CHAPTER FOUR

TRICIA'S POV

“You look more beautiful now." Hendrix said as I smiled weakly.

“Beautiful??? Or I look older than my age now."

“Who told you that??" He asked with his eyebrow raised.

“Someone…maybe myself.”

“Yourself??? Well yourself is telling you the wrong information because you are still a very beautiful lady, Trish."

“You don't look bad, your Hendrix." I said.

"Me??? Are you sure about that?? I look like an old fart.” He said as I chuckled.

"That's the smile I wanted to see.” He said as he winked at me.

Somehow, just being near him felt like relief, like a hand over a wound I’d long ignored.

We ended up sitting together on that same bench, just like we used to when we were kids sharing secrets about who stole the last candy bar but this time, the air was heavier….years of untold pain hanging between us.

“I heard you got married,” Hendrix said after a long silence.

“To Oliver Dale, right? The business guy?”

I exhaled shakily, looking down at my fingers.

“Yeah. Five years… It was supposed to be forever.”

He glanced sideways at me, sensing there was more.

“Supposed?? What happened, Tricia? Is he dead??”

For a moment, I had wished death was even better.

I didn’t want to say it..what really happened but it was Hendrix.

The one person I’d trusted even before I knew what trust was.

“He cheated,” I said quietly.

“With my sister.”

His whole body stiffened and his jaw clenched, and I could see the storm flicker behind his eyes.

“What?”

I nodded slowly, blinking back tears.

“Priscilla…My own blood…I caught them at a hotel last night and when I confronted him, he said all men cheat…that it’s just in their nature…Like betrayal is supposed to be normal.” My voice trembled with anger and shame.

Hendrix’s fists tightened on his knees.

“That bastard…”

“I thought maybe he’d deny it, maybe cry or beg,” I said bitterly.

“But he laughed at me, Hendrix…he said I’d be nothing without him and that I should be grateful he took me out of the slums as if love was a favor.”

Hendrix turned to face me fully, his tone low but fierce.

“You don’t owe him a damn thing, Tricia…You gave him loyalty, love, and your life…if he threw that away, it’s on him..not you.”

I swallowed hard, my throat aching.

“I told him I wanted a divorce but he laughed…He doesn’t take me seriously.”

“Then make him,” Hendrix said firmly.

“Don’t just talk about it…Do it. I’ll help you.”

My eyes widened.

“Help me? How?”

“I’ve been through it too, you know…My wife and I divorced a few months ago.”

I blinked, surprised.

“You… were married?”

He nodded slowly, eyes dark with something painful.

“Three years…She wasn’t what I thought she was…abusive and manipulative…even tried to kill me once.”

I gasped, covering my mouth.

“What?”

“Yeah,” he said quietly, staring at the carousel.

“It took a long time to admit it…. I thought if I loved her enough, she’d stop. But people like that don’t change…They just find new ways to make you bleed.”

My heart twisted painfully at his words because they sounded too familiar.

“I’m sorry, Hendrix,” I whispered.

“You didn’t deserve that.”

He turned to me then, eyes steady.

“Neither did you.”

The silence that followed was deep, almost comforting.

We sat there as the sky darkened and the amusement park lights flickered weakly back to life.

I felt like I could breathe again.

When it was finally time to go, he walked me to my car.

“Tricia,” he said gently, stopping me before I got in.

“If you’re serious about the divorce, text me… I know a lawyer and I’ll handle everything for you.. You deserve to start over.”

I hesitated, then nodded.

“Thank you, Hendrix…For being here.”

He gave a small smile.

“Always.”

When I got home that night, Oliver’s car wasn’t in the driveway.

For once, I felt grateful for his absence.

I walked straight into the bedroom and pulled out my phone.

My fingers trembled as I typed a message but deleted it right after.

I fell on the bed as my mind wandered around in confusion and I had no idea what to do.

How do I start over after dedicating five whole years of my life to a man whom I thought was my forever.

One day passed… and three days slowly passed and Oliver was nowhere to be seen.

I summoned up the courage on the third day of his absence as I brought out my phone and finally typed the message.

“Hendrix, I’m ready…I want to go through with the divorce.”

Before I could hit send, I hesitated but then I pressed it, exhaling a long, shaky breath.

I sent it and went into the restroom to freshen up and when I walked out, I saw Oliver with my phone.

“Who the hell is Hendrix?”

I froze, the phone slipping from my hand.

He picked it up, reading the message, his expression twisting into fury.

“So that’s it?” he hissed.

“You’re screwing another man already?!”

“Oliver, it’s not what you think…”

“Shut up!” he roared, stepping closer.

“I knew it…you’ve always been too friendly with men…. Playing the innocent wife while planning your escape?”

Tears burned my eyes.

“I was asking for a divorce! I’m done being your puppet!!!!”

Before I could finish, his hand struck across my face..hard and fast.

The sting burned instantly as my head snapped to the side.

For a moment, everything was silent.

Then, the taste of blood filled my mouth.

He stood there, chest heaving, eyes wild with rage.

“You’ll regret this, Tricia. You’ll regret ever thinking you can live without me.”

And with that, he stormed out, slamming the door so hard the frame shook.

I stood frozen, the echo of his words lingering like poison in the air.

Then I slowly sank to the floor, holding my cheek as tears spilled freely again.

But this time, they weren’t just tears of pain.

They were the start of something else: rage, freedom, and the faintest spark of courage.

Because for the first time, I knew exactly what I had to do.