oi
After turning off my phone, I looked down at the bracelet on my wrist, the same one the man in her picture was wearing, and felt a wave of disgust.
I yanked the bracelet off and tossed it straight into the trash without a second glance.
My phone in my pocket buzzed relentlessly. It was Ayden Hobbes calling.
His voice dripped with impatience. “It’s so late. What are you still doing out?”
I stayed silent.
He kept rambling on.
“You really need to stop hanging around with those friends of yours. Are they rubbing off on you? And by the way, Laverne has no family in this country. ‘She’s just a girl; I can’t just leave her
alone at night. It’s all out of safety. Stop overthinking!”
I thought, “She might be in danger being out alone at night.
But what about me?”
My grip tightened around my phone, my knuckles going white. I cut him off. “Ayden, I waited for you outside the river–view restaurant all night.”
Ayden went quiet for a moment, his tone sounding a bit guilty.
“Stay right there. I’ll come over now.”
Winter’s icy wind swept through the hem of my dress, making me shiver uncontrollably.
An entire hour passed.
I was huddled under the eaves outside the restaurant, my hands numb and red with cold,
but my heart felt even colder.
In the end, it was my best friend, Hayley Nelson, who came and picked me up.
On the way back, she cursed Ayden, calling him all sorts of names. I didn’t respond, just
leaned wearily against the car door.
Thinking about Ayden and our three–year–long marriage filled me with exhaustion and
disgust.
Just then, my phone screen lit up with a message from Laverne Dominguez.
Her words dripped with provocation.
[If you beg me, I might let Ayden come pick you up.]
Then she sent a photo. In it, Ayden was making the bed for her at a hotel.
I immediately blocked her on WhatsApp.
After a moment’s thought, I also blocked Ayden’s number.
I stayed at Hayley’s place until noon the next day. When I got back, I found Ayden sitting on the sofa, smoking.
The moment he saw me, he snapped, his tone laced with irritation, “Where the hell were you? Now you’re staying out all night? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me at the restaurant? What were you running around for so late at night? You are so irresponsible.”
Watching him stub out his cigarette filled me with even more frustration.
12:53 Thu, 12 Dec.
Now you’re staying out all night? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me at the restaurant? What vible you running around for so late at night? You are so irresponsible.”
Watching him stub out his cigarette filled me with even more frustration.
I hated the smell of smoke.
Ayden refused to quit, so even in winter, our windows were always half–open for ventilation. Every time I saw him smoking, I tried to avoid him.
But now, I wasn’t willing to retreat anymore.
I walked over to the window after changing my shoes and opened it wide.
A cold gust hit me, chilling my collar, but I didn’t care.
I said calmly, “You spent the night in a hotel. Do you really care where I slept?”
Ayden froze. Then, suddenly, he stood up, frowning deeply.
“Patricia, what nonsense are you talking about? I promised Mr. Dominguez on his deathbed that I’d look after Laverne. I was just picking her up last night. You have a birthday every year; I can make it up to you next time. Is there really a need to hold a grudge against a young girl?”
As he got up, his foot kicked the coffee table, and the ashtray crashed to the floor, shattering
into pieces.
The room fell into a strange, tense silence.
That was when I noticed the faint love mark half–hidden beneath the collar of his white shirt. I blinked, feeling a storm of emotions well up inside.
I thought, “Did he ever consider my feelings, wearing the shirt I carefully picked out for him while doing that with Laverne at a hotel?”
It dawned on me that the river–view reservation was his way of welcoming Laverne. Even the ninety–nine sunflowers were meant for her.
I lowered my gaze, the shards of glass reflecting a painful glint into my eyes.
I realized I’d been fooling myself all along.
At that moment, I knew there would be no future for Ayden and me.
Our relationship was like those broken pieces of glass scattered across the floor. Once shattered, there was no going back.
I lifted my head, looking at that face that was both familiar and utterly foreign to me, and said, “Ayden, let’s get a divorce.”
