As my consciousness crept in, my mind cleared up. I took a sit, straightened my body and gripped the phone tighter.
"Three days. I’ll be there in three days. However, change the name on the reservation," I finally answered. "Oh, and switch the package to one for a single mother. No baby."
The person on the other end seemed surprised but didn’t ask any questions.
After hanging up, I updated the reservation under my best friend Christy Anderson’s name.
Then I called Christy. When she picked up the call, I said, "Cissy, I'm going to file for divorce. Help me find the best divorce lawyer."
She immediately asked what had happened. I gave her a brief rundown.
Christy let out a long sigh. "We all got fooled by that scumbag, Mario."
I did not reply to her statement. Instead, ended up comforting her.
I grabbed a wooden stool from the floor and smashed it against the bathroom’s glass door. The glass shattered and I reached through to unlock it from the outside.
I was sure Mario would not return home today, so I started packing. I boxed up my essentials, called a moving company and had everything sent to Christy's place.
After finishing all the work, I passed by the bedroom and saw the tiny baby squirming on the bed. My heart softened.
He had spent nine months inside me. Every single day for nine months, I had talked to him. I truly looked forward to his arrival.
However, after all of this, I was suddenly told he was not mine. The pain and inner turmoil had been unbearable.
Yet, I could not just abandon him. My sense of responsibility would not allow it. At the very least, I had to care for him until Mario and others returned.
Sighing, I changed his diaper and made him a bottle.
I was so busy that it was not until the middle of the night that I finally dozed off from exhaustion.
The next morning, I was woken by the sound of movement outside and to my surprise, Mario had come back alone.
He acted as if nothing had happened. When he walked in, he called me “wife” like he always did and reached out to hug me.
A thick wave of perfume clung to him. It was sickly sweet and overwhelming. So, I instinctively dodged.
"Are you still angry at me?" he asked.
"Look, I sent them away, didn’t I? Don’t be upset, okay? Yesterday was my fault." Then he added, "Look at this, I even bought you your favorite seafood chowder."