Seven days. In seven days I would leave this place for good—and leave him for good. I didn't spare a single glance at their stares. I set down my keys and walked out.
1
"Mom, Dad—I'm going to divorce Frederick."
"Have you lost your mind? Do you have any idea how good he is to you? Ungrateful wretch. You're not half as easy to deal with as Agatha."
Their insults poured through the phone without pause. When I couldn't take another second, I forwarded them the audio.
"You've known all along that Frederick was keeping Agatha. Haven't you."
Silence on the other end. I hung up without waiting for an answer and drove straight to a law firm to draft the divorce papers.
The day I found that photo of Frederick and Agatha, I'd also found stacks of round-trip flight itineraries—domestic and international—and receipts from luxury hotels I'd never set foot in.
I combed through every one of Agatha's social media accounts. A photo of them holding hands had been her profile banner all along.
There was even a shot of her in a wedding dress, flashing a diamond ring, kissing him full on the mouth. She hadn't even bothered to make it private.
Late that night, I called Frederick over and over. No one picked up.
I tugged at the corner of my mouth—something between a smile and a grimace—and started packing. That was when I found our wedding invitation buried among my things.
Tears pooled in my eyes. My vision blurred.
He had once shielded me in a multi-car pileup, wrapping his body around mine so completely that he was the one who ended up in critical condition—unconscious, nearly losing a limb, three days of emergency surgery before he opened his eyes.
On our wedding day, fireworks lit up the entire city just for us. He cried so hard he could barely speak, and afterward he tattooed my name on his skin as a vow of devotion. The whole city was moved by our love story.
And yet this same man—this man who seemed incapable of betrayal—had been keeping my adoptive sister all along. Had legally married her. Had deceived me so thoroughly that even I never saw through it.
I wiped my tears and was about to lie down when a pair of strong arms wrapped around me from behind.
"Baby, I'm sorry. I can't believe I wasn't here for our anniversary…"
I drew a slow breath, loosened his grip, and hit play on the recording.
…
"What do you have to say?"