LET'S JUST GET A DIVORCE

Note: This novel is based on the author's imagination.

The hot New York afternoon gave no hint of the extraordinary events in store for Amelia Smith over the following weeks. There was no warning at all of the amazing emotional entanglement that would change her existence in every imaginable way.

It felt like any other summer afternoon, and her marriage had been in the same mess for the past year, ever since she lost the baby. No, if she was honest, it had been in a mess for longer than that. They were temperamentally unsuited, and should never have married in the first place. At least, that was how he felt; she really never thought the same. She has always been in love with him but he betrayed her love.

The particular Saturday afternoon brought things to the end in her marriage. It was early June, and the weather was hot as Amelia read one of her favourite historical romance novels on the roof garden of their Brooklyn penthouse. Money was no object for Jacob, a sought-after address. He was unusual and handsome; though he was young and was a CEO in one of the leading technical companies in the city, and his family was very wealthy, so he could afford the best. 

If the same could have been said for Amelia's situation, it might not have been quite so bad, but her career was no longer rewarding as it had once before, which meant she was not happy both at home and at work.

It was through work she and Jacob had met. He'd been a patient in the small hospital she worked for as a gynaecologist. She liked her job then, she still does, but back then it seemed like the sky might be the limit, but before everything came crumbling.

Jacob was looking forward to being a father_no, more than that, he was longing to be a father. Just like some women aren't happy unless they're surrounded by babies. Jacob seemed like he wouldn't be complete until he had a child. Boy or girl, it didn't matter, just so long as it was his.

Then the worst happened, and she miscarried. It started on a night when she got a call from the hospital of a woman in labour and they were in urgent need of her. She could only think of getting to hospital and delivering the baby safely which also caused her something because that night she lost her child. 

Her husband told her not to go because an obstetrician would do the job but she was adamant on going. Their obstetrician had been transferred to another hospital that afternoon and considering it was a small hospital so she was the only one left.

Nothing could save her baby, but she'd save someone else's.

She'd been devastated , but Jacob had been distraught, and for several weeks it was his own loss that concerned him, not hers. When she'd been allowed home, he'd gone through motions of looking after her, but she could sense his unspoken accusations. Losing the baby was her fault; if she hadn't selfishly insisted on keeping her career going...He didn't say it out loud, though, and that at least she was grateful. She felt guilty enough already, and didn't need to be told that trying a high-powered job while in the middle of a difficult pregnancy wasn't the wisest thing in the world. But it was done now, and they had to pick  up the pieces, if indeed there was much left to pick up.

Now their marriage is going down the hill and she finally submitted her letter of resignation in the hospital. She was going to become the full housewife that her husband always wanted. He never liked her career, especially the hospital, because it was a small one and didn't have a lot of staff so she tends to have a lot of work to do. 

It was obvious their marriage wasn't still making any progress. They seldom make love now, and he rarely comes home early.

Hearing him arrive home early, Amelia put her book down and went inside, closing the glass doors on the city noise. She was slender, with curvaceous hips and petite, she had brown hair and big hazel eyes, and she wore joggers and a white crop top. Before he said so much as a word she knew something was wrong because of the way he loosened his tie and slumped on the couch beside him. He was thinking of how to tell her something she wasn't going to like or that might hurt her.

" What is wrong? " She asked, worriedly.

He didn't look at her. " I have to tell you something. Please understand me and try to reason with me. "

" Is there a problem? " She asked, sitting on the edge of the couch as she stared down at him.

" I...I want a divorce. "

She blinked her eyes repeatedly trying to digest his words in her head. 

" Y... you're joking, right? W...what sort of joke is this? "She said almost, stammering.

" I'm not joking, Amelia. I'm sick and tired of this marriage. I didn't know how to tell you this before but I've another woman and she is carrying my child. " His blue eyes were cold.

Her heart stopped in her chest as her breath hitched at her throat. 

" Since when have your affair being going on? " 

" A month after you lost the baby. " He replied and she gasped.

He couldn't even wait. Was this how impatient he was? How could he?

" You cheated on me? "

" It wasn't like that. " He avoided her eyes.

" I... thought we were going to sort things out..." 

" Sort things out? " He scoffed and stood up from the couch.

There were tears in her eyes. She didn't want it to be like this. There had been good times, and she thought maybe they'd find them again.

He spoke again. " Amelia, you have to be reasonable about this--"

She saw red. " Reasonable, you say? You can't be any more serious. "

" Yes, you've to be. If you hadn't lost the baby..." He didn't finish the sentence, but looked accusingly at her, his blue eyes bright with bitterness.

Was he going to say this to her right now? She made herself meet his eyes. " Lost the baby? You make it sound like I never wanted the baby. "

" Do I? Well, that wasn't my intention. " He said evenly.

" Then what was  your intention? There is obviously something on your mind, so just say it. "

" All right, damn it, I will! You caused the miscarriage. You were so darned determined to keep your stupid career going that you sacrificed our child! And for worth? You haven't got the damn career anymore anyway. "

The accusing words hung in the air long after he'd said them, and for a moment she was too distressed to respond. She'd always known that he blamed her for the miscarriage.

" I didn't cause any of this. " She whispered.

" You did. I'm sure you were glad you lost it. "

" How could you say that? Do you know how much it hurt me to lose the child? I did want the baby. I wanted it more than anything in the world. " There was silence in the room for a few seconds.

Tears leapt to her eyes as she was at a loss for words. It was obvious. There is nothing left to save in this marriage. He fucked another woman a month after she lost the baby and now he wants a divorce. Was he ever in love with her? 

He cleared his throat. " Look, let's not drag this any longer. Let's just get a divorce. "

That's how their marriage ended. The court divided his properties and gave her The Denham Manor in England. The Denham Manor was from Jacob's father's family and it had been passed down to the first sons of the family and now she was the owner. It was built in the mid 1800s and was kind of a lifeline to the family which seemed strange but Jacob seemed rather nonchalant about losing it to her in the court.

She'd heard strange things about the manor although she had never been there.

Amelia was heartbroken after the divorce so she decided to take a vacation to the manor. He had already brought his new wife home and they were making wedding plans when she left in the first week of August.

Going on a vacation to England was all she could have hoped for. As she left the capital far behind and made her way north-east toward Colchester. She watched the green countryside, the quaint towns, and the slower paces, from the window of her car and she liked them. She even liked the narrow roads and the farm buildings. Right now, both  Jacob Denham and his new wife seemed magnificently far away or on the other side of her mind.

She was determined to use the next two weeks to think carefully about the future. If she had known all of this would've happened within a blink of an eye she wouldn't have submitted her resignation letter but now it was too late.

All this was going through her head as she drove, but as she reached the edge of the slope above the wide valley where Colchester and the natural beauty within the Dedham Vale were laid out before her, something happened that was so strange it made her temporarily forget all her problems.

The moment the panoramic view came into sight, she was struck by such a fierce feeling of deja vu that she almost swerved her car into the path of an oncoming truck. With a scream she slammed on the brakes and the truck thundered past. It was a close call, and her heart pounded as she rested her forehead weakly against the steering wheel.

As she recovered a little, she looked at the view again. There was something so oddly familiar about the Colchester town that made a shiver run up her spine. Then she shook her head . The prospect was clearly a famous one, for she might have seen it in a magazine or something. But if she had, it wasn't recently, because she hadn't looked out or searched up for the history of England and its cities so it was still strange to her.

A wry smile touched her lips. If anyone should experience deja vu her, it was Jacob, not her. After all, it was his father's family, the Denham, that came from these parts.

Even with that the "been here before" feeling lingered as she drove closer to the city and towards the direction of the Denham Manor. The feelings were so strong as drove past the buildings and that she was even thinking she was going to see someone she knew, but there was no one.

Standing tall in all its glory was the Denham manor. The private house just lay off the street with smaller buildings and wooden fences around it.

There was an old man and woman in the middle of the compound and they had their heads bowed. The old man was dressed like a Butler and so was the woman who looked like she was still in her fifties. They had a broad smile on their faces as she parked her car and came down from it. It seems they came out the moment they heard her car from the yard.

The lane was wide enough to take a car, and ended in a rose-decked courtyard where derelict eighteenth-century cottages had been turned into luxurious tourist accommodations.

The old man walked up to her. " Would you be Mrs Denham? "

She was about to nod her head but stopped, remembering that she was not married anymore but she had no choice but to give him a reply. " Yes, I would, Mr? "

" Walker. Noah Walker. I'm the butler. Everyone calls me Noah. "

Amelia raised a brow. Everyone?

" Right, Noah. You can call me Amelia or just Miss. I'm no longer a married woman. " She replied with a forced smile and she could see the look of confusion on his face when she told him that she was no longer a married woman.

Her gaze darted to the woman who was still smiling at her and she returned the smile.

" I'm Alicia Walker. The cook. " She introduced herself. Her gaze focused on Amelia.

" Nice to meet you. I can't wait to eat one of your meals. " 

She nodded as she helped her take her luggage from the trunk. " I trust you had a good journey? "

" Yes, thank you. " The courtyard roses were sweet and heady in the warm air, and the fragrance seemed to stir hidden memories. It was another odd feeling, like the way she'd felt when she saw the view from the slope. How strange! 

She looked around to see if there was anyone in the compound except for the three of them but there was no one.

" Where are the others? " Amelia popped up a question.

" Others? We're the only ones here. "

To be continued...