deadbeat!”
“You didn’t know that the baby you verbally abused into oblivion was three months along, and you didn’t know that she was fresh out of recovery when you shoved her into the
street!”
Maggie’s sobs grew louder. “You didn’t know that Claire had been planning to take photos
く
in The Grand Canyon, see the sunset in NYC,
and visit The Hamptons this summer? All the
things she’s wanted to do forever? When you
were taking those pictures, did you even
consider how much you owe her?”
Ben looked like he’d seen a ghost.
He turned to me, trembling. “Claire, I
thought… I thought it was just a small thing.
We could do it again…”
“We’re getting a divorce.”
I stared at him blankly. “This is your fault. The
assets will be split 70-30 in my favor.”
“I’m not getting a divorce!”
Ben cried “Claire Ljust made a small
<
mistake. We don’t need to get divorced over
this.”
I took a deep breath.
“If you don’t agree to the divorce, I’ll make
sure this car accident is investigated. I know
what you did counts as abuse and won’t
affect you that much.”
“But I’ll make sure Tiffany pays.”
With that, my friend threw the divorce papers
in Ben’s face.
Then she kicked him out.
A few minutes later, another man came in. It
was Zack, the guy who hit me.
く
Zack was my senior year classmate in
college.
He looked apologetic. “Sorry I didn’t stop in
time. Luckily, I wasn’t going fast, or I’d be a
wreck.”
I smiled.
He went on. “Rest up, and I’m going to make sure Ben and Tiffany, those two jerks, pay.”
“They used me as a patsy, and I almost killed
you!”
Maggie gave me a disappointed look. “You never really know anyone. I was so happy when you guys started dating in college and
jealous you got married right after school.
Turns out bole a
Yeah, Ben and I were the perfect couple for
four years of college.
When I graduated, my advisor asked me to join a research team, so I was always working
late, and when I tried to complain to Ben, he
didn’t seem to care.
The next day, he drove three hundred miles to
my house and asked me to marry him.
I was shocked by his suddenness, but he told me that he had a nightmare that I’d marry someone else, and he wanted to get married as soon as possible.
He told me that he felt bad I was so stressed
and that he wanted to give me a home.
I was so in love that I thought wG WORS
<
to get married anyway, so this was happening
a little earlier than planned.
I said yes and snuck to city hall with him to
get the paperwork done.
My mom found out a few days later and
freaked out on me, but I told her that Ben
was reliable and I wanted to be with him
forever.
But after Tiffany challenged me over and
over, I started to fill in the blanks.
Ben’s so–called nightmare came after Tiffany
got mad that he’d started dating someone in
college, and she went to a college in a
different state.
They planned on attending the same school.
<
Ben asked me to marry him to make Tiffany
jealous.
Then, Tiffany threatened Ben, and he picked
her birthday for our wedding.
I had convinced myself that my marriage was
the result of deep love, but the reality was
that my relationship was fueled by Ben and
Tiffany’s spite.
Why hadn’t Ben divorced me?
Then, I remembered what he said at that
party with his friends:
