Anniversary

How is it that she hated flowers? If it seemed like she liked them while in bed, what was the reason for this drastic change in Alice? Why?

"I like them and thought you might too. Carnations are beautiful, Alice. But I understand. If they're not to your liking, that's fine."

"And now what will I do with all the flowers I've spread throughout the house? I brought as many as I could! Everything is filled! Everything!"

"They've prepared breakfast for us, and I've brought you some things. I want us to celebrate our wedding anniversary, Alice."

If they came from him, she didn't like the flowers.

Alice opened the bathroom door to leave, but Robert didn't move, waiting for a response from her.

"I'm not celebrating anything," she said firmly. "I have nothing to celebrate."

"Alice... I've prepared some things, and they might be to your liking. Will you give it a try? I have a surprise for both of us for our anniversary. If you give me a chance, you might even like it."

"I'm not celebrating anything! There's nothing to celebrate between you and me! And whatever you prepared... I don't care, I'm not interested, and I won't like it. I'm not going to continue with this. I've had enough. Step aside, I want to leave the bathroom."

In front of her was a Robert lost in his thoughts, trying to figure out what had suddenly happened to Alice. The night before, she had told him to give her a week for intimacy, and now she was saying that everything had come to an end. What did that mean? Why was she suddenly showing such courage and determination? Why didn't she even want to see what he had prepared for her?

What changed? And why was this happening just when he had decided on this?

Was it a mockery of fate now that he was trying to do things right?

Robert felt very embarrassed about all the things he had prepared. It never crossed his mind that Alice would reject the celebration, the flowers, the gesture. He couldn't fathom it and didn't know how to feel about it. That part he never expected. With all the plans he made in record time, the things he acquired in just hours. And now... she was rejecting it.

He stepped aside to let her out of the bathroom. He wanted to handle things amicably, to persuade her to change her mind.

"There are... more flowers throughout the house," he said slowly. "Would you at least like to see them, Alice?"

"I will talk to my parents so that they are the first to know that I want to divorce you, Robert," she said. The flowers weren't important to her. That was beside the point. She wanted to talk about the divorce and make things clear. "I complied with them and got married, even though I didn't want to. I felt as obligated as you did. I didn't want this. We don't want it. And I think we can end it now, before it goes further. I won't let you keep consuming me. Today, I'll go to my parents' house and tell them my decision. I won't come back to this house. You won't be able to abandon me again here."

In Robert's mind echoed the words of his father, that Alice might want to divorce him to be with the man she claimed to love, and Robert couldn't allow that. If that happened, the Grahams could lose a lot. It was in Robert's hands to prevent it. The entire future of his company depended on him remaining married to Alice Taylor.

"I don't intend to divorce you," he said. That would be like losing everything, leaving his family in ruins. The Taylors would demand the repayment of the loan, and they didn't have the means to pay. And if the marriage ended, then the Grahams would have to pay the full amount immediately. Robert had to make this marriage work and have a child with her.

Robert had no choice but to continue with the marriage, even if neither of them liked it.

"But I do! I don't want you! I don't love you, and I never will! What's the point of this marriage? You abandoned me here without caring at all!"

"Because you forced me into this!"

"How did I force you?"

"Because you love another man! You love someone else! Alice... you... you were the first to hurt me since that damn wedding. And I just did the same."

"But what are you talking about? I've never done anything to you! You're the one who started this marriage with your aggressions, as if I were to blame for something. You're the one who's hurt me all this time!"

The two of them kept shouting at each other, face to face, letting out everything they had been holding in, as if it were necessary, blaming each other.

"Because I'm trying to hate you! And you make it very difficult for me! I detest every damn thing about you, Alice. And I want to keep feeling that way!"

"Alright, alright," she sighed deeply, took a step towards him, and looked into his eyes, placing a finger on Robert's chest. "It's the first time you've been so honest, Robert. You can keep hating everything about me and despising me as much as you want, but I won't stay by your side for you to keep hurting me. I want a divorce."

Robert took her hand and forced her to sit on the bed beside him. Alice struggled to stand, but he wouldn't let her.

"Let's fix this, I can try, Alice. I don't want us to get divorced."

"I don't want anything to do with you! I don't love you!"

"You should have refused in the same way before marrying me! Everything depended on you, and you accepted! How do you expect me not to blame you? You got us into this! I always refused! You were the only one left! Ah! But no one could refuse the Taylor, right? You... damn it!" He had to convince her to give it a try, not blame her or hold her responsible for everything, even if he still believed she was at fault. "I'm sorry," he released his arms. "I'm sorry, Alice. I've hurt you, and I admit it. This hasn't had a good start, but how did you expect this to work if you throw in my face that you love someone else? What do you expect me to do? Even if I don't love you, I feel other things if you say something like that. I'm human, and I can react incorrectly. I'm asking you to give me another chance. Please."

"I don't love you, Robert," she repeated. "And it's impossible for me to. This ends here."

Like this? Just like that? Was that it? Was that the answer Robert would accept? What about everything at stake? What about the loan the Taylors gave to the Graham company? What about the responsibility Robert's father had left on him? Is it all over now?

"I won't give you the divorce," he said slowly. "You'll still be my wife, and we'll come to an agreement."

"No, it's over."

"I won't set you free, Alice.

I just want us to try again!"

"I don't love you, Robert!"

"Nor do I love you! We don't love each other! I know that! But this has to work! And it will work! Many things will change, we'll do what you say, everything will get better. But I won't give you the divorce!"

"I'm leaving."

"You're not going!"

"I don't need your permission!" She walked towards the door and opened it. Robert grabbed her hand, and she delivered a slap to his face, receiving a cold stare from Robert. He tightened his grip on her arm. She pulled him, managing to get out into the hallway, but she fell to the floor when she tried to walk without noticing all the flowers in the way.

Alice screamed when she fell into the midst of it all.

Robert approached to help her up. She seemed to have hurt herself in the fall. But Jared came out of the room when he heard that scream. He saw Robert with Alice, she on the floor, and didn't hesitate to run over, bathed in fury, launching himself at Robert and hitting him immediately.

For Robert, it was a total surprise. Why was Jared hitting him? Why was his friend looking at him with so much anger on his face? Why... wouldn't he stop hitting him?

Jared was on top of him, while under Robert were the flowers and all the mess and chaos that was now there.

"Don't you dare touch Alice!" Jared shouted, pressing his hand on Robert's neck. "Don't you dare lay a finger on her! Never!"

"I haven't done anything to her!" Robert shouted. He didn't make her fall, he didn't push her. He looked for Alice with his eyes, and she watched the scene, leaning against the wall, now standing.

Robert returned his gaze to Jared, studying his face for a few seconds, and then a somewhat absurd idea came to him, because he couldn't find another reason why Jared would attack him without knowing what was happening. And he didn't want to fight with Jared, he just wanted to understand what was going on.

"Do you... like her? Alice!" he said seriously. Could it be that his friend liked his wife? Did that make sense? Slowly, Jared let go and stepped back. Robert stood up, regretting that the flowers had been mistreated. He looked at Jared, and Jared looked at Alice.

"Are you in love with my wife?" he asked, almost holding his breath, a certain fear of what the answer might be.

"No!" Jared Sinclair exclaimed, denying that. Robert breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm not in love with Alice. She's just my friend," he declared.

Alice's eyes filled with tears because she had been brave enough to tell Robert that she wanted a divorce. She, who was the most cowardly, the shyest, the most submissive, dared to say that she would divorce, that everything was over. But even when Robert was exposing the truth, Jared was denying it.

Wasn't that the perfect moment? Why not say it? Why... deny what he felt and hurt Alice like that after the kiss they shared the night before?

"And what was this? Did you think I was hitting her or something? I didn't push her to the ground. She fell! Have you gone crazy? We were arguing, but I would never hit her. I never have, and I never would. Tell him, Alice. Because Jared looks very upset, believing something that isn't true. Did I hurt you?"

Alice's steps led her to Jared. She looked into his eyes, and he looked away from her, lowering his gaze so he wouldn't have to face her.

He had just denied that he loved her.

"How could you think that Jared is in love with me, Robert?" she asked, looking at Jared's evasive gaze, then turned her face to Robert. She felt very hurt. "He's just my friend. There's nothing more to it, just friendship. In fact... I'm like a younger sister to him. Isn't that right, Jared? Tell my husband." She walked in silence through the flowers, reaching the bags at the entrance. She saw that there was clothing inside for her. She picked them up and returned down the same hallway, passing between the two men in silence. "I'm going to get ready. There's an anniversary to celebrate."

That sudden change of heart surprised Robert a lot. He didn't know what it was about, but it was good for him. However... the whole strange situation left him thinking.