After Five Years Of Marriage

7| Change in attitude

Dylan smiled after his phone call with Rosie ended and resumed his office work for the rest of the day as he awaited the night to fall and the clock to strike 5 PM.

Meanwhile, Rosie was at her house when she received a phone call from her boyfriend, Frederick Joseph. "Hello, babe..." he greeted her over the phone.

"Hi, sweetheart," Rosie replied, knowing that Frederick was aware of her relationship with Dylan and that she was cheating on him with a married man. She had previously explained to Frederick that she was doing all of this to help him get the money he needed to establish himself with Dylan's assistance.

"Have you gotten the money from him, babe?" Frederick asked impatiently.

"No, babe... You know it will take some time. I don't want Dylan to suspect anything between us or think that I don't love him," she replied.

"Hmm, but he's sleeping with you, babe. What if he finds out about the baby growing in your womb? Can't you just ask him for the money directly, or tell him to lend it to you, and you'll pay him back later?" Frederick suggested in a harsh voice, clearly anxious about needing the money for a new business project.

"No, Fred... Dylan would catch on, and I promise you, I'm always careful with him..." Rosie insisted.

"I'm not happy about this, babe. Just get the money from him quickly, and cut him out of your life. Unless you want us to break up so you can continue sleeping with him at home. Don't forget that I have the videos too. It's better for you to act fast and ask him for the money first, or else I'll threaten him with the s*x tape of you both," Frederick warned.

Rosie gulped hard. "Don't worry, babe. I'll see what I can do to get the money from him quickly."

"Better," Frederick replied before the phone call ended.

Rosie sighed as she stared at her phone screen in silence, wondering how she would gather the large amount of money Frederick was requesting from Dylan. "Wouldn't Dylan suspect me?" she wondered.

---

Meanwhile, Jessica was at home, waiting for Dylan to arrive as the sun went down. She sat in the living room, watching television.

As the clock neared 4 PM, she picked up the phone and called Dylan again to see if he was coming home and what she should prepare for him.

"Hello, babe," Jessica said with relief as soon as Dylan picked up.

"What is it, Jessica? Why are you calling me now?" his deep, cold voice asked.

Jessica gulped hard, not expecting Dylan to sound so distant again. "What would you like me to prepare for you as dinner, Dylan? When are you coming home?"

Eager to hear her husband's response, she was met with silence for a moment. Finally, Dylan replied, "I didn't ask you to prepare any food for me, Jessica. And what about the divorce papers I gave you yesterday?"

"Dylan..." Jessica tried to speak, unsure of what to say.

"Don't bother signing them again. I'll prepare another copy. And by the way, I won't be coming home tonight, so don't prepare dinner for me. How about Caleb and Nina? Are they with you, or are they sleeping?" he asked.

Tears filled Jessica's eyes as she immediately asked, "Who's the new woman in your life, Dylan? Last night, you came home drunk with a red lipstick mark on your lips, and today you're telling me you won't be at home at all. Why, Dylan?"

Jessica cried, and Dylan sighed as he replied, "Just get ready for the divorce papers. There are some errors in the ones I gave you because the person I asked to prepare them forgot to include how much we will share from our separation."

"Don't mention divorce again, Dylan. Remember when I agreed to marry you? I told you I didn't want my marriage to fail, and I would do everything to make you happy. Why are you treating me this way? Why are you cheating on me? What has your new woman done for you that I haven't? You complain that I'm fat, but how is that my fault? It's not in my genes; it's the situation you put me in as a full-time housewife. After everything I've done for you, you still want to divorce me? How could you?" Jessica cried, hot tears streaming down her cheeks, rendering Dylan speechless as her words pierced his heart.

"Answer me, Dylan! What did I ever do to offend you? I love you very much. I've done everything to make you happy, yet you choose to be unhappy by cheating on me!"

"Enough, Jessica! That's enough! I appreciate everything you've done for me and are still doing to take care of our two kids, but I'm no longer interested in this marriage. It's best that you move on too," Dylan replied in a cold voice.

Jessica laughed hysterically, unable to believe his words. "It's easy for you to say that, Dylan, because you're already cheating on me. You see nothing wrong with what you've just said. I cannot accept other men, not because I don't see handsome men who are better than you, but because I love you, Dylan. I accepted you for who you are.

I love you because I truly do, not just because I say the words. I can't cheat on you because I genuinely love you. But you choose to treat me this way after everything. Just know that I won't accept this divorce. You can keep cheating if you want, but this is my home, and I won't leave it for another woman. Not in this life, Dylan, so forget about me divorcing you and come back home."

"No, Jessica. Just get ready to sign the divorce papers tomorrow, as I said. Goodbye." Dylan quickly ended the call, leaving Jessica speechless and staring at her phone in silence, struggling to believe that her once-loving husband had transformed into someone so strange and willing to divorce her.

Their two kids were fast asleep in their separate bedrooms, and Jessica remained alone in the living room, waiting for Dylan to return home. She desperately wanted to believe that he was lying and would soon be on his way back.

A few hours later, Jessica stood up from the couch, tired of watching the movie. She switched off the television and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner alone, still waiting for Dylan to return.

Meanwhile, after Dylan ended the call with Jessica, he called a restaurant and placed an order for two expensive takeaway meals, well garnished to satisfy the owner's palate.

Dylan was waiting for the meals to arrive at his office when his assistant, Bright Kingston, knocked and entered shortly after he finished placing the food order.

"What do you want, Bright?" Dylan asked as he stared at his assistant.

"Sir, it's about the new product launch date this weekend. You're yet to sign off on the launching date for the new products that need to be distributed to the market."

Dylan looked at Bright angrily, and Bright didn't understand why he was upset for being reminded about the new products that required Dylan's signature. It seemed Dylan had forgotten about the launching ceremony they had scheduled to create awareness for their new phones.

Dylan knew that if he was to attend the launch, he would have to do so with Jessica by his side. Now that he told her he wanted a divorce, would she still agree to attend the phone launch ceremony on Saturday, just two days away?

"Sir..." Bright tried to speak again, noting that the launching party had already been scheduled, and many top partners and celebrities had been invited to attend.

"No problem with that. I think the launch date is this weekend, right?" Dylan finally asked, looking Bright in the eye.

"Yes, boss, it's this Saturday," Bright confirmed.

"Good. Get all the necessary arrangements ready. I have to be somewhere now, and you should keep me updated on the new additions to the market products," Dylan said as he stood up from his office chair to leave.

"Okay, boss," Bright replied as he stood in the guest seat across from Dylan, who was already leaving the office.

Bright couldn't understand what had changed in his boss. He had been working for Dylan for eight years since he established his company.

No matter how Bright tried to think about the marital issues between Dylan and Jessica, he knew Jessica was a good woman who rarely complained about anything. She wasn't a social media person and hardly posted online, just like her two older brothers, who also stayed away from the limelight despite having millions of followers.

Bright shook his head as he exited Dylan's office, wondering where his boss was rushing off to. He knew Dylan wouldn't be in such a hurry if he was going home to see Jessica and their two children.

Bright was aware that Dylan had been grumpy for months, and suddenly he seemed cheerful and was rushing home.

"Hmm," Bright sighed as he shook his head and walked away. He was a 30-year-old black man and murmured to himself, "If that's how marriage is, then it's better I remain single and tell Anita that I still need some time to think about us settling down as a couple."

Bright finally locked up his office door and drove home in his black car.