He hugged me with an apologetic look.
“Sorry, babe, something urgent came up at the office. I have to head over. Sleep early tonight.”
He kissed me loudly on the cheek and started changing clothes.
I caught his wrist, smiling coldly.
“If it’s work, I’ll come with you.”
A flicker of panic crossed his face, but he quickly covered it.
“No need. You’ve been tired lately. I’ll handle it.”
I pressed on.
“I can’t sleep alone anyway. I’ll keep you company.”
At that moment, his phone rang again—Emily.
Jason squatted down, looking me in the eye.
“Alright, the truth is—it’s Emily. She invited friends for her birthday. I didn’t bring you because you don’t know them. You wouldn’t enjoy it. Just stay home and watch TV. I’ll be back soon.”
Even as he spoke, Emily was already at our door, ringing the bell repeatedly.
From outside, her voice called:
“Good boy, did you calm your wife down? Don’t tell me she’s not letting you out again?”
Jason rushed to open the door.
“Okay, okay, let’s go!”
He barely let her in, shoving her out as he got dressed.
From the hallway I could hear Emily’s complaints:
“Marriage is just restricting your freedom! If it’s such a hassle, good boy, listen to me—just divorce her already!”
I sat frozen on the couch, staring at the mocking bouquet of roses.
They seemed to laugh at me.
My heart felt like it had a gaping hole, cold wind rushing through it.
With trembling hands, I picked up my phone and texted the only close friend I had in Oceanview City:
“I want a divorce. Can you help me?”
Her reply came instantly:
“Finally? About time. Do you want Jason Miller to walk away with nothing?”
“If so, you’d better have direct proof he cheated.”
Olivia Carter had been my best friend since college. After graduation, she moved to Oceanview City with me and started her own law firm from scratch.
