Divorced At Eighteen

Chapter 04

Twelve years ago...



MINAH'S jaw dropped when someone suddenly snatched her plate of food.

When she saw it was Noah, Asher’s second brother and the most annoying of them all, she shot him a glare.

“That’s my food,” Minah said, holding out her hand.

“Just get some more from the buffet,” Noah replied casually.

“That’s outside!”

Her jaw dropped again when Henry, Asher’s youngest brother, appeared behind her, grabbed a cookie, and immediately popped it into his mouth.

“Don’t you two have hands to get your own food from outside?” she hissed.

Henry flashed her a sweet smile. He was the same age as her.

“If you don’t want to complain, you could just get me some too,” Henry said with a smirk.

“And what do you think I am? Your maid?” Minah snapped. “Henry!” she yelled as he suddenly pinched her cheek.

“You’re so cute, Minah,” Henry teased, grinning.

She batted his hand away. “I will tell this to your mom!”

These two brothers were absolute bullies.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Noah said, munching on one of her cookies.

Minah’s eyes narrowed even further at the pair.

“When we grow up, I’m going to marry you, Minah,” Henry declared. “So you better start being nice to me.”

Eleven-year-old Minah’s face scrunched in disgust. “Yuck. That will never happen, Henry.”

Noah burst out laughing and patted Henry on the shoulder. “You hear that? Minah doesn’t like you because she likes guys my age.”

“Shut up, Noah! I don’t like you either!” Minah snapped, lunging to grab her plate back from him, only for Noah to lift it higher out of reach. He was three years older than her, after all.

The two of them were clearly having the time of their lives annoying her—especially when she was at the Moore Mansion.

That year, they were celebrating Christmas Eve there. It was a family tradition to rotate the venue for the celebration, and sometimes it was even held at her own house.

“Ouch! You might eat your words one day, Minah. Come on, I’m Noah Moore. Half the women in Townsville dream about us. Especially me,” Noah boasted.

No matter how handsome these brothers were, they didn’t meet her standards.

“I don’t care, Noah. And especially not about you, Henry. Not even one percent. You’re both bullies. And honestly? Your faces annoy me.”

“The more you hate, the more you love,” Henry teased with an infuriating grin.

Whenever these two were around, Minah felt like they were draining her of all her energy.

“Are you two messing with Minah again?”

Minah instantly turned at the sound of that voice, her eyes lighting up. There he was—Asher Moore, the eldest of the Moore brothers and her secret crush.

“They’re bullying me,” she tattled, quickly darting behind Asher. She peeked out from behind him to stick her tongue out at Noah and Henry, taking her chance to tease them back. Whenever Asher was around, the two of them immediately fell in line.

Her young heart started pounding again. Deep down, she admired Asher so much. Unlike his brothers, he wasn’t a bully. Despite his serious and strikingly handsome features, no girl could resist him.

Eighteen-year-old Asher had only grown more handsome with age.

“You two always pick on her, even though she’s just a kid,” Asher scolded.

A kid?

Minah wanted to protest that she wasn’t a child anymore. She didn’t even play with Barbie dolls anymore. She had started taking care of her appearance and moving more gracefully. She was trying her best to be a refined young lady—someone worthy of admiration.

Someone who could catch Asher’s eye.

But to him, she was still just a kid. Why wouldn’t she be? There was a seven-year age gap between them.

Minah let out a sigh of frustration.

“Asher—” he started to protest.

“If you two don’t stop bothering Minah, I’ll make sure our parents hear about this,” Asher warned.

Henry dropped his gaze. “It won’t happen again.”

“Fine,” Noah muttered.

Once Asher’s brothers had left, he turned to face her. Minah nearly swallowed her tongue as their eyes met. For a moment, she felt like he was her knight in shining armor.

“Merry Christmas,” she greeted him with a bright smile, recovering from her moment of awe. It was the first time she’d seen him that evening since he’d been missing in action at their house.

“You should stay close to your parents,” Asher said instead.

Minah’s smile faded as he walked past her without even returning her greeting. She fought the urge to pout but couldn’t hold back her disappointment.

“You’re not even going to wish me a Merry Christmas?” she called after him.

“Are you going to pester me now after my brothers were done with you?” Asher stopped and turned back to face her.

Minah hesitated, swallowing hard. “I’m just asking. Can’t you at least say it back?”

Asher frowned. “Did I ask you to greet me in the first place?”

Minah’s jaw dropped. “It’s Christmas, Asher. Why are you still acting so cold? You’re as icy as the North Pole! How do you expect to ever get a girlfriend if you’re always this serious?”

Asher slid his hands into his pockets and leaned closer to her, making her step back instinctively.

“Kiddo, what do you even know about my life?”

“Kiddo? My name is Minah,” she snapped.

“Wilhelmina,” he said, enunciating her full name.

“Minah!” she repeated firmly.

“Whatever.”

She felt a lump forming in her throat, more upset with him than she’d been with his brothers. Her lips trembled slightly.

“I’ll tell you a secret,” Asher said, still leaning close.

Her heartbeat quickened. What secret could he possibly want to share?

“What secret? That I’m pretty? I already know that,” she teased, pursing her lips.

“Not that,” he replied.

Wait—he didn’t think she was pretty? Minah’s hand flew to the red ribbon tied in her hair. “Is it because of this? Do I look like a Christmas gift?”

Henry’s earlier teasing about her looking like a present because of her oversized ribbon echoed in her mind.

Asher studied her for a moment before finally speaking. “I have a girlfriend.”

Minah’s world seemed to stop spinning. “Later tonight, she’ll be here. I’m introducing her to my parents,” Asher added.

As he straightened and walked away, Minah stood frozen, struggling to process what he’d just said. He had a girlfriend. He was planning to introduce her to his family tonight—and probably to everyone else at the Moore Mansion.

Her young heart clenched for the first time.

On Christmas Eve, of all days, she wanted to cry because of this devastating news.

Feeling too upset to linger, she turned and walked quickly away from Asher. She found herself standing near the large Christmas tree in the expansive Moore Mansion living room. Her gaze rested on the many gifts piled under the tree, ready to be opened later that evening. Earlier, she’d been excited. Now, all her excitement was gone.

Knowing Asher had a girlfriend felt like the worst news in the world.

When she turned back toward the mansion’s entrance, she saw a beautiful, elegant woman arrive and watched as Asher greeted her with a warm embrace.

So that’s her, Minah thought bitterly.

She quickly turned away, tears welling in her eyes. There was no comparison—this woman was everything Minah wasn’t. She was likely Asher’s age, poised, and undeniably attractive.

Minah had a crush on Asher, and her young heart couldn’t accept what she’d seen or heard. He seemed serious about this woman if he was introducing her to his family.

On her birthday and Christmas Eve, Minah experienced heartbreak for the first time, a pain only she knew.