The Ex-husband’s Regret Novel Damien and Harriet – “I want a divorce!” Damien Daniels, her husband towered over her as he yelled. She had just come back from the hospital and was about sharing the good news with him. In her hand was the result of her test and as she expected, she had their baby now. It came as a shock to her especially since her and Damien had only spent one night together which was infact a mistake. Not that it mattered to Harriett. To her, this was a way of solidifying their marriage. “W-what are you talking about?” Harriett’s voice broke and her tone was unstable. She couldn’t believe her ears. Why now? Why was he suddenly bringing this up? “You think I wouldn’t know that you’ve been sleeping with my brother?”
He says and she staggers, her brows creasing as confusion spread through her face. “Sleeping with Adrian? Why would you even say that?” She denies and he slams a picture on the table for her to see. She hurriedly picks it up only to drop it back with a scream. “This isn’t possible!” She yelled. It was a picture of her and Adrian laying without clothes in each other’s arms on a bed. From the picture angle, it looked like they were being intimate. Adrian towered above her and the lady underneath him resembled her. She had never slept in the same room as Adrian so how was this possible. Someone set her up! With a frown, Harriett defended herself.
“This isn’t true. It can’t be!” Damien didn’t want to hear any explanation from her. He felt betrayed and the only thing he wanted was for her leave his life. “The picture is pretty clear, Harriett. Don’t you think you should give up? You must’ve thought you’d be able to keep it a secret forever. Why didn’t you just marry Adrian if you loved him so much? Instead, you’d rather go behind me and sleep with him.” Damien shot back, his voice not faltering. “I don’t love Adrian. I never have. Why would I agree to marrying you if I was in love with your brother?” Harriett asked in a whisper, hot tears slipping out of her eyes. ‘I am in love you!’ was what she wanted to scream but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Harriett and Damien had been married for three years. Their parents were close friends as well as business partners, so it was no shock that they’d want their children to be together.
It was a way of strengthening the family relationship as well as their businesses. Because of this, Harriett and Damien have always known each other but just as friends. They knew from a young age that they were to get married and when it was time, neither of them had any opposition to the matter. Damien was like a brother to her who always protected her and looked out for her. Harriett secretly loved Damien although she never had the guts to tell him because she didn’t want to ruin the friendship they had. Just when she thought he was beginning to love her, he had to leave New York to England for his University.
During those years, she did her best to keep their friendship alive but she could feel them drifting apart slowly. When Damien returned to New York, he was already twenty six years old and was to take over his father’s company. He had changed a lot in those few years, both physically and mentally. He was more mature, had larger biceps and was even more good-looking. He didn’t look like the twenty one year old boy she knew. He was no longer a boy but now a man. Sadly, his looks weren’t the only thing that had changed during his stay there. His feelings for Harriett also changed and he was no longer affectionate towards her. Harriett saw all these before getting married to him but she chose to ignore it, thinking that things would change when they got married.
Things didn’t change. Unfortunately for Harriett, Damien didn’t return alone from New York. He came along with a lady, Evelyn James who he introduced to be his friend but Harriett understood that she was anything but a friend to Damien and he was only referring to her as his friend because of his father. On one occasion before their marriage, she caught them kissing in Damien’s office. Utterly heartbroken and betrayed, she took to her heels and made the decision to get over Damien. But, the heart wants what it wants, even if it is someone who has made it pretty clear that they want nothing to do with you. Poor Harriett. She would always make out time to pay Damien a visit. Much to her surprise, he never made her feel unwanted. He would talk to her as he would a friend but that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted him to see her as a lady. Time went by and Damien finally introduced Evelyn to the family as his girlfriend, betraying Harriett. She knew that she was no beauty but Evelyn James wasn’t either.
They shared the same boring long jet black hair and hazel colored eyes. The only difference between them was that Harriett was on the thicker side whereas Evelyn was as skinny a runway model. Harriett always wondered if she ever really ate. Harriett wasn’t the only person that was betrayed and infuriated by Damien’s revelation. His father, Thomas Daniels was extremely furious and disappointed that he immediately threatened to take the company away from Damien if he didn’t break up with her. The fear of losing all he had made Damien obey his father and marry Harriett but he could no longer hide his hatred for her as she was the reason his relationship with Evelyn fell apart although Harriett knew that he never really broke up with her. Harriett was happy that his father was still able to convince him to marry her. Call her selfish but she wasn’t letting another woman take Damien away from her.
Not after all the years she had spent waiting for him. She was just twenty one when they got married and her heart yearned to be loved, especially by Damien. For a few months, she didn’t see nor hear from Evelyn but she could feel her presence in Damien’s life from how distant he was. He never spent time with her, only coming home when she was already asleep and leaving before she woke up. Harriett knew their marriage was bound to fail. A year into their marriage, she met Adrian, Damien’s only sibling who had been away in Italy, studying. She had never seen him before but immediately he arrived in New York, they bonded and he became her only friend. “I want you out of my life, Harriett. I don’t want to hear whatever excuses you have. Get your things and leave.” Damien coldly said. Water welled in her eyes as she realized that it was either now or never.
She had to tell him how she truly felt. Perhaps, that would get him to change his mind. “Please, Damien. I love you. I always have.” She dropped to the ground and lowered her eyes as tears flowed nonstop from them. “I know. None of that matters, Harriett. I don’t love you.” Damien said with no emotion in his voice and slammed the papers against the table, causing her to shudder. Chills ran down Harriet’s spine at Damien’s statement that all she could do was stare at the document with a blank expression. “You knew?” She whispered but to no one in particular. She knew that Damien didn’t love her but for him to say it out loud was something she didn’t prepare her fragile heart for. Her mouth parted but no words came out. She felt like her heart had shattered to pieces.
Before she could muster the courage to speak, Damien clenched his jaws and began to walk away. She wanted to beg him to stay because she knew where he was headed. She could already see him and his lover laughing at her ill-fate and rejoicing in their victory. Instead, she watched him walk until she could see him no more. Chapter 2 Harriett clenched the baby test result in her hand, ruining the paper. She wasn’t going to tell him about it anymore. Not after he had hurt her. She knew so well that Damien didn’t love her but they were friends. They had been for a long time so how could he kick her out so heartlessly? What hurt her the most were his words ‘ None of that matters, Harriett. I don’t love you.’ How could be so cruel to someone he spent most of his life with? If he didn’t even like her, why did he make her feel like they were friends? Why put up with her for all these years? She ridiculed herself as she sat on the floor, chuckling like a mad woman. ‘I guess I’ll always be a second option.’
She muttered to herself. But, she had always known this. Damien didn’t love her, he never even really liked her. She was just someone he was forced to put up with. Harriett looked around and discovered that the maids were beginning to whisper amongst themselves as they passed by, probably mocking her terrible state. How Pathetic! She got up from the floor and picked up the documents before heading to her room to calm herself. She took a look at herself in the full length mirror and a chuckle escaped her mouth. Her face was stained with tears and her eyes had bags around them. Due to her mental stress, she was getting skinnier by the day. “Look how pathetic you’ve become, Harriett.” She murmured, fresh tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She wasn’t always so pathetic. There was a time in Harriett’s life when she lived a fairy-tale life. During her high school and college days, she grabbed the attention of most men and earned the title of the most sought-after girl in both high school and college.
She had countless suitors who loved her sincerely and promised to give her the best life but she chose to be with a man who had no affection for her. Funny huh? Well, that is what love does to you. It makes you foolish to the point where you can’t understand your own self. Harriett knew that she wasn’t supposed to feel this way. Her father was a wealthy man who loved her more than anything. She had everything one could ask for but the one thing she wanted so much, she couldn’t get. After gazing at her reflection, she picked up her phone to give her dad a call but her the picture on her lock screen made her pause. It was a picture of her and Damien on their wedding day. She looked so happy. How could she not. She was getting married to the man she loved. When her eyes land on Damien’s face, her heart sank. The expression he had on his face was the exact opposite of hers.
Only hurt and disgust could be seen on him, a stark contrast to her gleaming eyes. It was then it dawned on her that she was nothing but the villain in Damien’s story. His life would have been perfect if it weren’t for her. She just had to come into his life and ruin everything. She was sure he had been waiting for a day like this to finally get rid of her. Perhaps, he only needed a good enough reason and this looked like one since it had to do with her cheating. He wouldn’t be the bad guy for leaving since I was the one who cheated. How smart! She dumped the test result in the trash can and jumped into bed to get some sleep with the hope that it would help her forget.
“Have some more, my dear. You look terrible.” Mrs Jane, the caretaker told her, forcing more bread into her breakfast plate. It has been four days since Damien brought up the divorce and he hadn’t stepped his foot back into the house since then. Her first thought was to give Adrian a call and ask for an explanation but she knew that he was probably as clueless as she was. Also, she knew it was finally time to let Damien go. All she was waiting for was the divorce papers so she could finally leave his house and of course, his life Harriett smiled at Mrs Jane and stuffed the bread into her mouth until there was none left. Then, she turned to her with another sad smile. “I cannot thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me, Mrs Jane. I was only able to endure this marriage thanks to your friendship and motherly advice..” Her voice cracked as the words seemed to be stuck in her throat.
Once again, she found herself fighting off tears. “But.. I cannot stay here any longer. Damien doesn’t want me and I think I have tried to make him love me long enough. I am tired.” She sobbed. “Oh my dear.” Mrs Jane pulled her in for a hug, caressing her softly. “It’s his loss, my dear. You are a wonderful soul and I pity him for failing to see that. You are right, love cannot and shouldn’t be forced. You loved him like no other woman would. I’m sure he’ll realize that when it’s already too late.” She said and Harriett prayed it would be so. Pulling away, she gave Mrs Jane another warm smile. “Thank you so much.” Mrs Jane had been working for Harriett’s family for years. She had been there all through Harriett’s life. There was hardly a moment she wasn’t there and even after getting married, she still stayed by Harriett’s side, only going to her home at night. Because of how close she was to Harriett, Thomas, Harriett’s father pleaded with her to tag along when it was time for her up move to Damien’s house. Mrs Jane was of course, elated and agreed without any complaints. Since Mrs Jane basically raised Harriett, she knew about how kindhearted she was more than anyone and it hurt her to see that Damien was treating her badly.
She didn’t deserve any of it! After breakfast, Harriett went into the room to pack her things as she prepared to leave. The divorce paper still hadn’t been sent to her but she didn’t care anymore. She was going to do it herself. She would leave with her child and never tell Damien about it. After all, her father had more than enough money to give her a good life. “I guess this is it, Harriett.” She said to herself as she shut the room doors and headed for the living room. Mrs Jane was waiting for her along with the other maids. “Shall we, Mrs Jane?” She told her and turned to the other maids. “Tell Damien that I’ll be sending the divorce papers tomorrow.” And with that, she walked away. Chapter 3 Outside Damien’s home, Harriett’s car was already waiting. One by one, she packed all her boxes into the car with the help of Mrs Jane. She turned around to look at the house one last time, a tear slipping out of her eyes as she remembered how happy she was when she went to this same house.
She came with a smile only to leave with tears. How pitiful! Without even going to her father’s house, she drove straight to the court after dropping Mrs Jane and filed for a divorce, waited for the papers to be ready before leaving. She was going to make things easier for him, just like she had always done. For the entire three years of their marriage, she always put his feelings before hers and even now that it was about to end, she was going to do just that. He wanted her gone, so she was going to leave. She checked her phone and saw that she had nine missed calls from Adrian. She had been ignoring his call since the incident with Damien happened.
He hadn’t wronged her in any way but she didn’t want to face him. She felt like she was the reason his relationship with his brother got ruined. When her lawyer called her to inform her that the papers were ready for collection, her heart sank, her reality finally dawning on her. “You’re getting divorced, Harriet.” She said, staring at the document. “You’re getting divorced, Harriett. It’s actually happening.” Se repeated and shut her eyes, hoping it would shut her pain out too. She didn’t ask for any alimony while preparing the documents because she didn’t want him to think she needed his help or money. She was doing it to convince herself that she was the one making the decision to leave. Harriet didn’t bother going through the document as she signed her name on every part.
All that was left now was Damien’s signature. For a very brief moment, she wondered if Damien would have a change of heart and refuse to sign the document but she shook her head. Even if he did, she was done with this loveless marriage. When she was done, she placed a hand on her tummy which had a baby growing inside it- their baby. “You’ll be fine with me.” She assured her baby. She already made up her mind to be a mother and father to the baby. Her shaking hands placed the pen on the table and closed the document, putting it into an envelope. After that, she removed her wedding ring and put into the envelope. A part of her wanted to write a goodbye letter to him but she decided not to. She didn’t want to make him think she was pitiful. Even though she was pitiful. She thanked the lawyer and told him to deliver the documents to Damien’s house so that he would sign it whenever he comes back to the house.
Damien sat in the private room of an expensive club together with his best buddy, Eric. He had been staying at a hotel since he left the house as he didn’t want to see the face of his cheating wife. His grey colored eyes narrowed at his drink as he clenched his jaws before gulping the entire glass of whiskey. His eyes lingered on the empty glass before he finally opened his mouth. “Harriett cheated…with Adrian. I’m getting a divorce.” There was an eerie silence and Damien had to raise his head to look at his friend just to be sure he heard him. Eric had a blank expression on his face that made Damien wonder if he knew about it. “Wait. You’re being serious?” Eric asked when he saw that Damien wasn’t joking. A chuckle escaped his mouth and he took a sip from his glass. “Did you catch them in the act?” Eric asked, placing the glass at the tip of his mouth and Damien shook his head.
“No. Someone caught them and sent the picture to me.” Damien said through gritted teeth but Eric stared at him like he was the biggest joker of the century. “Wait a minute. Let me get something straight.” Eric placed his glass on the table and sat up. “You’re getting a divorce because someone sent you a picture of Harriett cheating with your brother even though you didn’t see it happen yourself?” Damien didn’t understand where he was going with this but he nodded and the second he did, Eric started laughing hysterically. “Are you serious, man? If you want to divorce her just do it. There’s no need making up such excuses.” He said and Damien wiped his head to the side. “What do you mean?” “How can you spend three years with someone and still not know the person even a little? Harriett is in love with you for god’s sake! She has been for years now so why would she cheat on you… and with Adrian of all people.” Eric said. He couldn’t believe that his friend was about to make such a terrible decision all because of what might not be true. Damien didn’t like that his friend was taking Harriett’s side.
He knew that Harriett was hopelessly in love with but that wasn’t enough to stop her from cheating. “People in love still cheat on each other. Besides, you know that I never wanted this marriage. I didn’t want to be stuck with her for the rest of my life but thanks to my father, it happened. This incident is an opportunity for me to finally leave her.” He said and filled his glass with more whiskey. “And go for Evelyn? You think she’s half as good as Harriet? You’re my friend but I must tell you, you’re making a big mistake.” Eric shook his head. He was Damien’s childhood friend, so he had been there since Harriett’s parents moved into the area and became friends with Damien’s parents. He knew that Harriett had loved him for a really long time even though Damien never loved her. He was also hurt when Damien brought in Evelyn James and introduced her as his girlfriend. He didn’t believe that Damien would do that to Harriett when he knew how much she loved him. He had concluded that Damien was a fool to think that Harriett would ever cheat on him. “I really don’t get you, man. Any man would choose Harriett over Evelyn. Harriett is an angel, God sent while Evelyn is…” Eric trailed off and rested his head on the headrest.