to keep it.”
I paused trying to piece his words together. Yes, I used to leave my ring. on the bedside table most times in the past, but I remember having it on, on the day of the accident. How come he found it on the bedside table?
But that doesn’t matter now, does it? We are divorced, and he can have his ring and give it to whomever he deems fit.
“I see, you’re so eager to get rid of me that you’ve given my wedding ring to her already. But you know what? Good luck to you both,” I said, sarcastically. “You deserve each other And don’t forget to submit the divorce papers to the local court so the rest of the divorce process can proceed.”
With that, I resumed walking, Ashley falling into step beside me. “Arielle -“
“No, don’t say anything. I’m done with his silly sss, and I’m done with all of this.”
When we arrived home, and as soon arrived
as we walked through the door, I burst into tears. My emotions were overwhelming, from discovering was still pregnant to seeing my wedding ring on Sofia; it was just so too much to contain.
Ashley wrapped her arms around me, trying to console me but I was inconsolable. Exhaustion soon stepped in, and she led me to the room. The moment my body touched the bed, I drifted off to sleep. Hours later, I woke up and freshened up, and Ashley came to call me for an early dinner. While eating, she noticed I was picking at my food.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
I sighed, paused, and put my cutlery aside. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Okay…” Ashley responded, her brows creased in concern.
I hesitated, my eyes welling up with tears again. “I don’t mean to hurt you, but I have to. It seems like the best thing to do.”
Ashley adjusted in her seat, looking scared and confused. “What is it, Arielle? You’re scaring me. Just tell me.”
I took a deep breath, mustering courage. “I’m leaving…”
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