IN THE ARM'S OF MY EX FATHER-IN-LAW

Kristine's Pov

He barged into the room and flung the papers in my face. “Take a look! Take a look!” he yelled. “After a year of failing to bear a child, just a month and I was able to find someone who did. You’re impotent, Kristine! I can’t be with someone like you. Here are the divorce papers.”

He pulled out another set of papers from his pocket and flung them in my face. Then he threw a pen at me. “Sign it and get the hell out of my house! I want you gone by morning. You’re of no use to me now. Lydia will be my new wife, as she has the key to the door I’ve long waited to open.”

**********

I jerked up from my bed, clutching my chest. It was just a dream, but it felt so real. I could feel beads of sweat forming on my face. That bastard Alex had made me sign the divorce papers a week ago, and yet it still taunted me.

I placed a hand on my forehead, trying to suppress the headache I felt. Just then, I heard my room’s door creak open.

Switching on the light, I saw Clara standing at the door. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Not really,” I replied.

After Alex divorced me, I had no one else to turn to, but Clara stuck close to me, caring for me like she was my own sister. Well, I regarded her as one, since I was an orphan who struggled to survive before Alex married me. And now he’d left me.

“Let me guess, you had another bad dream about that bastard Alex?” Clara asked. She knew me too well.

I stared at her, the answer to her question in my silence.

“Hey, don’t worry about that piece of shit. Everything’s going to be alright, I promise, okay?” she said as she walked toward where I sat on the bed and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Are you sure?” I asked her, because lately, nothing had been fine.

“Come on, girl, where’s that hippie attitude of yours? Be positive! Everything’s going to be fine, I promise. In fact, I know just what you need.”

“Really? And what could that be?” I teased her, smiling.

“Clubbing,” she said with a grin. “You need to get out a bit, Kristine. It’ll do you more good than harm.”

“I can’t… I can’t possibly go to the club at this hour. Come on, look at the time—it’s past 10 p.m.! This is when people are supposed to be sleeping.”

“Well, you don’t have a choice,” she said. “You’re coming, and that’s it. You’re coming.”

“Hmm, I’d like to see you make me,” I decided, crossing my arms.

************

Now Clara and I were standing at the entrance of one of the most popular clubs in town. It was said to hold most of the big, rich, and wealthy men. Turns out, Clara was right—I didn’t have a choice. She forcefully brought me here; I didn’t want to come.

We both walked forward, and the two towering guards who stood at each side of the doors searched us. Once we were found clean, we were permitted to enter.

As I pulled open the door and stepped my foot into this hell of a place, I knew it wasn’t for me. Neon lights flashed everywhere. A bar was at the corner where people sat and drank their lives away. And the dance floor? God, it was filled with different people—women and men dancing themselves into a stupor. They all looked high, some rocking themselves and even performing immoral acts on the dance floor.

I placed a hand to my head. There were barely normal people in this country. I mean, what joy do you derive from staying up late, dancing in a club when you’re supposed to be resting?

Well, it turned out even I was now abnormal because I was in this very club at this very hour. This was all Clara’s fault.

Speaking of Clara, I felt her drag me to the counter, where the bartender, who had a tattoo of a dragon on his arm, mixed a cocktail for me to drink.

“There’s no way I’m drinking that, Clara,” I said simply, but the expression on her face turned sour.

“Come on, let your guard down for once. Drink it. I promise you, you won’t regret it.”

“And you’re high,” I replied. “How many of those things did you drink?” I asked her.

She chuckled. “What? I’m not high. Come on, Kristine, drink up! Drink up!”

“Nope. Nothing you say will make me put that contraption in my mouth,” I replied, but little did I know that Clara would take things to the next level.

“Drink up! Drink up! Drink up!” she began cheering loudly, and some dumb guys who also seemed to have drunk their lives and salaries away in this place joined her. “Drink up! Drink up! Drink up!” they all yelled, and almost everyone’s attention was on us.

I heaved a heavy sigh. I guess one shot won’t hurt.

Without thinking twice, I picked up the glass and downed everything in one go.

“Yay!” they all yelled and clapped.

The liquid burned down my throat, and I could feel this hotness in my chest.

“Give her another!” Clara said, but I shot her a glare. “I’m not taking another of this.”

“Ugh, okay, whatever,” she said. “At least you took one. Let’s hit the dance floor!” she exclaimed.

“Um, Clara, you know I can’t dance, right? Dancing is not my thing. I just can’t.”

“Pfft,” she said, gesturing with her hand like I’d just said nonsense to her.

“Let me tell you something, Kristine. No one on that dance floor knows how to dance, so let’s go have some fun.”

I placed a hand to my head. “Okay, you know what? Why don’t you go ahead, and I’ll join you in a flash.”

“Promise?” she asked.

“Promise,” I replied.

She didn’t even wait for me to finish. She was already hopping toward the dance floor.

I heaved a heavy sigh. Finally, some peace. I can’t possibly follow her to the dance floor. I’ll go home, and when she finally comes back sad, I’ll come up with an excuse to calm her down, I thought.

Just as I turned, my eyes caught something—someone, rather. Someone very familiar. He stared at me, holding up a glass of whiskey.

“Mr. Dane?”