CHAPTER TWO

The humiliating incident at Cherry Garden was the talk of the town.

Images and videos circulated on every platform, capturing the moment Darren smashed the cake into James' face. Hashtags like #CakeFace and #CherryGardenDrama began trending.

Local news outlets picked up the story, discussing the shocking events that unfolded at Cherry Garden. 

The district's residents had different opinions, Shockingly very few sympathized with James and most people condemned James for ruining what could have been a perfect proposal.

"Good evening ma" James greeted Melissa, Alice's mother who was sitting on the couch with a wine glass in her hand. 

"Keep your stupid greeting to yourself...Where are you coming from?" Melissa asked James as he closed the door behind him. Melissa had witnessed the whole saga at Cherry Garden online, she was the one who encouraged Alice to go on a date with Darren. 

James stood there motionless aside struggling to open his mouth due to the injuries he sustained, he had nothing to say. James was lucky that a good Samaritan had earlier seen James lying helplessly on the floor, he took pity on him and took him to the hospital and paid all the bills.

"So you're deaf now huh?!... I sent you to the market to buy vegetables but you went and caused a scene at Cherry Garden" Melissa's anger reverberated through the room.

"I can see you are hell-bent on ruining Alice's chance at a better life...It's high time you leave this family! you have brought enough disgrace to us"

Melissa, with a mix of disdain and frustration, she stretched out the folder to James and said "Here, sign it!"

A look of confusion etched itself onto James' face as he stared right down at the file.

James slowly collected the file from Melissa.

"what's this?" he asked as he brought out the divorce papers in the folder halfway.

"So apart from being useless, you also can't read?" Melissa snapped at James. James, battered and emotionally drained obviously knew it was divorce papers.

"You don't deserve to be with my daughter, I want a rich and successful in-law like Darren and not a miserable live-in son-in-law like you," Melissa said glaring at James, James felt a profound sense of helplessness as he stared at the papers Melissa handed him.

James felt a wave of disbelief "Is Alice aware of this?" the humiliation he had to go through and the injuries he sustained at Cherry Garden were already unbearable, and now he was faced with the reality that his marriage was hanging by a thread. He had always known that Melissa hated him, but he never expected her to take such drastic measures.

"Sign the damn divorce papers James!" Alice's voice echoed through the room causing momentary silence, James' heart sank as he heard Alice.

Alice descended the staircase with a cold expression that seemed to mirror her mother's disdain.

James had already placed the folder on the table, Alice picked the folder up and thrusted it into his chest, James was already in so much pain, he staggered backward clenching onto the folder on his chest "Don't you get it? I don't want to be with your pathetic ass, I can't believe I wasted three years of my life with you," Alice said, her words laced with resentment.

"Why do you hate me so much?" James frowned slightly "I have done nothing but treat you right... I love you, I have never cheated on you, and I treat you like a queen, why do you resent me so much?"

Alice's gaze remained icy as she scoffed at James' words. "Love? Do you think your pitiful attempts at love can make up for your incompetence? I was forced into this marriage, and I've endured enough of your embarrassing existence."

"I promised Lady Martinez before she died that I would always be by your side, I'm not breaking that promise "

A slap from Melissa's hand landed across James' face, James' vision blurred for a moment, James throbbed his face in pain.

"How dare you use my mother's name to hold my daughter down" Melissa barked at James. James could not take out his anger on Melissa, so he took it out of the papers in his hands, tearing the divorce papers apart with a mixture of frustration and defiance. Melissa and Alice glared at James as the shredded pieces fluttered to the floor.

 James fueled with frustration proceeded to storm the staircase. Alice sneered at him. "Do you think invoking my grandmother's name will change anything? You're delusional, If Lady Martinez was alive to see how useless you've become she would also resent you"

Melissa's sharp words trailed behind James as he ascended the staircase "You're a stain on this family, and no promise will erase that," 

James could still hear Alice and her mother cursing him downstairs as he entered the store room where he slept every night, James was not allowed to sleep in Alice's room nor was he allowed to sleep in the guest room. As James lay on the cold, bare floor of the storeroom, his mind was filled with a whirlwind of emotions. The pain from his injuries mingled with the deep hurt in his heart. He couldn't believe how quickly everything had fallen apart.

James tried to fall asleep but images of the humiliating incident at Cherry Garden flashed through his mind, replaying the moment Darren smashed the cake into his face over and over again. The mocking laughter of the onlookers echoed in his ears, He had become the town's laughingstock, and even his wife wanted nothing to do with him.