Illana had been lying on the living room sofa waiting for Mark to come home, intending to collect her divorce papers as soon as he arrived and then leave their penthouse.
However, by midnight, her husband still hadn't shown up without giving any news, while Illana had no intention of contacting the man even though there were many wild thoughts in her head about Mark's condition.
"Since I went to court, I think this is all over." She remained lying on the sofa and went back to rest. Illana was tired of crying and dealing with her divorce.
That morning, around eight, Mark showed up at the penthouse, but he came with Deborah as if to confirm that their relationship behind Illana's back was real.
Mark opened the door quickly because he knew the penthouse entry code, but he paused to see his wife asleep on the sofa. This was not Illana's habit. Even if her body were tired, the woman would not lie on the couch like now.
"She's probably waiting for you, Mark," Deborah said as she took her lover's arm.
"Maybe." As Mark approached, he cleared his throat before touching Illana's shoulder, trying to wake her to the harsh reality of what had happened. "Illana, wake up. I'm home."
The brunette slowly woke up. She opened her eyelids, blinking to find a hand holding a brown folder floating near Illana's face.
"Mark." She got up, and she blinked. "You've—" She almost smiled as she always did throughout the day when interacting with Mark, but seeing Deborah happily hugging Mark's arm made Illana realize that her marriage had cracked. "You're back, and I thought you had forgotten your home."
"I won't forget."
Illana's expression was sorrowful. She stared at Deborah's hand so comfortably locked on Mark's arm while the man was still Illana's husband.
"Ah. Sorry." Deborah realized something, and she immediately let go of Mark as she smiled broadly. "I'll wait outside." She wanted to leave, but Mark held her back.
"No, Deborah. Stay here, and you must witness the separation between myself and Illana." Mark spoke without blinking as the direction of his eyes went to Illana. He was pretty sure of the decision despite his doubts.
"Bastard," Illana swore softly. "I was thinking when you came back to say that there wouldn't be a divorce, and you wanted to fix this relationship, or tearing up that paper in front of my face."
"Why would I do that when you were the one who started all this, huh?"
Deborah was silent but continued to enjoy the wedding drama nearby as she folded her arms across her chest.
"I did it because I was hurt, but you don't intend to make me feel at ease." She shook her head, her eyes beginning to glaze over. "Not at all, and you brought it here. You showed it to me, and you showed it to the whole world that you had succeeded in hurting me, Mark."
The man didn't respond. He took Illana's hand and placed the brown folder there. "I've filled in the signatures as you wished."
"Don't you have any shame, huh?"
Mark was still silent.
"I don't want to pry anything because I love you sincerely, but you repay my kindness this way."
"I have to pay for all your losses, Illana?"
The woman made no sound but grabbed her cell phone and sling bag from the table's surface and left.
"Are you leaving soon?" asked Mark.
"Yes. I've had enough of your face."
"Wait a minute. One other thing needs to be straightened out before it's over." Mark hurried to the second floor, and their room was in that area.
Mark returned with another folder, and he showed something in front of Illana.
"Isn't this penthouse officially mine since our wedding? You gave it to me as a wedding gift; you can see the ownership signature here."
"Then?"
"Pack up immediately, and don't return to this house, Illana."
The woman stared at Mark without blinking. Illana never thought that Mark would utter such an expulsive sentence—although it was a huge deal—considering their marriage was over, not this soon.
Illana's chest rumbled. It felt increasingly like it was being squeezed from all sides, and no one was letting her breathe freely.
She had never loved anyone, but just when Illana managed to find someone who deserved all the attention and love of her entire life, she received the most evil surprise.
"Should I take care of it for you?" Mark was starting to lose patience.
"Whatever."
"Alright, hold on. I'll be back here with your suitcase."
As Mark returned to the second floor, Deborah tried to interact with Illana.
"Illana, as silly as it sounds, I must apologize to you." She touched Illana's shoulder, then stood in front of her. "I'm sure you're very upset about having to divorce Mark, but I also—"
"You taught him to hurt others who helped him up. Is that a good thing?"
Deborah pursed her lips. The woman's position was very wrong, but she tried to make herself look less harmful in the eyes of others.
"I left at that time because I had to continue my education. I couldn't tell Mark, so I just disappeared. I was afraid that if I were honest, he would leave me."
"But he did leave you. He married me, then you came back and snatched him away, huh? Can't you think about the feelings of a fellow woman?" Emotion got the better of Illana, and she glared at Deborah as she gesticulated—showing her frustration.
"Because I never intended to separate from him, I greatly love and want him. I returned for Mark, and he still opened up to me."
"So, you think I've done something wrong, huh?"
"No, Illana. Thank you for taking care of Mark here. You took good care of him, so he's doing well."
Illana laughed blandly. "Crazy woman. Of course, I have to take care of him because he is my husband. You can't use sentences correctly, but you easily steal someone's man."
"Illana—"
"Stop explaining yourself to me. The more I hear, the more I get sick of it, Deborah."
The sound of tapping loafers silenced both women, Deborah returning to her original position.
Illana gulped as Mark lifted his large suitcase and placed it near his wife.
"Go ahead. I've taken care of it for you, and you can leave now. You must feel very relieved, right?"
"Bastard."
"As per your wish, after this, I will contact your parents to explain everything. Saying that you want a divorce."
"NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN'T BETRAYED ME, MARK. YOU HAVEN'T ADMITTED IT YET, HUH!!!"
"Shh. Pull yourself together, Illana. I know you must be exhausted. Hurry home and get more rest."
"You're going to regret this day, Mark. You ditched me despite helping me stand up when it was hard."
"Thank you."
Illana walked as she dragged her suitcase out of there. She was defeated and broken, and she cried after the door closed.
"I'll never forget this day, Mark. Never."
***