•DARLA•

One way or another, my life had to go on, and that meant that I had to let go of my breakup with Elijah. 

“Your husband called and told us about the divorce. Is it true?” My mother asked on the phone the following morning. 

I hesitated to answer because I knew how much she and my father wanted my marriage with Elijah to work. 

“Yes, Mom. Elijah filed for divorce, and we would be officially divorced very soon after his attorney finalizes it in court.” 

“You can’t get divorced from the Houston boy, Darla. Like the good girl that you are, I want you to go back to him and make things right. Apologize for whatever it is that you did to him and make sure that the divorce doesn’t happen. Do you understand me?” 

I groaned as I got up from the couch in my hotel suite. “He divorced me, Mother, because he’s having a baby with someone else. I can’t possibly go back there and ask him to take me back after what he did!” 

“You can’t go back just because he’s having a child with someone else? Isn’t that what your mother did to me? Do you think that after I found out about you, I filed for divorce?” 

I was tongue-tied at her question, even though it didn’t come as a surprise because she had always reminded me of my father’s infidelity with my mother, who died shortly after giving birth to me. 

“That’s exactly what I thought. So Darla, get your ass up and go and fix your marriage. If you want to make me and your father proud of you like we are of your brother, you would do this one thing for us and make it work.” 

“I’m sorry, Belinda, if my existence has brought you nothing but pain. But I’m not going back there. I’m not going to beg Elijah to take me back, even if my life depended on it. If you and father decide to disown me, do it. I don’t care anymore. I’m going to raise my child on my own and will make him or her feel wanted and valued for who they are.” 

“You’re pregnant?” She asked, shocked. 

“It’s not Elijah’s,” I replied because I didn’t want her to tell him and ruin the plans that I had for our lives. 

“What?” She snapped. “Are you telling me that Elijah divorced you because you fell pregnant for another man?” 

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m moving on with my life, and whatever deal that you made with them, you have to find another way to see it through. You can get your precious son to marry their daughter, I’m sure he would love it there.” 

“You’re a pathetic whore just like your mother. I curse the day I knew about you, and for your sake, I hope you didn’t get pregnant for a married man.” She swore. 

I hung up the call as I sat down on the couch and cried. 

*** 

A week after I bumped into Ethan, who was my brother’s old friend, we set up a meeting at a cafe to catch up. 

“Man, I didn’t think that I was ever going to see you again,” he stated as we sat down and ordered something to drink and snack on. 

I blushed. “I’m so happy to see you, Ethan.” 

“How have you been? I read about your divorce in the paper, are you good?” 

“Yeah, I’m good. I’m in a better place now. What about you?” I smiled as I took a sip of my iced coffee. 

“I’ve been good, just started a new company. A lot has been going on, actually, and I called you here because I think that I might need your help,” he answered. 

“Oh, okay,” I responded with hesitation because it had been years since we last saw each other, and now he needed my help. 

Ethan was Anthony’s friend, and he used to bring him over to the house, we got acquainted from there until I had to leave for college and never saw him again. 

“I know this is too much to ask for, but things would’ve been easier for me if I had someone in my life, which I do not at the moment.” 

“Okay,” I looked at him, impatiently waiting for him to go straight to the point about what he wanted help with. 

“I am venturing into business with Iraq men who take business seriously with married men, and I truly need to do business with them because of the benefits that would come from it. If you agree to my offer, this will set up both of us for years and years to come.” 

“What’s the offer?” 

“If there was anyone that I know and trust as I trust you, I would’ve asked them, but you’re my only choice, Darla. I need you to be my contract wife for a year and after I’ve gained their trust, we will file for a divorce and go on with our lives separately with a lot of money in our pockets,” he answered. 

“You want me to be your contract wife?” I placed my glass of iced coffee on the contour and felt mixed emotions. 

What he was offering me was not different from what I had been through with Elijah for the past two years of my life. 

“Yes, for a year. You will have half of what I make and leave with a lot of money at the end of the year and during that period. I will really need your expertise in this. You’re a very smart woman, Darla. I will also assist you in any business that you like to start up on the side, and with your brains, I know that it will be something very profitable.” 

I was about to answer him and decline his offer when we heard a chuckle behind us from a familiar voice. 

My heart raced as Elijah came into full view. 

“I knew all along that you’re a two-faced bitch,” he snarled as he looked at me and Ethan. “You couldn’t even wait until our divorce was finalized before you could open your legs for another man. Have you been cheating with him all along?” 

I gulped, angry, and hurt to formulate a sentence and answer him. I felt like he was humiliating me after the disgrace that he put me through. 

“Hey, Elijah!” Ethan got up and faced him. “How dare you come here and insult her in such a public space? Have you no shame? You and I know that this is no way to talk to a woman.” 

“I will not stand here and let you tell me how I can talk with my wife. In case she hasn’t told you yet, Ethan, our divorce is still pending, and she has no right to disgrace my family name by going around with men,” Elijah retorted. 

“If you know what’s good for you, I suggest that you leave this place right now.” Ethan seethed. 

A lot was on my plate and I didn’t want to sit there and listen to Elijah’s insults, so I got up from the chair, took Ethan’s hand, and walked out for the cafe with him as Abigail walked past us and went to Elijah. 

I didn’t want to entertain him after everything that he did and how he treated me with his family. As far as I was concerned, he was as good as dead to me and my child. 

*** 

After thinking everything through, I finally called Ethan and told him my decision that I thought was best for me and the baby that I was carrying. 

“Yes, Ethan. I will be your contract wife for a year. But we are leaving Atlanta.”