Chapter 29: Chapter 29
TRYST WITH THE DEVIL
There was a hesitation coming from the receiver's end, at a point, Janelle had given up on whether he was going to reply her. She wanted to turn off her phone, when she heard his steady breathing.
How she was going to tell him what was running through her mind, tell him that she had given up on both of them ever getting back together, her hopes for them getting back together were gone long ago, yet she could not but feel the chemical reaction sizzling between both of them, it brought a jolt to her senses.
If they were going to keep playing who would speak first, she was tired of it, giving up, she said what's been going through her mind.
"I WANT A DIVORCE", Janelle said, once she had blurted the words out, she felt her pulse quicken.
"Was he going to reject her request?, Or would he act nonchalantly and accept her offer, telling her how she worth less than nothing to him", these were the thoughts that kept pondering in her mind.
Janelle squeezed her eyes shut..... she waited, yet the silence from the other line was absolute. There was no certainty that the receiver had any plans of answering her, yet she waited, waited patiently, because this.... whatever this man would say was going to affect her life, either POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY.
While she waited, she was listening to the ticking of the big wall clock in her room, which was directly opposite her, using it to buy away time.
"NO", the answer to her question rang like a finality, his voice was unusual, cool, very cool. Like ice.
She noted the last two words, shivers of apprehension began to dance along her spine. Whenever she felt that way, it meant trouble and her instincts weren't lying.
Her brows arched in a frown, she gripped her phone hard that her nails dug into the skin of her wrist, hurting and impaling pelts on the skin above her wrist.
"No?", she questioned in utter disbelief.
"Sheikh Rashid Zadir, we were only married for three months and separated for almost six years. you should be happy at the thought of my filing for a divorce. We both need to move on, but there's no moving on without our filing a divorce and signing", she was trying to steady her almost flaring temper.
"You should be happy", she continued.
"You mother would be very happy too", she muttered incorrigibly, not wanting him to hear it, because she knows the outcome of it, it would result to a heated argument.
His mother was one major source of the problem they had in their marriage, it hadn't even reached a trimester, Amancia Zadir never minded publicly displaying her hatred for Janelle, no matter how Janelle had tried worshipping her.
It brought a tear to Janelle's eyes, she took her phone far away from her ear and placed it on mute as she tried holding the sobs that was fighting their way out of her chest.
Janelle wanted to set the divorce plans in motion, calling Rashid he had replied her with a No. No explanation, just a very big blunt NO.
At that point she felt like stomping her feet on the floor, moreso smashing his handsome face with her fist, he deserved even more.
"You haven't seen me for years, five and a half years to be precise, we haven't been talking since then. It's time to move on, I have so many things I need to accomplish, you too, you need to move on, Don't you think so?, Don't you think it's time?", she vented out on him, her tone rising as he kept dragging just one request she had ever made from him.
"It's not time yet", he bluntly replied.
Yet again the feeling of uncertainty, and that feeling of, she would not achieve her plans came hitting at her AGAIN.
"What do you mean by it's not time yet, it doesn't require much, I only have to send you the divorce papers, all you need to do is to sign it", she rehearsed.
"You know what to do if you really want a divorce", he drawled leisurely, he sure was enjoying the tantrums he was pulling out on the woman.
He could imagine how worked up she would be, watching all her laid down plans crumbling right in front of her eyes, he enjoyed it all.
Her breath hitched in her throat, hearing the words spill from his mouth, she did imagine his lips curved up in a sly smile. He could sense her uneasiness, she wasn't finding any of her plans going well as planned.
"What I would do?, I really want this divorce, call me desperate or anything, but I'm sure I do want this. And I would definitely do anything to get this.... - she was referring to their fallen and hopeless marriage - before she continued.
"Anything?", he questioned, his brows irked, playing with the ball pen in between his thumb and second fingers.
She hesitated for a while before responding, "Yes anything, Rashid".
God!!!, Did she know what was going on in that head of his?. Definitely he would ask her for the impossible, her subconscious kept saying.
"Good. Come to Al ZAYED, we will talk about what you want, and when I'm done, you can tell me if you still want it", his voice was husky.
Now, there was no sensual thoughts going through his mind, he had seen the news, about the Poor Dante, owner of COOL BABY. He was nothing compared to the Multi-billionaire Rashid Zadir. Infact Dante can't be compared to Rashid, in wealth, fame, looks... nothing at all.
So it made Rashid feel miserable, watching his wife stoop low for a man like Dante, he had expected to see someone better, far better than him.
Now the question is.... WHY SHOULD RASHID BE BOTHERED, since he claimed to his father that he already moved on.
The sound of his name rolling off her lips made it even difficult like he thought to just let her slip off his hands, he felt himself harden. "For a woman who had committed adultery?, Slept with a man when you weren't around?, Still had the guts to pretend like she had never known a man?", the words of his mother, Amancia Zadir, kept spinning in his head.
"There's nothing to talk about Rashid. I want a divorce that's all", Janelle could hear the shrillness of her voice, her well laid plans drifting up in smoke. "Damn Rashid", she cussed inwardly
"Why?", his voice changed, becoming so hostile and abrupt.
"Why are you suddenly so desperate about getting a divorce from me?, Is there a man who is against having a woman with a husband?", he questioned his tone icy. He was referring to Dante.
"You've got it all wrong... I mean...", he didn't let her finish as he interrupted immediately.
"We would meet in Al ZAYED. Secondly there would be no divorce. Not yet, but we will talk about it, when you come", he stated.
Janelle knew she had reached the crossroads and there was no turning back, Rashid had once again put her in her place, her submissive place, where he gets to control her and let her do only what he wants her to do.
"Rashid.....", she paused. "We really must not meet in Al ZAYED, we could meet in somewhere neutral, when she was talking about somewhere neutral", she wasn't talking about her present location, Canada, NO, or her ex location, Jamaica, or any place she had lived in both Florida.
She was ready to settle for Pakistan, they could meet there and talk about the divorce plans, letting him come to Canada was going to breach the trust gap she had set between them, and she wasn't ready for her own personal space to be invaded. Canada was her safe Haven and still is. She was trying to tell herself that she wasn't breaking nor broken, rather she was unfolding.
Even before she suggested their meeting in a neutral location, she knew she had less than five percent chance of him succumbing to her suggestion, she only wanted to give a try.
"Pakistan?", she questioned.
"I can't leave Al ZAYED, there are problems I need to tend to", he replied abruptly, putting a point blank end of discussion.
"I can't come to Al Zayed", she said hastily. She didn't want to be reminded of how unfortunate she was in their very short marriage. How his mother had made a mess of her life?. She hated to see the places they had gone to, the romantic trips they had gone around the city of Al Zayed.
"You can't or you won't?", he asked.
She kept mute, she heard a deep resonating growl from the receiver's end.
"We married according to the laws of Al Zayed, you know what that means", it wasn't a question from his side, of course she knows that.
A woman can't be given a divorce, unless the man consents to the divorce petitions.
She inhaled sharply. Just like she thought. He always wanted things going his way, and was ready for things to fall in his place even if it meant hurting people in the process.
"Good, I'm sure you know all that. Let me make it easy and clear to you, Janelle. If you don't come to Zayed, I would oppose any application you file for a divorce", he threatened and immediately the line went off.