He wrapped his arms around me.
He didn’t want me to get away.
I thought about Brittany going to my office.
く
8:12
((
45
Mark had cried and sworn he would never do it
again.
And now he was doing the same thing.
In three years, his baby would be two.
I tried to push Mark away, but I couldn’t even
lift my arms.
Finally, I sighed.
“Mark, let me go.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“I won’t.”
“I’m never letting you go again. What happened
on the cruise ship will never happen again.”
Unlike three years ago, I wasn’t struggling.
I just felt annoyed.
I said calmly, “If you don’t let me go, I’m going
to scream.”
“It’s going to be embarrassing for you.”
Mark stared at me.
He didn’t think I would do that.
Three years ago, Brittany had thrown coffee on
me and I had forgiven him.
Three years later, he swore he was sorry.
I should forgive him.
But I didn’t.
<
I pulled away.
He reached out to grab me.
I backed away.
“Amy.”
“Mark, it’s over. You probably signed the divorce papers. Don’t bother me.”
I had hired a lawyer to file the divorce papers before I left.
I got a new phone and hadn’t talked to him
since, but I knew Mark wanted to marry
Brittany.
He probably signed them immediately.
Mark turned pale.
He shook his head.
く
8:13
45)
“I didn’t sign them, Amy.”
“I was looking for you. I didn’t pay attention to
the lawyer.”
“Even if he kept calling me, I wouldn’t sign.”
“I never wanted to divorce you.”
I laughed.
“You promised you would never betray me.”
When Mark asked me to marry him, he swore to
my parents that he would love me forever.
“A man’s vows are no better than a dog’s
bark,” my dad always said.
Mark didn’t say anything.
I heard people in the stairwell.
<
“Mark,” I said, “we’re over. Let me go.”
“No, Amy,” Mark said.
“We’re never over.”
I stayed in a hotel in New York.
I got a new phone number, so Mark didn’t call
- me.
The next time I saw him, he was at my hotel.
I was going to dinner.
When I opened the door, he was sitting on the ground.
He looked up.
He looked like a puppy.
I remembered when Mark had wanted to study
<
8:13
- ))
design in college, but his dad wanted him to
study finance.
Mark had a huge fight with him.
1
In the winter, he had run away.
45
I found him at our favorite amusement park.
He was all alone and freezing.
“I can’t even decide what I want to do,” he had said.
“Don’t laugh at me.”
I hadn’t laughed.
I had taken him home.
I looked at Mark.
“Amy,” he said, “I was just looking at you.”
“I won’t bother you.”
“I just wanted to be close to you.”
Mark bit his lip.
I didn’t say anything.
As I got in the elevator, he didn’t follow me.
I walked around outside.
Then I remembered that Mark and I weren’t
divorced yet.
So I hired a lawyer and got a new set of divorce
papers.
When I went back to the hotel, Mark was gone.
I walked to my room.
The hallway was empty.
<
8:13
I went inside.
- ))
My room was right across from the stairwell.
Light was coming through.
