Chapter 1%
The day my world shattered was supposed to be a celebration. Our third wedding anniversary. I had spent hours preparing a quiet dinner, complete with candles and music, and imagining how the evening might rekindle something that had been missing for a long
time.
Instead, Jairus, my husband, didn’t even come home on time.
It wasn’t until late in the evening, as I sat alone at the dining table staring at untouched plates, that my phone buzzed. A notification. Jairus posted a picture of himself with another woman on his social media. She wore a silky red dress that clung to her figure with his hand rested possessively on her lower back.
The caption was….
“Celebrating life with someone who makes every moment brighter.”
I stared at the screen. My hands trembled.
The woman was Katie, his business partner, whose laugh always seemed a little too loud and smile a little too wide whenever he was around. The audacity of it all hit like a slap to my face.”
I left a simple comment: “Nice.”
It didn’t take long for my phone to ring. The screen lit up with Jairus’s name. I hesitated before answering.[
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Vanessa,” he began defensively. “It’s just a business dinner. You know how these things are.”
“Business?” My voice was eerily calm. “Is that why your hand looks so comfortable on her back?”
Jairus sighed. I could hear the frustration in his tone, barely concealed. “You’re always reading into things. Maybe if you weren’t so controlling, we wouldn’t have these issues.“>
I hung up without replying and stared at my reflection in the window.
Outside, the city lights blurred into a hazy glow. Their vibrancy was mocking the hollowness I felt.
His words were a familiar script. I’d heard them too many times. They always made me feel like the villain and the irrational one. Jairus came home hours later, reeking of wine and perfume. He didn’t offer an apology or even a greeting. Instead, he tossed his jacket on the couch and noticed the small box I had wrapped earlier. It was a gift I’d planned to give him for our anniversary.
“What’s this?” he asked indifferently.
“Your anniversary gift,” I replied flatly.
He frowned, then set it down unopened. “I didn’t have time to get you anything. Katie was organizing the event tonight. And things ran late.”
Of course, Katie.2
Then he noticed my supplements on the table.
“You’re skipping your supplements now? Is this your way of throwing a tantrum?” he asked imitatedly.
“I’m not angry,” I replied evenly. But my heart ached after saying that.
He faked a laugh. “Could’ve fooled me. You know, you have to take your medications if you want to have a baby. You’ve been wanting this for years, Vanessa. Don’t mess it up now.“>
I swallowed back the lump in my throat. “I have my doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he reached into his briefcase and pulled out a box wrapped in silver paper. “Katie wanted to apologize if you got the wrong impression earlier. She picked this out for you.”
Curiosity warred with dread as I unwrapped it to reveal a silk scarf. Its edges were embroidered with Katie’s initials. My grip on the fabric tightened as I resisted the urge to throw it across the room.
How dare he give this to me as a gift?%
“She thought it would make you feel better,” Jairus added. Irritation was evident in his voice like he was expecting me to thank her. I placed the box aside. “Tell Katie I said thank you.“%
Jairus’s expression darkened. “What’s with the attitude, Vanessa? She didn’t have to do this, you know. Katie’s thoughtful, unlike you” The sting of his words was one I’d felt before., But it didn’t hurt any less. Lexcused myself and went to bed early. I curled into a ball, overthinking. The faint sound of the television in the living room and the occasional clink of his glass against the coffee table did nothing to soothe my restlessness.
At midnight, the muffled sound of his phone vibrating woke me. I reached over and saw Katie’s name flashing on the screen. Her message read: “Can’t stop thinking about tonight. Wish you were still here.”
I stared at the message. The words seared themselves into my mind. My finger hovered over the reply button.
There were a hundred furious responses forming in my head, but I stopped myself. Instead, I deleted the message without a second thought and placed the phone back on the nightstand. If Jairus noticed, he didn’t say anything.
The next morning, as I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the clock on the wall, a decision began to take shape.
I wouldn’t fight for someone who wasn’t fighting for me. Not anymore $
At breakfast, Jairus seemed oblivious to my silence as he scrolled through his phone, chuckling softly at something. I watched him
from across the table. I memorized every detail of him. The crease between his brows and the way his lips curved when he smirked. For years, I had loved those details, clung to them as proof that we had something worth holding on to
