Disliking me

[Zhu Mansion]

There was a knock on the door that made the pen stop moving. Dominic snapped his eyes up and watched a man in a suit enter the office. The man bowed as soon as he closed the door behind him and then walked toward Dominic's desk.

"Master, Miss Shen is here," the man quietly announced. "She said she wants to see you."

"At this hour?" Dominic asked ridiculously. He then checked his wristwatch. It was already past dinner. "What does she want?" he asked. 

The man pressed his lips into a thin line. He looked annoyed by the sudden intrusion. "She said it was important."

"I don't need her to report to me again since her friend and I are separating," Dominic trailed off as his brows rose. Did something happen? He thought. "Sure. Let her in."

"Yes, sir."

The man did as he was told and immediately left the room. Meanwhile, Dominic rose from the swivel chair from behind the table. He walked a few steps to the table, where a decanter of whiskey and an empty glass were waiting for him. As he waited for his wife's friend, Dominic poured himself a glass of whiskey.

'I heard she visited Heaven this afternoon,' he recalled the report he received from one of his men earlier this afternoon. 'I guess this was about the divorce.'

Even though Dominic and Heaven were in the process of divorcing, he still placed a few guards around Heaven for safety purposes. Not that she was in danger, but it was better to be sure.

Dominic leaned his hip against the table and straightened his back, resting his hand on his abdomen, still holding the glass of whiskey. He heard the door open and closed, then he sensed someone behind his back. 

"How are you, Master Zhu?" Paula greeted. Her voice sounded happy as she slightly bowed and smiled even though Dominic's back was facing her. "I came here because I heard of what happened."

"Of what happened?" Dominic repeated with a stress then glanced over his shoulder.

"Yes." Paula took a deep breath, forcing a bright smile on her face. "Mister Zhu, I know I have many things to thank you for. If not for you, I don't think I will ever have a breakthrough in my career —"

"Miss Shen, you do not have to thank me for helping my wife's only friend." Dominic slowly turned around and looked at the person standing a few steps in front of him. "Why are you here?" he bluntly asked. 

"I wanted to thank you, Mister Zhu," Paula said without any delays.

"For?"

"Heaven told me about the divorce and she's very happy about it. I know you've been a great help to me, but Heaven is my dear friend. For the past five years, I've never seen her so happy," Paula embellished. She then put her left hand on her right shoulder, lowering her eyes as if to hide the shame on behalf of her friend. "I might look selfish, but this is the first time I've seen my friend smile again."

Paula took a deep breath and then raised her head. "Mister Zhu and Heaven are important to me. I know that going through a divorce is hard, but I'm glad that you two won't hurt anymore." A tear formed at the corner of her eyes, but a genuine smile graced her lips. 

If Heaven was watching Paula right now, she would surely applaud her for this standing ovation act. Not only did Paula succeed in playing the role of a martyred friend, but she also relayed the message she wanted Dominic to hear.

This divorce made Heaven the happiest person in the world.

Dominic's face darkened as his jaw tightened. 'Not that I didn't know this divorce wouldn't make her happy,' he told himself, but hearing it from someone else still didn't feel pleasant.

"Heaven said she wants to stay with me once she signed the divorce papers." Paula took advantage of her momentum, breaking the brief silence that befell upon them. "If you want to know about her welfare, I don't mind telling you everything. That's the least I can do for all the help you've given me."

"No need," Dominic said. He waved his hand dismissively, maintaining his unchanging demeanor. His eyes, though, bore an additional layer of frost that would make any grown man shiver in fear. "I don't need to hear anything about her after she signed the divorce paper. You may now leave, Miss Shen."

Paula bit her bottom lip as she bowed her head respectfully. "I will try to visit to play with the young master again."

*****

Meanwhile, in the hospital where Heaven was admitted, she kept tossing and turning on the bed, unable to get back to sleep.

"Damn it!" She suddenly cursed, then sprung up with a deep frown on her face. "I've been sleeping all day and now I can't sleep."

When Paula Shen left, Heaven fell asleep shortly after. Her sleep was long and deep, only waking up when it was time for dinner. After dinner, she slept again, only to wake up in the middle of the night. Now, she couldn't go back to sleep as if her body was telling her enough was enough.

"I don't remember sleeping so soundly." Heaven collapsed back on the bed; she almost recovered her strength. "Damn it. To be honest, I don't want to sleep anymore. I'm afraid once I wake up, that guy is here with the divorce papers with him."

Heaven moved up slightly, reclining on her bed for a more comfortable position. "I managed to stall time because I fainted, but I'm certain I can't buy myself more time."

Although she already agreed to sign the divorce papers, that decision was with a heavy heart. If she could, she would stop the divorce from happening. But if she couldn't think of a way tonight, she would rather give what Dominic wanted and be fair to him at least once.

"I know my brain and why I am reluctant to sign the papers," she murmured, placing her hand across her chest. "However, I have no personal attachment to Mister Husband and Baby Son. So why… is my heart so heavy?"

Her eyes softened as she pressed her lip into a thin line. In her previous life, bidding farewell was almost an everyday occurrence. Those farewells were even worse than a divorce because the destination of those people was a place she could never go unless she took her last breath.

She should be used to saying goodbyes. She was already good at it. But why, even with so many years of experience, did her heart feel so heavy it was almost taking her breath away?

"Heaven, if you hate them so much, why don't you want to let them go?" she wondered, asking herself that even the original Heaven couldn't answer. "I'm starting to dislike the new me."