Always Been You

~Maya’s POV~

I moved to a position where I could see out of one of the windows in my bedroom and took in the scenery outside. The rays of the unrelenting southern sun are reflected brilliantly by the water of the ocean. The sea was lazily making its way up onto the beach, and I couldn’t wait to put my bare feet in the warm sand and let my worries wash away. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here. The lush greenery that surrounded the house gave off the impression of possessing curative properties, which helped ease the strain on my already-overburdened heart and put my mind at ease. Ozark was eerily quiet and serene. Calm is something that is lacking in my life and is the one and only thing I require at this precise moment: tranquility. My life has recently been nothing but a farce, chaos, never-ending rage, and regrets. I redirected my attention to the scenery and tried to take some pleasure in it so that I wouldn’t have to concentrate on how Dante was making my life very hard. The view was so beautiful that I could have stood there all day.

It’s been two days since I left New York City. Call me a coward, but one can only take so much. Since this is what he wants, I will give him what he wants and walk away. I love my children, but I also want peace. I want to be free, but he won’t listen to me when I try to reason with him, and I’m tired of fighting. He can have it all. I want to close this chapter of my life and begin a new one that does not involve anything to do with Dante Moore. The love of my life. Who could have predicted that the one person to whom you have devoted your entire life would one day cause you to regret ever falling so deeply in love with them? Love can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. I was blind, but not anymore. I want peace, and peace is what I will find. I am leaving today, and my lawyer is waiting for me. It’s time to end this.

Upon my arrival in New York City, I had a meeting with the attorney who had drafted the papers for my divorce from Dante. “Are you certain that you don’t want anything from him? I mean, he is taking your children from you.”

“No, if I want to start a new chapter in my life, I will have to start it with nothing that belongs to him.” The man gave a small nod. As I was about to leave the restaurant, I saw the man who Dante and I had met at his house the other day. Mason was the next to arrive. I stopped dead in my tracks; he was supposed to be in Ozark.

What brings him here?

“Lola!” I looked up when he called out to me as I was trying to put the documents in my bag, but everything was scattered all over the floor. When he saw my documents, I noticed a smile on his face as he bent down to assist me in picking up the papers. “So you’re finally a free woman?” The question was posed, but before I could respond, Elvis made his way over to where we were standing.

“Mrs. Moore, it’s fancy seeing you here.” making sure that his cousin knows that I was someone’s wife. At least he was loyal.

“Hi, sorry I had to leave the party early. Elvis, it was great finally getting the chance to talk to you.”

“Please, do bring your children around; my wife and I would be more than happy to have them around.” I let out a nervous smile. I had no way of letting him know that Dante and I would be legally separated in a little over an hour’s time. It was impossible for me to do so. I took a deep breath and nodded.

“Please do have a great day.” As I was about to leave, Mason grabbed my hand.

“Lola, are you finally going to give me a chance? I mean, you are now divorced, and there is nothing stopping us from being together, right?” I looked at him; I didn’t know how to answer him, and I still don’t know what I want. One thing that I am certain of is that falling in love with anyone at this time is not something that I want to do. I want to find myself. I have been lost in the idea of having a happy ending with Dante for so long, and right now, that fantasy is gone. There was no Dante and Lola. There will never be Dante and Lola. Mason’s hold on my hand was broken by Elvis, who retook control of the situation.

“I would advise you to behave yourself. This woman is someone’s wife.”

“But..” Elvis cut him off.

“But nothing.” He said as he grabbed Mason’s hand, leading him outside of the building. I took a deep breath and calmed myself slightly as I held the divorce papers in my hands. Because of what I am about to do, the lives of my children are about to be turned upside down; it will appear as though I am giving them up, but God knows I love them more than anything in the world. But I can’t continue like this; I can’t keep on suffering and trying to prove a point or even make Dante understand the reason I had to walk away and leave everything behind. I am done explaining, and what I want is peace. I walked out of the restaurant.

The oppressive heat of November in New York City was a major factor in the death toll. But the good thing about it was that the mornings and evenings were eased by the late autumn breeze. As the sun’s rays hit me in the face, I made my way toward the rented car and set off in the direction of Dante’s office. After I arrived, I found a parking spot in one of the many vacant lots, and I parked the car there. I unlocked the door, stepped out, and then proceeded to make my way to the front desk to speak with the receptionist.

“Oh, Lola! Oh, my goodness!” I looked up to see Charlotte, the lady who has been the receptionist since I started to work for the firm. She seemed pleased to see me. I expended the same amount of energy on her. I immediately gave her a bear hug and then asked her if she had seen Dante around, to which she responded that she had. I headed to his office. When I knocked, I heard him say,

“Come in.” I didn’t even bother greeting him because we had nothing to talk about and I just want this to be over with. I slammed the divorce papers down on the table in front of him and said,

“I would like for you to sign those divorce papers and get it over with; I do not want any of your money or anything else from you because you intend to use the children as leverage against me in this divorce proceeding. You are free to keep them as well.” He stared at me as if I had a pair of balls growing out of my face.

I. Am. Done.