Fake Marriage: Love Takes Me To You

Megan scornfully looked at the tear on her dress. She did not intend to see Shelly at that gathering. Instead, Megan went just so she could meet prominent businessmen in the city. As soon as Megan was satisfied with the network she had built, she decided to leave the party. The last person Megan talked to was Mr. Yang, one of her grandfather's old friends. The old man was somewhat apathetic towards Megan; he did not even notice the fiasco the girl took part on.

Lucian broodingly sat at the back seat of his Land Rover. 'How dare she?' he repeatedly thought as he cursed Megan.

"It hurts, Lucian. My hand hurts..." Judging by the look on Lucian's face, Shelly knew that he was once again fixated on Megan. The mistress knew that she should vie for the man's attention. Shelly peeled the scab off of her wound and tearfully exclaimed, "Lucian, I'm afraid I can never cook for you again... How can I even hold a spatula with this hand? Plus, this wound will surely bear a nasty scar. I just wanted to say hello to her, you know. Why would she do this to me? Worse, she said that..." Shelly hesitantly looked at Lucian, acting as if she was covering up for Megan.

"What did she say? Tell me." Lucian was uncertain if he wanted to hear what Megan had said. The man dearly hoped that Shelly would say what he wanted to hear.

Shelly saw the perfect opportunity to move her agenda. She said, "She said she despised you for not signing the divorce papers. She said she would have found happiness, had you not held her back... That woman had a lot of nerve. Why would she even try to twist the story?" Tears welled up in Shelly's eyes. She would really seem pitiful to people who did not know better. She continued, "I was surprised to find myself in an argument... She..."

She stopped talking and cried mid-sentence. Lucian began to feel more and more uncomfortable. 'Megan, you badly needed a divorce, huh?' he broodingly thought.

Seeing that her plans were working, Shelly stopped crying. She then buried her head unto Lucian's chest. She was a timid and lovable little woman and that pleased the man.

Megan had no idea that Shelly would make her own version of what happened. Because of that, Megan was a little confused when Lucian came to her office the following day.

"Mr. Lucian, what can I do for you?" she said sarcastically. She then put her bag in front of Lucian as she sat across the man.

Lucian was surprised at how ordinary Megan looked. She wore minimal make up. Her bag and shoes were not designer items. However, there was something about the woman's demeanor that Lucian found peculiar. Even her resting face was different. Megan seemed to have grown vigilant towards her surroundings. The 'Megan' Lucian had always thought about had been far gone at that point. 'I have been missing you all those years. How can you feel nothing and why would you ever choose another man over me?' Lucian silently wondered.

"You..." Lucian stopped for he suddenly felt conscious towards Megan. The man decided to start once again and said, "I heard you needed that divorce really badly..."

Megan would have never guessed Lucian's motivation for seeing her. After a moment's pause, she turned and smiled at Lucian. She said, "We no longer have any feelings for each other, Mr. Lucian. You and I are long gone. Besides, you have Ms. Shelly now..." You never even wanted our marriage to begin with. It was a torture for you! I apologize for all those years you suffered with me, but what's done is done. All those things are in the past now. Signing those documents would be beneficial for us both." Megan tried her best to shake the unease she had felt. She had tried to save the marriage and do whatever he wanted. She had truly gone through a lot - including the death of her mother. She had once loved the man that stood before her, but all the love she had was lost. Megan turned away from Lucian before she could shed some tears. To Lucian, that indicated the end of their conversation.

'How can you dismiss me? You were the one who walked away. You have no right to do this to me. I am not your toy,' Lucian thought. And so, the man decided to stay and push the conversation further.

"So, do you want a divorce or not? Tell you what, sleep with me for a night and you shall get what you want. After all, we are still married, right? As your husband, you owe that much to me. Also, I doubt that sex with you would stay free in the future." Rudeness came naturally to Lucian. He had successfully shaken Megan's tough demeanor.

"Do you take me for an idiot, Lucian? Legally, I can already file an appeal for divorce. We've been separated for more than two years now, dear. That is all I need to make my case. I don't want to make our divorce a bigger problem than it should be. You have everything you could ever want in this city. What's more, you have a beautiful woman on your side. So, tell me Lucian, why do you keep holding on to our marriage?" You can't possibly love me still, Lucian!" Megan thumped the table. She seemed really angry, but she felt more disappointed.

"So what if we've been separated for two years? As long as you don't have my signature, we shall forever remain married. I do not even care if we get separated for 10 more years. Can your man wait that long?" Lucian said mockingly. "What? Am I a nuisance to you? You think you're better now, and all just because you found another rich man..." Lucian tugged his tie out of irrita

tion. Suddenly, he remembered what Shelly had told him. He also remembered the letter Megan left behind. All the man's sanity burned due to his anger and jealousy.

"What are you talking about, Lucian? Just as before, your perspective of this world is still skewed." Megan's fingers trembled as she pointed to the door. "Get out, Mr. Lucian," she said rather calmly. Tears were about to burst from her eyes, yet she refused to cry, She told herself that she would never shed another tear in front of Lucian.

Lucian mellowed down soon enough. In his eyes, he could see how Megan battled with her emotions. "Send my regards to your boy toy, would you? Send them to his bastard son as well."

The thought of Eric made Megan want to shout. Alas, Megan accepted defeat. She lowered her head as tears fell from her face. She covered her face with her hands so that Lucian would not see her weep. "Yes, I left you and I did that for my man. I chose to stay away for the sake of my son. Now, please, leave us be. Sign the document!" Her voice was hoarse, like a pen scratching a white paper. The sharpness of her tone broke Lucian's heart.

Lucian left the office quietly. Megan held some kind of apathy towards Lucian, but it was his mistress that she hated to her core. Megan vowed to bring all the pain she suffered back unto Shelly. She was not a vengeful person, but she could not simply let her mother die in vain.

Lucian silently sat in the backseat of his car. That was only the second time Bill Jiang saw Lucian that disoriented. The man seemed confused and helpless. Bill Jiang could vividly remember the moment when Lucian acted that way - it was the day Megan left. On that day, Lucian uttered words that were inaudible for Bill. "Is it because I didn't treat her well? "If I was given another chance..." Then he shook his head. "No... there is no such chance anymore..." Those were some of the things Bill Jiang had heard.

"Mr. Lucian, shall we go home now or do you have something else planned?" Bill Jiang decided to keep quiet and not to pester Lucian. He never wanted to ask, yet he was compelled to. The driver did not know where to go.

"Let's go home. We won't go to the company today." After those words, Lucian snoozed off. He reclined his chair as he closed his eyes. Somehow, Bill Jiang had a feeling that the man was not asleep.

Shelly lived with Lucian. It was the same house where Lucian and Megan once lived after they got married. Fortunately, Lucian had moved to the biggest guest room after Megan left. The old master bedroom had been locked, and was only accessible to Lucian. That was the only part of the house that Shelly could not bear.

Shelly was surprised to find Lucian back home that early. It was very unusual for such business oriented man such as Lucian. He usually came home at midnight. However, the man seemed gloomy. Shelly hurriedly rushed to the kitchen and prepared honey water for the man.

"What's wrong, Lucian?" Shelly put down the glass next Lucian and sat close to the man. She then put her tender hands unto his arm as she leaned on his shoulders.

"I went and talked to Megan about the divorce." Lucian never hid anything. Honesty was one of his key traits after all.

Shelly's eyes lit up as she heard Lucian say 'divorce'. She always felt uneasy that they hadn't divorced.

"How... So, how did it go? Did... Did she refuse to divorce?" Shelly stammered as she asked hesitantly. She had never expected that Megan would be so stubborn about the divorce. She had always thought that the person Lucian loved was her and it was Megan who hindered them to be together. Right at that point, Shelly felt like she was getting closer to her goal of removing this obstacle. She spoke softer as she said, "If you still want to be with Megan, then I shall step aside, Lucian. I'll go far away. You'll never have to see me again. After all, no one really recognizes who I am to you -the person who stuck with you through thick and thin. No one would really notice my disappearance..." Tears streamed down Shelly's face as she spoke. Her tone made her sound like a martyr.

As usual, Lucian did not console her. Instead, the man stared blankly onto the wall. Shelly was shocked to find Lucian in that state. 'Could Megan be telling the truth? Was it really Lucian who delayed this divorce? Impossible!' Those were Shelly's thoughts as grief took over her heart.

Lucian handed Shelly a box of tissues. It would seem that the man did not notice that Shelly was crying. He said, "Why are you crying, Shelly? You are still recovering. You should remain calm, dear. That was the doctor's instruction. Stop crying, please. No one had told you to leave, dear..." Lucian's tone was more stiff than gentle. He was somewhat annoyed with Shelly, for she constantly cried whenever she felt like doing so. Megan, on the other hand, fought her tears - even during the hardest moments and her weakest states.

"I'm just so tired of being called a mistress, Lucian. All these years, that was all I have ever been in the eyes of the public. Nobody likes a mistress, Lucian! They all think I am some kind of a rebound that you took in the absence of Megan! It would seem that they are all right. Just now, I can see Megan taking you away from me... Don't leave me, Lucian. Don't send me back to the cruel world you saved me from," Shelly knew how to remind Lucian of her worth. Effectively enough, Lucian's expression changed in an instant.