Chapter 1

It was snowing heavily on a Friday night in the bustling city of Vancouzer. The people cowered into their houses, in a bid to escape the cold icy weather. 

Vancouzer was a small city in Euphoria, and Euphoria as a country was nicknamed the "City of Light," because of its beautiful tall buildings. 

Kelvin alighted from a cab shivering, as he sauntered toward the house. He pushed the door open impatiently, and shut the door behind him. 

A delicious aroma of french fries hung in the air. He sniffed it twice and smiled. 

"Hey baby, I'm back." He screamed from the sitting room. He held a beautiful flower he had gotten while coming home.

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of his marriage to Katherine. He had prepared for an intimate night with his beautiful wife. 

A pugnacious sound from his left caught his attention. It was Mariana, his mother-in-law. 

Before he could utter a word of greeting, she slammed a file to his chest and glared at him, her eyes dark and intimidating. 

"And why are you coming back home at this time of the night? Do I need to remind you that you're a married man?" She snapped, her voice expressing so much anger and contempt.  

"Hi Mom, what's going on?" Kelvin asked with a confused expression on his face. He couldn't help but wonder what was wrong. He glanced at the file she threw at him, and then back to Mariana. 

Johnny, his wife's elder brother, joined them from the kitchen. He was the chef for the day.

"Sign it Kelv," Johnny snarled at him, and he raised his brow.

"What is the meaning of all these?" He asked in a peaceful tone, but they ignored his question. He darted his eyes back to the file in his hands and read the front cover. 

After reading the front cover, he furrowed his brow and raised his head. He glanced at Mariana and then back to Johnny.

"A divorce papers?!" He screamed in surprise. His gaze filled with shock and uncertainty, while holding onto the document.

"There is no need for an argument. Just sign the document Kelvin," Johnny told him, and Kelvin furrowed his brow in confusion.

"What is going on? How can you hand me divorce papers, and ask me to divorce my wife? Is this a joke?" he asked politely, trying to force a low smile on his face. 

He wanted to believe it was a joke, but the expression on Mariana's face made him know that it was far from a joke. His jaw dropped as he stared at Mariana in shock. 

"Listen, Kelvin, you have to sign this document and free my daughter. I can't let her continue to suffer with you in poverty. Look at you Kelvin, you're poor and broke. Why did you marry my daughter if you can't take care of her properly?" Mariana yelled. 

He was shocked by Mariana's words. How can this be? They had been having fun in peace, even before he left the house.

"What is the meaning of this? How can you ask me to end my marriage? Am I married to you?" Kelvin cut in, his voice plain and respectful. 

Mariana and Johnny glared at him, anger brewing up on their faces. 

"What have I done? And why is nobody explaining things in a way that I understand? You can't just hand me a divorce paper and ask me to sign it, it is not done that way." Kelvin said so calmly.

"Look at you Kelvin, you can't even own an apartment. You're poor, broke, and useless. The other day I asked you for $5 thousand, but you couldn't even provide it." 

"That's it, Kelvin, you have nothing to offer as a man, other than making love to my beautiful daughter. Imagine when babies start coming, How do you care for them if you don't have real money? You need to grow up Kelvin." 

"Everything about this family lies on my daughter's shoulders. She feeds you, she owns the house, and she earns higher than you. Now tell me, how are you the man? You're nothing in this family Kelvin, I repeat, you're nothing."

Mariana's voice echoed in the room. Kelvin stood helplessly as she ridiculed him. He furrowed his brow, and bit his lower lips in excruciating pain. 

He sighed and took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. And when he raised his face, Mariana was glaring at him in disdain.  

"I won't sign this document, no matter how much insult you rain on me. Not until I hear from my wife. Lest you forget, I'm married to Katherine, not either of you!!" He declared firmly, shifting glances from Mariana to Johnny.

Mariana bit her lips in fury, she had run out of insults to rain on him. 

"Hold on Kelvin," Johnny snapped in.

"Save whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it," Kelvin told him abruptly.

"Maybe you should check the document again, in case you think Katherine is not aware of this. I'm telling you, Kelvin, this is what she wants, and she has already signed it." Johnny went ahead to say. 

Kelvin was shocked to hear this. His beloved Katherine had signed their divorce. He tried not to believe it. He hastily opened the document, and getting to the last page, he froze. 

The beautiful flowers he had gotten from the store dropped from his hand, as he gaped in disbelief. Katherine's name and signature were boldly written on the document. 

"No…no! This can't be," he muttered to himself. He clenched his fist, to control the rush of anger and emotions that coursed through him.

Mariana let out a low mocking laugh. She knew there was no way he would disregard the fact that his wife already signed their divorce. 

She fixed her gaze on him, waiting for him to speak up, but he couldn't utter a word, other than gaping at the document in disbelief. "What is going on?" Kelvin thought.

"What exactly have I done wrong? Have I not been a good son-in-law? Why will my wife sign a divorce agreement without talking with me? Even if we must talk about this, why today? Do I need to remind you all that today is our 3rd marriage anniversary?"

Kelvin asked theoretically, his gaze serious, and his voice breaking apart, as shock and tension enveloped him, like a cozy blanket on a winter night.

He and Katherine had a crazy night full of sensations a few days ago, and today he has been handed divorce papers. However, he didn't know that Katherine had made up her mind a long time ago.

To Katherine, the crazy sex they had a few days ago was nothing but a parting gift to him. 

"So what are you going to say now? You've gone mute huh?!" Mariana taunted him, as he stared at the document in disbelief.

"Such a shame. Your wife despises you, and you can't blame her. It's not her fault that you're useless." Mariana cursed. 

Kelvin gnashed his teeth, as he gave Mariana a cold gaze. He was hurt by her words, but he couldn't tell her the truth. 

He couldn't tell her that he had been rejecting promotion offers, in the small company where he works.

He had to lay low to remain hidden from his family. Even if being poor was the cost, as long as he was married to Katherine, he was happy. And now, all his happiness was about to vanish into thin air. 

"Sign it Kelvin! You've seen it yourself, you're not good enough for my daughter. Sign the damn paper!" Mariana roared.