Chapter 14

Zoe thought she would forget Stanley in just one night, but those years spent together, the years they had been dating and later on the years that they were married were simply too hard to erase.

There would be traces of him in her heart forever, good or bad.

"It's time to move on, Zoe," Zoe reminded herself as she toughened up and hardened her heart. "I'm so done with Stanley and Jenna, there's no turning back."

Zoe finally left. She ordered another taxi, and she put her luggage and bag in the car and the taxi man drove her to her new rented apartment.

She stepped into her new rented apartment, the scent of fresh paint and possibilities filled her lungs as she closed the door. Zoe went straight to the bathroom to clean herself after a stressful day.

Zoe was lost in thoughts as she took her shower. "Is it really my fault that I was infertile" Zoe mumbled. "Does it mean I'm the one not able to get pregnant all these years and Stanley was medically okay all along?" Zoe asked herself.

"It means I'm not a 'complete woman' like what Maria told me." Zoe mentioned her mother in-law who always blamed her for everything wrong with Stanley. She even told everyone in their small town that Zoe was the one who brought bad luck to Stanley.

"Of course, I want to give him a baby. And I want a baby of my own too!" Zoe could feel her blood pressure rising over this topic. Her body shook, resisting the tears.

"Besides we are divorced now, no need of shading tears for that bastard.

Zoe began to chuckle, as she recalled the gentle touch and warm smile of Bernard, the handsome man she had met at the bar last night, how he took her to his house and made a passionate love to her.

"He really wants us to stay strangers, huh? He didn't even remember to ask for my phone number." Zoe hated to admit that she was a little disappointed. She had never felt so comfortable with another man before. At a very least they could have been friends.

Zoe scanned her body and traced her finger on all the kisses and marks Bernard had left— mostly her breast and her lips, he took every bit of the love making gently.

"He was so gentle and sweet last night," Zoe mumbled. "I didn't expect him to be that gentle with me, I wanted him to devour me with his cock. Hell, but I didn't expect him to last so long in the first round.

Zoe could feel her pussy starting to throb, longing for Bernard to touch her again, she took a deep breath, calming her mind.

As the warm water from the shower cascaded down her skin, Zoe's mind drifted away in thoughts, trying to break down and process what had happened last night in her home.

She vividly remembered Jenna straddling on Stanley's lap, naked. She remembered how her heart shattered into pieces when Stanley told her Jenna was pregnant for him, he told her she was the one who was barren.

Zoe stepped out from the shower, she had enough, she grabbed the towel and then watched her figure in the bathroom mirror.

She'd always thought that she had an average figure, but for some reason, something about her managed to seduce Bernard at the bar last night.

Zoe's wavy-black hair cascaded down her back, reaching down her hip. Her hair was always sleek and tied, pulled back into a neat bun or ponytail, because she always wanted to look professional.

Zoe's hands rested on her stomach, and a strange feeling of hope popped into her mind. her mind wandered to the possibility of becoming a mother. "What if I get pregnant after last night with Bernard? After all, I didn't take a proper fertility test."

"Huh, now, I am talking crazy, I just went through a divorce with Stanley, I have to heal from it. I know I will get pregnant."Zoe exclaimed.

As she stood before the mirror, her heart resolute in its decision to leave the shadow of her past marriage behind and embrace the possibility of a brighter tomorrow. She vowed to rediscover herself.

Zoe enveloped herself in a towel, drying her hair with gentle pats. "Let's just forget about what happened last night and this morning. I need to arrange my new apartment and I also have work to do." She closed the door on her past as a new chapter unfolds.

**

Zoe stood at the midst of her boxes, her eyes scanning the space of her apartment as she fitted from room to room, arranging and rearranging her belongings and transforming the empty shell into a vibrant reflection of her personality. Her mind buzzed with excitement and possibilities.

It was almost past 1pm, Zoe stomach growled in protest, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything yet.

"Awuch, I'm so hungry right now." Zoe mumbled.

Zoe went into her kitchen and realized that it was in a blank slate, the kitchen's empty space stretched out like an open canvas, inviting the meals and ready to be filled with the flavors and aroma of her cooking.

Zoe hasn't bought most of the things she will be needing in her new rented apartment. "I need to accupie these empty spaces with groceries and my kitchen appliances. I will purchase them all at once. But I have to quench my hunger and thirst first." Zoe said.

Her stomach growled loudly, prompting her to stop arranging her room and headed out to a nearby restaurant for a much- needed pasta.

Zoe devours her entire meal at the restaurant, unable to resist the temptation of the steaming hot pasta. She savored every last bite of it.

Zoe's eyes scanned the crowded restaurant, and suddenly, a familiar profile caught her attention - the same chiseled features, the same bright smile, her mind racing with the prospect that it might be Bernard, the handsome and enigmatic man she'd met just last night at the bar.