Divorced the Man I Loved For Fourteen YearsChapter 1
On the fourteenth anniversary of our marriage, my husband didn't come home all night.
I received flirtatious photos sent by his new girlfriend.
I calmly asked him for a divorce, but he threatened me with guardianship of the children.
His girlfriend cried, "Steve only helped me because he pitied me. Don't misunderstand him."
My heart was broken. Determined to leave, I was met with Steve Sanchez's sarcasm.
"You're homeless. How can you live without my support?" he said.
I didn't see him again until a few days later.
[Let's get a divorce.]
I messaged Steve, but he ignored me.
Even so, I had made up my mind and started preparing for the divorce.
A week later, Steve came back from a business trip.
He reeked of alcohol and had a strong mix of perfume on him.
Our children were already asleep while I was in the living room, browsing job sites.
I looked up and spoke indifferently. "You're back. Have you thought about the divorce?"
He laughed as if hearing a joke. "Are you kidding me? You must be crazy to divorce me."
I calmly replied, "I'm not joking, and I'm perfectly sane."
Steve took off his coat and pulled off his tie, smirking mockingly. "A homeless person like you can't survive without me. You've been a full-time housewife for seven years with no income. Even if we divorce, you won't get guardianship of the kids. Are you prepared to live in the street and scavenge for food?"
His words were insulting, shattering the little strength I had left.
But my resolve was firm.
I replied, "Whether I sleep under a bridge or scavenge for food, it's none of your business. I won't fight for guardianship. I just want a peaceful divorce. After that, whether I live or die has nothing to do with you."
Drunk people were easily angered.
Steve pulled out his belt and, in a sudden rage, charged at me.
I never expected him to resort to violence. He had never shown this side before.
Still, I gritted my teeth and stared at him.
He swung the belt but missed, perhaps because he was too drunk.
The belt grazed my clothes and hit the leg of the sofa.
Then he collapsed on the sofa, falling into a drunken sleep.
The air conditioner was set low, and he didn't have a shirt on since he had taken it off earlier.
I hesitated, thinking that while a divorce was imminent, I didn't want him to freeze to death.
Just then, my phone rang.
It was another text from that same number.