After Five Years Of Marriage

5: Avoiding to eat

Dylan walked toward their bed and saw the divorce papers on the headboard. He hadn't read them yet, as there were two copies, and they were given to him when he was leaving Rosie's house.

He took one of the divorce papers and glanced through it before putting it into his black briefcase and shutting it closed. He then went into the bathroom to bathe. As he decided to prepare for work, planning to read the divorce papers in his office.

Meanwhile, Jessica rushed downstairs into the living room and saw her two kids sitting on the couch, eating the popcorn from the previous night that she had used to keep herself awake while waiting for Dylan to return home.

Jessica saw that the living room wall clock read 8:35 a.m., and she knew her two kids were already very late for school.

"Mummy! Mummy!" Caleb and Nina both rushed to hug her legs as soon as she stepped into the living room.

Caleb asked, "Mummy, aren't we going to school today?"

Jessica knew her two kids were already late for school, and she realized that if their former maid were around, the maid would have helped prepare the kids for school, bathed them before she woke up, and prepared their breakfasts.

The maid would have even assisted Caleb and Nina with their breakfasts at the dining table. But now, Jessica had to do it all alone, as Dylan was strongly against having any maid.

Jessica had thought the young maid tried to seduce her husband in her absence, but after the maid left, she didn't receive any complaints from the maid's parents, and the maid had cried when she was sent away, insisting she hadn't done anything wrong.

Jessica had given the young maid extra money, telling her she would still support her schooling and continue paying her school fees, even though the maid was no longer under her care.

The young maid was very smart and nice, completing all her chores before Jessica woke up or sent her on errands.

Florence Gregson was a 15-year-old maid, and Jessica had seen how Florence cared for Caleb and Nina, even helping them with their homework like a real elder sister, despite being just a maid and not related to them.

"Time has passed for today, Caleb. Don't worry, I'll try to wake up very early tomorrow morning to take you and Nina to school on time. Wait here while I prepare something for you both to eat first, then I'll get your bath ready," Jessica told her son, smiling at him as she squatted to meet his height and her little daughter's height.

She finally stood up from squatting in front of her two kids and went into the kitchen to prepare their breakfast.

Jessica wondered if Dylan was still serious about divorcing her as she walked into the kitchen and toward the cupboards to decide what to prepare.

She resumed mopping the kitchen floor, as she didn't have a maid anymore.

After she finished cleaning the kitchen floor and cabinet top, she proceeded to prepare breakfast for her kids. She made noodles and fried eggs for them and brought the meal to the dining table.

The aroma of the fried eggs and delicious noodles attracted her two kids, and they rushed to the dining table to take their seats.

Nina was too small to climb the dining chair by herself, and she cried out, reaching for Jessica to lift her up. On her third attempt to climb the chair by herself, Nina fell to the tiled floor and cried out, "Mummy!"

"Wait, Nina, I'm coming," Jessica quickly rushed to pick Nina up in her arms, dusted off her little bottom, and sat down with Nina on her lap. She proceeded to feed Nina's small mouth.

Nina kept reaching for the spoon to feed herself, but Jessica continued to feed her little daughter.

Jessica knew her two kids were happy children, and she didn't want them to become sad as they grew up, seeing their parents quarreling and no longer in love.

"Mummy, why are you crying?" Caleb asked, noticing that Jessica was silently crying, with tears rolling down her face.

Nina tried to look up at her mother's face, seated on Jessica's lap and eating her noodles as Jessica fed her.

Nina tried to look up once again to see if her mother was truly crying, but just then, Jessica heard footsteps behind her. She quickly sniffed and plastered a fake smile on her face, replying to Caleb, "I'm not crying, I'm just overwhelmed."

"Over what?" Caleb tried to ask, not understanding the big word his mother used, but Dylan quickly cut the conversation short with his deep voice, saying, "That's enough, Caleb. Now eat your food. You should know that talking isn't allowed when eating."

"Okay, Dad," Caleb smiled at his father's words. Dylan stood with a strict face, already dressed in a black suit to leave for his company. He adjusted his black suit necktie properly over his white shirt.

Jessica looked back at Dylan's face and saw the hardened expression.

She wanted to put Nina down on the next chair so Nina could start eating by herself. As she intended to stand up from the dining chair to prepare Dylan's breakfast, but Dylan quickly told her coldly, "There's no need for that. I can't wait to eat."

Jessica had already stood up from the dining table and saw that Dylan didn't want to wait for his breakfast. He finished adjusting his suit and shirt, placed some money on the center table for them, and left the house.

"Mummy..." Nina cried out, unable to reach the dining table by herself. Her little hands couldn't reach to pick up her spoon and feed herself.

Nina's crying snapped Jessica out of her trance, and she rushed back to her small daughter after seeing Nina crying and trying to feed herself.

Jessica picked Nina up again and resumed feeding her daughter at the dining table.

Jessica knew Dylan wasn't joking about divorcing her, and she silently thought about what she could do to appease him as she continued to feed her daughter.

After Jessica finished feeding Nina and Caleb finished his meal, she knew Dylan had left only the security guard at the gate to lock and open it whenever he left for his office in the morning and returned in the evening. Dylan had fired all the domestic staff.

Jessica heard the sound of Dylan's car starting in the garage, and he finally drove out of their compound, heading to the office.

She went to her kids' room downstairs to prepare their bath. After bathing them, she dressed them in new clothes and brought Nina and Caleb back to the living room with their toys to play. She turned on the television to a cartoon channel for them to watch before heading back upstairs to her bedroom.