Three Years of Marriage: My Wife’s Boundaries Shattered My Beliefs1
On our third anniversary, my wife moved into her best male friend's place.
She returned, hand-in-hand with him, flaunting some fancy new pills.
I confronted Lily, calmly requesting a divorce.
Her best male friend interjected, "Hold up, don't get it twisted. Lily mentioned your, uh, struggles, so I suggested she bring these."
My wife soothed, "David, you're not to blame here. If he's not up to snuff, I can't settle forever."
Little did she remember, my condition came from saving her life.
*****
That night at ten, when I arrived at David's, Lily was in his embrace, lost in a passionate kiss.
She didn't even bat an eye when she saw me.
David glanced down, giving Lily a gentle pat, "Lily, look who's here, your hubby."
Lily looked up, tipsy and dismissive, "So he's here? Big deal. Let's keep going!"
She pulled David back into a deep kiss.
They were at it again, wrapped up in each other.
The silence was broken by someone snapping photos, sparking cheers from the crowd.
Watching this, I felt an eerie calm. I left without a scene.
Once home, I tossed our wedding photo into the trash bin,
burying the last shred of my feelings for Lily with it.
Then I left our loveless home and crashed at a friend's.
Two days later, Lily rang me up, fuming from the get-go.
"Andrew, where are you? What's this about our wedding photo in the trash?"
I could hear David in the background, "Lily, he's so jealous, I doubt I dare call you later."
Lily's fury grew, "Andrew, get back here within half an hour and explain yourself!"
Back in the day, a hint of anger from Lily would have me scrambling to appease her with gifts and apologies.
But now? I was unmoved, completely tranquil.
I took a breath and spoke slowly, "I'll come, but only after the extra baggage leaves."
Lily lost it, "Extra baggage? David is my closest friend. He kindly brought me home. And you can't even thank him but call him 'extra baggage'? Where's your decency?"
What a laugh.
She had been at David's for two full days and nights. Clearly, something was up.
And David's intentions? As if I couldn't see right through him.
They'd been tight since way back, just not this openly.
When Lily and I first got together, David was abroad.
His return changed everything.
Lily started pulling away from me, with David always around.
Nights out, and hospital stays, David was her constant shadow.