My Blind Wife Wants Divorced

Once he arrived at the hotel Deborah had quickly prepared before flying to Cattle Village, Leonel hesitated to make a phone call. For some reason, Chloe’s voice kept echoing in his mind whenever he went on business trips, longing to hear news from her. He paused momentarily, observing the night sky of the city he had set foot in. Despite his crucial meeting at ten o’clock the next day, his eyes refused to close at this hour. It was his fault for continuously thinking about Chloe without stopping.

Regardless of the hurtful words he might receive, Leonel was willing to take the risk once again. It took a while before the phone received a response.

“Who is this?” Chloe asked with her soft voice. Leonel truly missed the gentleness of her voice, which he hadn’t heard in a long time. Even before the accident, Chloe used to ask him every day with a tender tone, half hoping to be pampered by him. But Leonel ignored her, letting her drown in solitude without his presence.

“It’s me, Chloe.”

There was a momentary silence that Leonel heard afterward.

“What do you want?” Chloe asked coldly. Ah, that’s right. The tenderness immediately disappeared upon hearing Leonel’s voice. Just like when she left earlier, Chloe had reluctantly helped prepare all his belongings, including packing his suitcase according to his wishes. She acted annoyed and spoke curtly, but Chloe still managed to match his shirts for him.

It didn’t matter. This was more than enough for Leonel. He just had to try harder for his wife to give him a chance to change and save their marriage because, for some reason, Leonel felt that his actions had been wrong all this time.

Regarding Ester?

He didn’t know. Leonel couldn’t think yet. He was following what his heart told him about his marriage. It no longer occupied his mind, even if it meant sacrificing his dream marriage with Ester.

“I just wanted to let you know I’ve arrived at the hotel, Chloe. Safely.”

“I have no desire to know what you’re doing anymore, Leonel.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“At least I hear your voice. Were you waiting for me?”

“Only in your imagination.”

“But you always used to wait for news from me, right? Paulo said you often checked my whereabouts whenever I was out of town.”

A hint of dislike reached Leonel’s ears. “That was then. Now? Even if you’re with Ester, my heart no longer feels pain. My sadness has disappeared. If you want my honesty about your presence in my life, Leonel, it no longer holds any meaning.”

Chloe’s words hit his heart strongly. It didn’t matter. He had done something much bigger than his wife’s objections.

“Yes, Chloe. I will continue to apologize until you forgive me.”

“Sign the divorce papers soon, Leonel. I’ve talked to the Grisham family lawyer. They said everything was ready. But why are you postponing it?”

Leonel fell silent.

“Never mind. There’s no need to act like you care too much about me. Please do what you usually do.”

“What’s wrong with wanting to change? Should I be allowed? Can’t I try to save our marriage?”

“For what?” There was a deliberate silence Chloe took to take a breath and strengthen her heart in the face of her husband’s nonsense. What was wrong with Leonel? Acting as if their marriage was healthy and worth fighting for? It was ridiculous. “Why are you making such futile efforts, Leonel? It would be better if you used your time to prepare for your wedding, right? There is no more job, and please use it without needing your pity. It’s been enough for me to be a beggar these past five years.”

The pain in Leonel’s heart grew more assertive.

“Do you still want to torment me? Even if I were blind, I wouldn’t forget what you both did.”

“But, Chloe, I want to save our marriage.”

Leonel heard a burst of cutting laughter that entered his ears. It made him shut his eyes tightly. His hands gripped the edge of the sofa he was sitting on.

“Save it? Since you met Ester behind my back, playing the role of an oppressed husband due to this arranged marriage, you should know that the ship called our marriage has already sunk to the bottom. I was too blind to cover up all the pain you caused, Leonel.”

“But this time, I will fight to bring that ship back to the surface.”

“On what basis are you struggling like this?”

Leonel fell silent. None of the words he wanted to utter came out. Even reflected in the window he had purposely opened the curtains for, his mouth resembled a gasping fish, struggling for breath, gasping for oxygen.

“You can’t answer, can you? Stop it, Leonel. Please stop it. I’m tired.”

***[]***

Since arriving at the hotel, Josh had arranged for him, and there was no desire to enjoy the air of Cattle Village simply. Maybe it was because of the exhaustion from the journey from New York City to this relatively luxurious hotel. Even though the view and facilities could pamper him, he chose to curl up in bed.

It covered her entire body with a blanket and let the TV stay on. She didn’t care about what Ester was watching. His body just needed rest because he felt tired for some reason. Sofi had prepared everything she needed, including the food and drink he wanted to enjoy. Her pizza with cold cola but it didn’t seem to affect his mood much.

Ester still couldn’t get Leonel’s face out of her mind in his office. Even though the man had apologized, it still felt different. Could it be because Ester didn’t know what had happened with Leonel that made him so angry? Ester didn’t have the answer.

“Miss,” Sofi called from the doorway of her room. Their unit had two rooms, with Sofi occupying one of them. Ester purposely booked another room for Rio, which was spacious enough for him.

Hearing Sofi calling her, Ester only peeked her head out from under the blanket. She didn’t care if her appearance was messy or cluttered. “What’s up?”

“Mr. Josh has been trying to reach you but couldn’t get through.”

Ester sighed softly. “Out of cash.” She reached out her hand, slightly getting up from her comfortable position. “He called you, right?”

“Yes, Miss.” Sofi moved forward and handed her the phone that she had been holding. It was still connected to a voice call from one of the essential clients in Ester’s project. It was confusing because Sofi usually contacted Ester directly whenever there was something to discuss, except regarding contracts.

It didn’t take long for Ester to connect with Josh. “Yes?”

“Mrs. Ester?”

Ester sighed softly. She hadn’t been connected yet, apparently still with her assistant Josh, she assumed. “Hold on, please. I want to speak to Mr. Josh.”

Ester chose to wait, lowering the volume of the still-playing TV, not knowing what was on. Meanwhile, Sofi left her room to give Ester more privacy.

“You must be resting, right?”

“Do I also need to report?” Ester grumbled, slightly annoyed.

“Not really. I just wanted to inform you that I need your assistance tomorrow.”

Ester furrowed her brow.

“The Jana Group is in Cattle Village. They want to use you as their icon. I have arranged a meeting for you regarding several projects, and most of Jana’s projects are in Malaysia.

“Have you talked to Sofi?”

“I think Emir has given her the draft. You should consider the collaboration offer carefully. I believe it’s good for your career advancement, Ester.”

“Okay. Who should I meet?”

“His name is Romi. He arranged the brand ambassador for a specific brand, but I need clarification on the exact meeting time. I need you to be able to get inside, Jana, Ester.”

“As long as the payment from Jana follows my usual contract, I don’t mind.”

There was a chuckle that Ester heard coming from Josh. “You don’t need to worry, Ester. I can handle everything, and if you think the contract with Jana is too small, you can ask Sofi to negotiate compensation with us.”

“Why are you insisting?” Ester asked, quite curious.

“Well? You should know, Ester. Aren’t you the one benefiting here? If you can become one of their brand ambassadors, especially for their clothing line, your career will shine even brighter. Whether you like it or not, you carry a name that has made you famous, right?”

Ester hesitated. “Yes. I am still a grateful woman, Josh.”

“That’s good to hear. I hope you can get it. For your own sake, Ester.”

“Alright.”

“Enjoy your vacation, and remember, when you return to New York City, I want the remaining projects from you to be completed perfectly. I don’t want any complaints or subpar results.”

“Are you saying my work is bad?”

“More or less. I’m not the kind of person who covers up something like Leo. You know that for sure, right? I want you to represent my brand very well in this session.”

“Alright, alright. I didn’t expect you to be so nitpicky today.”

“For greater benefits, Ester.”

Shortly after, the phone call ended. Ester chose to go back to sleep and asked Sofi to examine the draft that would be sent to her email. Meanwhile, a satisfied grin appeared on Josh’s lips.

“Have you prepared everything, Emir?”

Emir, who had been busy reviewing reports before handing them to his boss, nodded quickly.

“Good. We need to wait for the right moment to witness the downfall of Mountain Pte.”