89 The Past and the Present

"This is owned by me and my husband." The statement keeps resounding in my head. I am the wife and Colin is my husband.

There was a long silence in the living room. No one spoke a word. It seems like she i studying about me which is what I'm also doing to her. I know I saw this woman somewhere but I can't remember who she is.

"This unit belongs to my husband, Colin Andrews, and since I'm his wife so technically, this is also mine." She explains.

Now I remember. She is Lara Matthews, Colin's ex-wife but as far as I know, they already got divorced.

"Let me call him so the two of you can talk." I got my phone and dialled Colin's number. "Hello. (pause) Your wife is here. (pause.) No, not me, your first wife. (pause) I don't know. Why don't you ask her? (pause) I'm not mad. Let's talk later. Can you come home now?" (pause) Okay, we will wait." End of call.

"You are his wife? So, he got married now! And he brought everyobe of you here!" Nancy who was quietly listening wanted to say something but I looked at her to tell her not to.

"He will be here after 20 minutes. You can wait for him here or if you feel uncomfortable, you can wait for him in a cafe downstairs."

"How dare you tell me what to do! This is my house! Colin bought it while we were still married."

"Please bring Athena in her room mom." I asked my mom since I don't want her to hear people arguing in front of her. After my mom and Athena were out of sight, I talked to Lara. "The two of you can talk. I'm not in the position to answer your questions since I don't know what you guys have agreed about after your divorce. For now, please respect us. Technically, I am the current wife so I also have the right to livr where my husband resides."

"You even brought your whole family here! Don't you know that Colin is such a private man?"

"He's then one who asked for my family to be here, for your information."

"I doubt that. I can sense your kind. You seem like a gold digger to me."

"As far as I know, Colin caught you having an affair and you chose to be with that man instead of being with you ex-husband. So, don't act like you're still in love with him. You are part of his past. I am the present! Please know your position. Now, get out from here before I call security. You can wait for MY husband downstairs." I said firmly. Colin has been opened to me about his ex-wife and I trust him. He has been taking care of me and my family ever since we got married and as his wife, it is my duty to make sure that our relationship will stay intact. If I have to fight against this woman to keep my family, then I will do it. I'm not the same Jessica who kept quiet even though people are already getting advantage of her.

Nancy immediately went to the door and opened it, signalling Lara to get out from the house.

"We are not yet done here. Just wait until Colin sees me. I'm sure he will dump you to where he found you."

"Just get out, Miss. You are not welcome here." Nancy said coldly.

Lara got out with her luggage and as soon as the door was closed, Nancy was ecstatic.

"I'm so proud of you, Jessica. I never thought you can pull that one off without my help. You seem very scary, you know. I am the present! Wow, I can't forget that line. You have mentioned that Colin was divorced but I never thought his ex-wife is as pretty as her. But of course for me you're still prettier. Have you seen the looks on her face? She looked so angry, like she would kill someone soon and you never backed down. That was so amazing! Why are you crying?"

I started weeping thinking about the last statement Lara said. What if Colin realizes that he is still in love with her? I am nothing compared to that woman. She looks very elegant, smart and classy. While in my case, I look so ordinary.

"Why are you crying? Did I say something that hurt you? Talk to me. You're making me feel nervous." Nancy asked.

"What if Colin makes up with that woman? What will happen to us?" I cried more. I feel so scared now. I'm so in love with my husband and I am so happy in our relationship. I can't imagine losing him in my life.

"What are you talking about? Sir Colin is not like Geoff. They are too different. Colin married you because he loves you while Geoff took advantage of your innocense. What happened before will never happen again. You should trust your husband. Stop that nonsense!"

"But she's very pretty." My insecurity started creeping inside of me.

"You're also pretty. You just have to take care of yourself more. Let's wait until Sir Colin comes back. Stop thinking about negative things."

Mom then came out from Athena's room.

"Athena is now sleeping. Who is that woman?" She asked.

I explained everything to her. After I told her everything, she just smiled and hugged me.

"Stop worrying. They are now divorced. Colin told you everything you needed to know, that means, it was alreadt over between the two of them. How could you lose trust to your husband despite everything he did to you?"

"That's what I was telling her. She's crying for unnecessary things."

My phone then rang. Colin is calling. I put the call on loudspeaker.

"Hello." I answered. I tried to make my voice sound natural.

"Come downstairs. I want you to be here while I talk to her."

"That's bullshit!" Lara's voice can be heard from the background. Nancy signalled me to go. My mom smiled at me.

"Do you think it is better for me to be there?"

"Of course, you're my wife. You have to know everything that's happening to me. Come here in the cafe, okay? I already asked the staff not to allow other customers to come in. I'm scared Lara is not emotionally sane now. Come downstairs immediately, okay? I love you." And the call ended. We could hear Lara's voice but the words from her were not that clear.

"I told you, Sir Colin is not like your ex-husband." Nancy said.

"Wash your face firsr before going down. Your eyes are swollen." Mom said.

I went to the bathroom immediately to wash my face. After that, I applied powder and lip tint. I should not cry in front of Lara. I should show to her that I am Colin's wife. I should never show that I'm scared to lose my husband to her and that I fully trust him.

Colin held my hand as soon as I entered the cafe. He smiled at me. It's like he's telling that I shouldn't worry about anything. Lara is sitting in the corner looking so furious. An untouched cup of coffee is in front of her.

"I guess you already know each other. Tell us, Lara, what do you want?" Colin started.

"I want to get what was mine."

"We already had a divorce. You signed the papers. You're the one who thought our marriage was boring and that you were happier with another guy. I gave you that freedom. I gave you more than enough alimony. We have agreed that the house will be mine. I already gave you an apartment. You can't just barge in my place like that. You know we can sue you with what you did."

"I'm sorry, honey. I realized after we separated that I can't live without you. We can start again. I will think about having a baby. I'm ready to start our own family. I know you still love me. Leave this woman and I will accept you."

I can't stop but to smirk with what she said. How could she easily ask Colin to leave me?

"Sorry but I'm happy now. She helped me forget about you. If you need anything, if you need me to help tou with something, you can talk to my secretary and I'll check what I can do. I will tell the security here not to let you go inside the building again." Colin stood up from his seat, still holding my hand. "Let's go." He then looked at me with a smile.

"You will regret choosing that woman over me! She has a dark past. I know everything about her."

"I know more than you do." Colin said and we stepped out of the cafe.