Chapter 5

She was standing in front of the courthouse at exactly eight o'clock, recalling the moment she and Edward had come to this very place to get their marriage certificate. She had felt more excited then than ever before. Then, she remembered Edward's demeanor at that moment. His expression had been serious, as if he were simply handling business. A weak smile appeared on her face as she said to herself,

And she thought, 'He has always been serious, even during happy times. Maybe he was boiling over with happiness inside, but he just didn't want anyone to see it.' Who would have guessed that I was just convincing myself to believe what wasn't there? If only I had opened my eyes back then, I wouldn't have spent so many years with him.

After she finished thinking, she noticed a man dressed in a black suit with sunglasses on and a suitcase in his hand. As soon as her eyes met his, he started walking toward her. A few meters away, a black limousine stopped behind them. Another man in a black suit, without sunglasses, approached her from behind. Lost in her sorrow about her life, her resolve to get a divorce softened somewhat. The man in sunglasses stopped in front of her and spoke,

"Miss, I am here for you. Your brother has been looking everywhere for you. Thankfully, there was news about you on television; otherwise it would have been very difficult to find you."

She looked behind her, thinking he was speaking to someone else, but saw no one. So she reached her hand out to him and said,

"Hi, my name is Alexia Rivas. How may I help you?"

The man with sunglasses and a blank face bowed slightly to her and replied,

"Miss Rivas, I'm here for you alone. Your brother Jonas Rivas just arrived from the States and has been searching for you."

She smiled, shook her head, and answered him,

"You must be mistaken. My brother Jonas died several years ago. I have no relatives alive, so please leave me alone. I'm here for something important and would prefer not to be disturbed."

The man nodded and stood right behind her. She looked back and noticed the other man standing beside the limousine, then turned back to the one with glasses and said,

"I already told you, I don't know who you're talking about, and I'm not the one you're looking for."

The man glanced at her hair and asked,

"Miss, why did you dye your hair? The purple streak beside your left ear is gone."

She gasped, looked at him more closely, and questioned,

"Who are you? How do you know about that? Isn't that something only my family knows?"

He nodded and replied,

"Yes, and that's exactly why I'm telling you your brother, whom you believe to be dead, is very much alive. He didn't die while serving his country as you were told. In fact, though this is confidential, I can tell you he was on a private mission. Now he wants me to take you home—but I'll wait until you finish what you're about to do."

She stared at him, dumbfounded, eyebrows raised and shaking her head. She held her head and whispered to herself,

"How could this be? My brother is alive? If he is alive, then I'm no longer alone, right?"

A big, bright smile spread across her face, but she shook her head and said to him,

"I won't believe you until I see him myself, understood?"

The man nodded and a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. Looking at her watch, she saw it was five minutes to eight-thirty. She began glancing around for Edward, but he still hadn't arrived. The courthouse gates opened and excited couples streamed in to get their marriage certificates. She looked at them with pity, thinking,

'I hope you never have to go through what I've been through.'

A minute later, she saw Edward walking toward her, parking his car in the lot. He saw her and took notice of the guards and the limousine beside her. Then Edward thought,

'Why is she standing over there with someone else? Did she come with them? Who is that young man in the suit next to her? Was she cheating on me with him? If so, why does she act like a saint, threatening me with divorce when she's the one being unfaithful?'

He sighed, put on a pair of glasses that matched his black jeans, white shirt, and black-and-white shoes. He looked in their direction but didn't go toward them, heading straight to the office instead. Her gaze followed him until he was almost at the door, then she rushed over toward him. Edward glanced back, thinking,

'For a moment, I thought she regretted her actions. She's just a wicked woman—let's get this over with.'

Alexia caught up to him and smiled as she said,

"Let's hurry with this. I have somewhere I need to be."

She left him at the door, and when she reached the middle of the room and didn't see him by her side, she looked back and saw he was still watching her. Alexia frowned and shouted,

"Edward Frank, let's get divorced."

Edward snapped out of his thoughts and noticed everyone staring at them. He shook his head and thought,

'What the hell is wrong with me? Oh, maybe it's because she's as enthusiastic about divorcing me as she was about marrying me.'