Chapter Five

I awoke with a strong pain in my head as a result of the wine I drank the night before. I check to see where the light is coming from and find Miss Evelyn, as usual, opening the curtains. Grabbing my phone, I check the clock and find that I have just woken up on time.

Miss Evelyn then placed the bedside table in front of me, where my breakfast was already prepared, and I saw a hangover remedy. She caught me when I stared at her. She knew exactly what I was going to ask.

"I noticed the half-empty wine bottle on your balcony," I said, looking at my balcony. It's now clean, and I examined her hands. I'm relieved she didn't injure herself when cleaning up the glass I smashed last night.

I ate my breakfast and hurriedly showered before dressing in the attire I picked last night, which will highlight the boobs I've been working on for years. It's a waste of the pills I'm taking to grow them big enough if all I'm going to do is conceal and cover them up. I wore it while sitting on my stool doing my make-up and Miss Evelyn was doing my hair.

We finished on time and then departed for the second hearing. When we arrived to the location and noticed Aleksei's car was already parked, I did my best to relax. I gave it a small smile. He's desperate to end this marriage as soon as possible.

I step inside the courtroom since they are just waiting for me. I shake hands with my lawyer before taking a seat next to him, and the second hearing begins in an instant. Even if I want to turn my head to look at him, I can resist myself. I can't even feel myself sobbing right now. I feel like I squandered my tears from last night, and demon paralysis makes me feel better.

I hope he'll come to see me every night.

The second hearing will only concern the properties and assets that we both own and name under our names. That's why I picked this sort of divorce, and I figured it'd be the one we'd debate in the last hearing out of the six we'll have. I never anticipated it being on the second day of the hearing, but I know it's because of Aleksei's work.

Do you really want to leave that quickly?

Aleksei and his lawyer have nothing in common with me other than their surname, so they have nothing to do with this. It's just my lawyer this time. He is standing there, holding the paperwork I have handed him.

"Miss Stepan named many properties under Mister Valentin; private lots, houses, cars, islands, and beaches." He hands the first document to the court representative before finishing his words quickly. "Miss Stepan also wanted to cut all Mister Valentin's shared airlines, cruise ships, and business with her. She intended to break all relations with Mister Valentin and never let him use her name again."

As soon as my lawyer declared that I wanted everything to happen and provided all the paperwork to the courtroom representative, I felt Aleksei's glare at me. I just sit in my chair and listen, letting my lawyer do the job. When he finished speaking, I caught the attention of the courtroom's representative.

"If it's feasible, I'd want to add one more thing." I leaned on the table as I expressed my request. "I wanted Mr. Valentin's name to be removed as one of the current owners of the property where we live. It was a wedding present from my father. Living in the same residence is not required if we are ready to divorce. I'll let him grab his belongings and depart."

"When would you like Mr. Valentin to leave?"

"Within the day."

The court's spokesperson concurred with my position. He signed certain paperwork that would be delivered to the judge we would be meeting with soon.

I know I've always wanted Aleksei to be close to me, but his absence gives me the impression that he'll never be close to me again. We reside in the same house, but I can't feel him or his presence around me, and if I want to move on swiftly, I need to cease living with him.

It would be simpler for me to adjust to not living under the same roof again if he left our house this early, because it still bothers me. This decision pains me, but it will hurt me far more if the time comes and I have to watch him depart. I'll then begin to mend myself.

"Thank you, Caleb," I murmured when the second hearing concluded and we shook hands. "You did an excellent job."

"I'm simply doing my job correctly," he remarked, still holding my hand, and we let go as Aleksei moved between us.

"You're in the way," Aleksei pointed out. I frown because I realise we're not in the way and there's more room behind Caleb.

"Anyway, I'll leave now. Thank you again," I excused myself and walked to my car.

My driver took me to my café, where I would meet my previous nanny. She is from Tula and is simply passing through Moscow. She phoned me last night, and I haven't seen her in a long time, and I have time today, and she has time to meet with me as well. I have no reason to squander this chance to see her again.

I saw her as soon as I walked into the café, and when she recognized me, she smiled. That made me smile as well. I approached her and hugged her before taking the seat in front of her.

"Aish! Look at what you're wearing. It's too exposed. "Your breasts would peek out," she exclaimed as she tried to pull my dress up.

"It's some type of trend, nanny." I pouted, as if she hadn't noticed me usually wearing flamboyant clothes before.

"I'm just worried you'll catch a cold."

"I'm used to the sense of coldness," I answered, acting as if I wasn't thinking about my troubles at the time. We get drinks and speak about our businesses and how much we miss each other.

"How's the divorce going?" she inquired, taking my hand in hers. I attempted to smile while holding her hand. She was the first to find out, and I phoned her when Aleksei sought a divorce. She just feel like a mother to me, so if I have a lot of trouble and need a different type of consolation, I contact her.

"I just got back from the second hearing," I explained, adding that we had four more hearings before the divorce would be granted. I don't want that to happen right now. Only if I could pause or reverse time.

"You adore your spouse, don't you?"

"I do. I love him so much, Nana. He made me feel things I never imagined I would experience; happiness and grief." Blinking the tears away, she gripped my hand harder, and I forced a grin on my face. I was a forger...

"Sometimes, we fall in love with the wrong people; we believe they are the one, but they aren't." I'm not sure whether I agree. I don't believe Aleksei is the wrong guy for me. I don't believe there is such a thing as a wrong person in time at all. "But, didn't he not cheat?"

"He doesn't cheat," Aleksei did not cheat. He does a variety of activities. He simply prefers this other woman over me. I don't believe my husband fell out of love with me or that he ever loved me at all. I know he cared for me. I could feel it. My spouse had feelings for me. I take a deep breath and try to keep my tears from falling. They claim that true love never dies. I suppose that would be the case.

If "First love never dies," then I'll still be put in the worst possible predicament. Blair was Aleksei's first love, not me, and Aleksei was my first love. I wasn't his first love, and perhaps that's why his feelings for me dissipated so quickly. Maybe it wasn't as intense as his feelings for Blair.

"Let's not speak about it this time, nanny," I said, as we sipped our drinks and changed the subject. "However, where are you going?"

"I'd go to the hospital." She comes here for a more thorough examination and medicine. She's already elderly, and Dad was around her age when he had the heart ailment that killed him.

"I'll drive you," I said, and we finished our drinks. My driver drove my car to the hospital. After a few seconds, we arrive at the hospital and begin walking through the corridors when I notice she is directing me in a different direction. "Aren't you going to be checked out?"

"No, I'm here to see my grandkids," she said. I nodded and we continued walking, wondering which grandchild she was referring to because she doesn't have a spouse and I know she doesn't have children. Perhaps a sibling's child. "My grandchild has cancer; it's the worst case scenario, and it's difficult for her, but she'll get through it with the aid of her family and partner."

When she mentioned her granddaughter's partner, I smiled and hoped that she would recover quickly and that she and her boyfriend would be able to be together for a longer period of time. Regardless of her condition, I wished they could have a solid bond that no illness or person could destroy.

"We're here," she said as she went through the door. "Come inside, and I'll introduce you to them so they can thank you for covering my dialysis and medications."

"There isn't any necessity for that."

"Just come in."

I have no choice but to intervene. I shut the door while the parents on the couch demanded my attention, and the nanny led me to where her youngster was. I glance at her and smiled briefly before spotting a man holding her hand, most likely her boyfriend.

"This is Blair," Nanny said before introducing me to the man in front of me, "and he's her boyfriend."

Aleksei...