He didn’t show. I stood outside the hospital, watching a young couple walk in. The wife’s bump was barely there, but her husband hovered protectively, both hands on her, as if she might shatter. She gave him a playful shove. He grinned. Happiness is contagious. I smiled, too. Until the wind stung my eyes and a few tears escaped. The wind quickly dried
them..
I pulled up my phone, deleted the last ten points. When I found out about Sarah, I’d given
our marriage a score. One point deducted every
time he chose her over me. I loved him, so I’d
started with 500. Two years. Gone. 500 times
Mark had chosen Sarah over me.
That night, he finally showed up. Not to check
10:02
39+
on me, but to accuse me. “Claire, when did you
start lying?” The disappointment in his eyes
was almost comical.
“Lying about what?” I asked, making myself
some hot chocolate.
He threw his jacket on the couch, his voice
tight. “You were at the condo! The security
cameras across the street caught you! Are your
insane? Trashing your own place?”
I laughed. “Mark, you actually remember it’s my
place?”
“So? Sarah’s back in town, she hasn’t found a
place yet. Given our families‘ history, it’s only
natural I’d help her out. Why are you being so..
petty? Arguing with a young girl, Claire, don’t
you have anything better to do?” He rubbed his
temples, looking tired. “You know, she was
really upset when she saw the mess. You owe
her an apology.”
I looked him straight in the eye, not caring if he
was delusional or not. “Mark, I want a divorce.” Mark was stunned. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, we’re getting a divorce.” I walked
past him, straight into the bedroom. “I’m not
idle. Quite the opposite. I’m busy cleaning up.
the messes you leave at the company while
you’re off gallivanting with Sarah. That’s why
Mr. Thompson’s payment came through on
time. That’s why I worked myself into a
miscarriage.” I turned back to face him,
delivering the last line straight to his eyes.
He swayed, a flicker of pain crossing his face. Pain, guilt, whatever. I didn’t care anymore.
Mark thought I was bluffing. He left a note
“Cool off for a few days, then we’ll talk.” and
took off on another “business trip.” This time, it
was real. Because Sarah was still at the condo.
When I showed up with the realtor, she was
<
10:03
sprawled on the couch, binging Netflix and
+)
munching on chips. She jumped up, startled.
39+
“Claire! What are you doing? Trying to bully me
while Mark’s away?”
