01: The Anniversary

Jackson placed the last set of wine glasses on the table, glancing around the bedroom in satisfaction. He’d been working hard at making a surprise for his beloved wife. 

Today made it 5 years they’d been together.

Balloons, ribbons, small pink dolls, her favorite wine, and a pink happy anniversary cake- Jackson had ordered and arranged everything carefully.

The wall clock read 5.40pm. Miranda should arrive in 20 minutes.

Jackson decided to relax with some wine as he reminisced on their married life. The journey wasn’t smooth nor rosy. But the love he had for her pushed him to make it work. He’d listened to everything she said, cared for her in the least possible ways and giving her full support as she built her company from scratch.

He looked up at the clock again. 6.15pm.

Time flew by so fast. By now, he usually would be massaging her feet after helping her off with her jacket at the door.

Jack picked up his phone and got up to look out the window facing the parking lot. Not a single sign of her car. He tried to dial her phone again, but the call only kept being directed to voicemail.

“She’s probably busy.” He thought.

Recently, Miranda had been staying late and over-working at her company- Exquisite Corps (a food packaging company she founded with her best friend). The company started out in the curbs, but Miranda was so hard-working that Exquisite was beginning to make a name for itself.

2 weeks ago, she’d returned home rejoicing about how she finally signed the Gneiss Deal, a major contract with the million-dollar Largesse Corporations. The move had gotten Exquisite on the stock market, and now his wife was the CEO. Jackson couldn’t be more proud.

The alarm clock suddenly rang, 7pm.

Jackson got up hastily, his mind zooming into all the possibilities. Even on her days of staying late, she wasn’t usually this late.

Grabbing his jacket, he hurried down the stairs. Snow had fell unexpectedly earlier but Miranda didn’t take a coat when she left in the morning.

At the door Jackson bumped into someone, and before he could speak, she screamed. “You useless fool, are you blind? How dare you collide with me with those filthy clothes?”

It was Debra, Miranda’s younger sister.

Jackson didn’t like the way she always spoke to him, but for peace to reign, he muttered some apologies and ran out.

Flagging a taxi down to Exquisite Corps, a guard stopped him at the entrance. “Excuse me, who are you?”

“Is my wife still at the company?”

The guard recognized Jackson at once. Everyone knew he was the good-for-nothing that was married to their Boss, Miranda Wilson. “I can’t let you in.”

“What? Why?” Jackson noticed the look of disgust on the guard’s face. “I am her husband, is there anything wrong with me going in?”

“Ha-Ha.” The guard chuckled sarcastically. “Shameless of you to refer to Miss Miranda as your wife, while you’re a good-for-nothing! You should go drown yourself in a tub instead of being such a leech to the poor woman!”

Jackson hissed. “I don’t care, I need to go in and find my wife.”

“I said get lost. You can’t go in!” He pushed Jackson away.

Jackson gritted his teeth. He barely visited her company, but even when he did, he was treated poorly by all her workers.

On a normal day, he could ignore the gateman’s remarks, but now he was impatient and on the edge. “Is there a reason I can’t go in?” He asked, taking 2 aggressive steps forward.

“Get lost!” The guard tried to hit him but he dodged, swerving to attack him in the neck.

Jackson dragged the guard’s body in, bolted the gates from the inside and made his way up the stairs. It was past closing time, so everyone had left.

He stopped right in front of the CEO’s office. He’d barely knocked when he heard a faint sound from within.

Jackson gulped hard. What was that?

The moans came a little louder again.

His heart slammed with a ferocious intensity. The voice sounded like-

The thought wasn’t fully formed when the door burst open and he caught a glimpse of his wife, seated half-naked on a man’s legs.

Jackson refused to believe his eyes. He pinched himself a few times but it was true. Miranda was right there, making love to another man, both of them totally oblivious to his entry.

“Miranda..” Jackson croaked.

He loved her.

He’d loved her so much he gave up his life just to be with her. He endured mockery everyday just to be by her side, and now this.

“J. . .Jack, what’re you doing here?” Miranda had pushed the man away and grabbed her shirt.

“Today was our anniversary, I prepared a surprise and was waiting for you, but you and this man…” Jackson’s voice trailed off.

“Isaac Moore.” Miranda introduced him with a smile. “He’s the General Manager of the Hutton Group of companies, you should be more respectful.”

“What?” Jackson was shocked. “I caught you cheating on me, and you’re asking me to-”

Miranda burst into a scornful laughter. “Cheating?” She echoed. “You think I see you as my husband?”

“I’m your husband, Mira, we got married and-”

“You know what I hate the most about you?” She cut him off with a snort. “The fact that you’re too dumb to see the writing on the wall! I am the CEO of a multi-million company, why should I have such a useless and incompetent person as husband?”

Jackson dragged in a quick breath. “Darling, please calm down. Having a heated conversation is no good, we can discuss this when we arrive home.” He was ready to overlook this as a mistake.

“Well, that’s too bad because we no longer have a home together.” Miranda scoffed.

“Huh?”

“Today is last day of being my husband, Jackson. I’m filing for a divorce!”

Jackson was dumbstruck for a while, and the only thing he could hear was the rapid thumping of his heart.

Divorce?

Miranda caressed the man who’d been quiet all along. “Meet my new fiancé. We got engaged this evening, and tomorrow we’re coming to see my parents!”

“You’re joking?” Jackson scoffed with gritted teeth. “You want to replace me with this?” He referred to Isaac who was obviously well ahead of her in years.

“He is Mr Moore to you!” Miranda’s eyes flashed with a warning. “And so what if I married him? It’s none of your business, you good-for-nothing fool! Your days of clinging to me are over, go back home, get your things and get your miserable self out of my life!”

“I bet he has nowhere to go.” Isaac spoke up, a derisive smile on his face. “How about you come be my messenger at the Hutton Group. I could pay you a few thousand yearly.”

Miranda burst out laughing. “You’re being too kind, my love. This fool has never seen so much money all his life!”

“Oh, really?” Isaac threw him a look of disgust. “Then come kowtow to me 10 times, I’ll pay you 5 dollars for every bow.”

Miranda smirked, glancing back at Jackson in mockery. “Hurry up and kneel! You could get a few dollars to get better clothes and shoes rather than being such a disgrace!”

They both laughed, with Isaac pulling Miranda to his laps and kissing her.

Jackson was shocked to the marrow.

For the past 5 years, Miranda had been more or less passive towards him. At first, she defended him against her family and friends.

But ever since she became the CEO, she looked down on him and always rubbed his misery on his face.

He couldn’t stand their display of affection again, so he went straight up to punch Isaac on the face. “You bastard!”