I'll Divorce Her

I'll Divorce Her
The Next Day

Queenie and Jamal sat at the dining table eating their breakfast in comfortable silence. The morning sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting a warm glow over the elegant dining room. Queenie was still getting used to all the luxury around her—the crystal glasses, the fine china, the way everything seemed to sparkle in the light.

She picked at her eggs Benedict, her mind wandering to how different her life had become in just a few short days. Yesterday she had been nobody, and now she was Mrs. Deveraux, sitting in a mansion that probably cost more than most people made in their entire lives.

The peaceful quiet was suddenly interrupted by Linda's voice as she appeared in the doorway of the dining room.

"Master, there's someone here to see you," she said politely, her hands folded in front of her.

Jamal didn't even bother looking up from his newspaper and coffee. "Who is it?" he asked casually, turning a page without much interest.

"Georgina Vale, that's what she said her name was," Linda replied, waiting for instructions.

That got Jamal's attention. He finally looked up from his paper, and after a moment of silence, he actually chuckled—but it wasn't a happy sound. It was the kind of laugh that made Queenie's stomach clench with worry.

"Allow her in," he said simply, folding his newspaper and setting it aside.

Linda nodded and walked back out of the dining room, her footsteps fading down the hallway.

"Your stepmother seems really impatient," Jamal muttered with a silly smirk on his face, but Queenie could see something darker in his eyes. "I wonder what could be so urgent that she couldn't even call first."

"I wonder what she's doing here," Queenie muttered under her breath, her appetite completely gone now. She pushed her plate away slightly, her hands starting to shake. Nothing good ever came from Georgina showing up anywhere, especially not uninvited.

The sound of Georgina's loud heels clicking against the marble floor echoed through the house, getting louder and louder until she appeared in the dining room doorway. She was dressed in her best outfit—probably the most expensive thing she owned—and she had that fake smile on her face that Queenie knew all too well.

Without waiting for them to offer her a seat or even acknowledge her presence properly, Georgina pulled out a chair and sat down at the dining table like she owned the place.

"To what do we owe this unexpected visit?" Jamal asked in a tone that was trying to sound polite but had an edge to it. He continued eating his breakfast like nothing had happened, but Queenie noticed his jaw was tense.

Queenie looked over at Georgina, and something in her gut told her that this woman was definitely up to no good. The way Georgina was sitting, the way she kept glancing between them with that satisfied look on her face—it all spelled trouble.

"I came to tell you something really important," Georgina said, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Something you absolutely need to know before it's too late."

"Wow," Jamal said dryly, finally putting down his fork and giving Georgina his full attention. "What could be so important that you had to come to my mansion uninvited on a Tuesday morning?"

"It's about your dear wife," Georgina said, and the mocking tone in her voice made Queenie's blood run cold. She said the word "wife" like it was something dirty, something that left a bad taste in her mouth.

"I wanted you to know exactly what kind of woman you married," Georgina continued, her smile getting wider and more cruel. "And also, since you married her without my permission, I want her back home. I am her legal guardian, after all, and she's still just a child who doesn't know what's best for herself."

Jamal chuckled softly and nodded, but Queenie could tell he was just humoring Georgina. "Is that so?" he said, leaning back in his chair.

That's when Georgina pulled out her phone with a dramatic flourish, like she was a magician about to perform the trick of the century. She scrolled through it for a moment, then found what she was looking for and pressed play.

She pushed the phone across the table toward Jamal, the screen facing him.

On the small screen was a grainy video that looked like it had been taken secretly. It showed Queenie in what looked like the kitchen of Georgina's house, and she appeared to be putting something into a bowl of food when she thought no one was watching.

"That's your dear wife," Georgina said with satisfaction, "when she tried to poison her sister—my daughter Catalina. She tried to kill her own family member."

Queenie's eyes widened in shock and horror. "What? No, that's not—"

"I'm trying to help you here, you know," Georgina continued, completely ignoring Queenie's protests. "I could have just let you find out the hard way when she put rat poison in your coffee one morning."

"If she could poison her own sister and try to kill her," Georgina asked, leaning forward with mock concern, "what makes you think she won't try to kill you for your company? For your money? She's probably already planning it."

"No, don't believe that!" Queenie said desperately, turning to face Jamal. "It's not true! I never tried to poison anyone! I would never hurt Catalina or anyone else!"

But Georgina just chuckled, clearly enjoying every second of Queenie's panic. "You want to deny what was recorded right here on video? The evidence is right in front of his eyes, sweetheart."

Georgina sat back in her chair with a satisfied expression. "So I'll give you two options, Mr. Deveraux," she said, her voice becoming more businesslike. "Divorce Queenie immediately and send her back home where she belongs, or else I'll post this video online for the whole world to see."

She paused for dramatic effect, letting her words sink in. "Just imagine the caption I'll give it," she continued with a sly smile. "And imagine the damage it will do to your company's reputation once people find out that your wife attempted murderer. Your stock prices will crash overnight."

"So please," she said, fake concern dripping from every word, "make the right decision here. Think about your business, your reputation, everything you've worked so hard to build."

"I'll give you 48 hours to think about it," she said, starting to stand up like the meeting was over.

"That's too long for me to think about anything," Jamal said suddenly, his voice cutting through the tension in the room like a knife.

Both women turned to look at him, but his expression was unreadable.

"I've already made my decision," he continued, his voice calm and steady.

Queenie felt her heart stop beating.

"I'll divorce her. Today. By tonight she'll be back at your house, and this whole mess will be over," he said without even looking at Queenie. "I can't afford to risk my company for anything or anyone."

Georgina's smile grew so wide it looked like it might split her face in half. "I knew you were a smart businessman," she said with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Queenie just stared at Jamal in complete shock, unable to believe what she had just heard coming out of his mouth. The man who had promised to protect her, who had seemed so different from everyone else in her life, was throwing her away just as easily as everyone else had.