Feeling him trying to pull me closer, I pushed him away with all my strength.

“Madeline, what are you doing?”

His annoyance flared as he looked at me, confusion and anger mixing in his expression.

I turned on the bedside lamp, meeting his gaze steadily. I felt empty, not sad or happy. “Alexander, let’s get a divorce.”

“What did you just say?”

His hands froze, disbelief written all over his face as if I were being unreasonable.

I spoke calmly, like a still lake, “I said, let’s get a divorce.”