Chapter 29: RESTLESS MIND

“Alda, are you okay? You have been quiet since we left the pool.”

“I'm fine, Anna; I'm just tired and exhausted.”

“Okay, but did anything happen between you and Seth?” I could hear the curiosity in her voice. I stared at her for a moment before looking out the window. Why do I keep feeling like something is off about Anna?

“Nothing much; I decided to let my parents in on the case, and they sent Seth divorce papers, which he hasn't signed yet,” I plainly said.

“You did the right thing by wanting to divorce that jerk. Don't beat yourself up, okay?” 

"Okay,” I replied to her with a small smile.

"Albert, please drop me off here; I need to quickly go see my family before heading back.”

“This night?” I asked, staring at my wrist watch; it was 8:30 p.m.

“Yes, my mum said she wanted to discuss a few things with me.” Anna said as she climbed down the car.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, you don't have to; go home and rest for the day. Your shoots begin tomorrow, and you need to rest.” There goes it again: the Anna that I know would love me to come with her, showing how much her mum loves me.

But it's more like she wants me to go alone. Did something happen to her?

“Anna, are you angry at me about something?” I asked when I couldn't stand it anymore.

“No, why would you say so? I can never get angry at you, Alda.”

“Okay, I was just worried.” I said to her as I thought to myself that I might really be overreacting. How on earth will I ever think that Anna would have anything to do with Seth? She might not also be the only one with that designer underwear.

“Text me when you get back, okay?” She said this as she closed the door behind her. She waved me off as I watched her disappear the further our car went.

Oh, Alda, why did I ever have the thought that my best friend might be having an affair with my husband? Or should I even call him my ex-husband? 

I shook the thought of my head as Albert drove into my parents house. I thanked him and headed upstairs. I met my parents sitting in the living room, discussing.

“Good evening, mum, dad,” I said, greeting them.

“Hi sweetie, I trust you had a wonderful day with Xender today.” My dad asked as he called me over to sit with him.

“Yeah, we have managed to find our first design for the project. This week is going to be so busy for me. The designers we picked out for the project have yet to give me the impression that I need.”

“You need to take things easy, Alda. I want you to relax and make the most of this project. I want to be able to come to the party of success of this project and give you some flowers for a job well done.”

"Thanks, mum; thanks, dad.”

“Anything for our little angel.” I smiled brightly at them before getting up and starting to head upstairs.

“Alda, please spare me some minutes.” I heard my dad call after me.

"Yes, Dad,” I answered.

“Let's head to your room; it's about Seth.” We both entered my room as we sat down. I stared at my dad as he stared back at me.

“I'm really sorry, Alda; I never knew you were going through a lot with that jerk.” 

“Dad, I'm fine. I'm so lucky that I have people who care about me at a point like this. I'm lucky to have you and Mum as my parents.” I hugged him, wrapping my hands around him.

“I think your mum and I are lucky to have you as our daughter. We are proud of you no matter what, and don't ever keep things away from us again.

We are family; we should share our pain together; that's what really makes us a family. Standing up for each other, fighting for each other, and also believing in each other.” He said this to me as we pulled away from our little hug. His words brought tears to my eyes.

“Thank you so much, Dad; you and Mum are the best.”

“Now wipe those tears off your eyes; I don't want you thinking about Seth ever again. The divorce papers have been signed, so no more Seth, okay?” I nodded at him.

“I will leave you so you can get some rest. These few days must have been hard for you.”

“I'm fine, dad, I promise.”

“Let's talk later, okay?” He said this as he turned to leave.

“I saw what you did to Seth, but I still feel so bad for him.”

“Alda, that's your problem; you are just too kind. I didn't do anything to Seth because I thought you wouldn't want me to carry this issue out to the court. I only withdrew my funds from his company.”

With that being said, he left. I sighed out as I buried my face in my hands as I reflected on my life in the past few days.

If anyone had told me that I would be divorcing Seth last month, I would have called that person a liar. But I really tried. I really tried saving our marriage, but it seems it wasn't working for Seth anymore.

I still need to talk to him, but maybe not in a private space. It has to be in an open space. Just the thought of talking to him alone creeps me out already. I really wish things were different for Seth and me.

As I stood up to head for the bathroom, I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me. I had to grab onto the bed to keep myself from falling.

What is wrong with me? First, I passed out, and now I have constant dizziness. Maybe I should consider visiting the family doctor for a checkup. I think everything that has been happening around me is beginning to take a toll on me.

I managed to drag myself into the bathroom to freshen up.

Anna's POV

“So you are actually planning on sitting here and drinking yourself out? You are more pathetic than I thought. Well, it's too sad. Your wife dumped you for a better person, and your company is also on the edge of going bankrupt, which left you in a tight position.

It's too sad, don't you think?” I said to him as I took a sip of my drink. The Seth sitting in front of me looked like a mess. His tie was loose around his neck. He wasn't wearing his suit jacket, and his hair was a mess from constantly running his hands through it.

“How dare Alda do this to me?” He said that and took another shot of the vodka.

"Okay, that's enough drink for one night. Let's go; I will take you home.” I said to him as I dragged him by the hand, leading him out of the pub. This is going to be more difficult than I thought. He could barely walk on his own.

I took his car keys from him after making him sit in the back seat of the car with his seat belt on. I drove us out of the pub to his house. I couldn't help staring at him in the front mirror of his car every now and then.

It seems you had so much trust in your wife, but it turned out she also had a plan of her own. When I drove into Seth’s compound, I parked the car outside his garage as I helped him out of the car and into the house.

“Hmm, why don't you stay since you are here? Let's have a little fun. You do know that I'm no longer married; my wife dumped me; she fucking dumped me!” He said it in a very drunken state as he pushed me down on the couch and started planting kisses all over my face.

“Seth, you need to stop. The fact that I'm still Alda’s friend remains.”

“Let's just forget about Alda tonight. I had you on my mind all day. You are all I want at the moment; let's both wallow in pain together.” He said this as he began tugging at my dress. I felt him slip his hand underneath my gown, tugging at my underwear.

“Seth, this is crazy; we can't keep doing this.”

“Why are you saying no to me when your body is obviously saying yes to me? You and I know you don't care about Alda; you are just sticking around her for your own benefit. Why don't I be part of that benefit?” 

He said this before pressing his lips against mine. He kissed me, sucking my lower lips. I could taste the alcohol in his mouth, and it tasted so good. And once again, I felt like I was placed under a spell as I gave in to the moment.