2
I thought seeing my ex-husband again would
make me depressed.
Г
But the truth is, my heart no longer cared
about Chadwick Davies.
We had been married for five long years, ón
top of a four-year relationship.
That meant nine years together.
I guess we didn’t make it past the seven-year
itch.
But the ending was still the same: we became
strangers.
The moment my heart died was on our fifth
anniversary.
He rented out the Empire State Building for
his darling, showing a 24-hour scrolling
tribute to her return.
That night, the sky was filled with a drone
light show, creating the most beautiful scene.
The trending topic was the two of them
kissing under the lights, surrounded by roses.
The internet was filled with well-wishing
comments.
Even the official Empire State Building
account chimed in, calling them the perfect
couple and wishing them a lifetime of
happiness.
Everyone was celebrating their love while I
was taking care of his father in the hospital.
The roses, the drone show, the happy
atmosphere-none of that was for me.
So that’s what Chadwick meant when he said
he wouldn’t be home tonight.
I thought I was holding it together, but my
eyes still started to tear up.
Dad noticed and sighed.
I realized he had asked for my phone to
check the weather.
It was trending, so there was no way he could
have missed it.
“Whitney, it’s okay. Let it go. He’s not worth
- Get a divorce.”
I thought he was telling me to ignore it, but
he was actually encouraging me to leave him.
“Dad, just focus on getting better, nothing
else matters!”
He was my father-in-law, but he treated me
well, and I wanted him to recover.
As for the divorce, that was between
Chadwick and me. I didn’t want to worry the
old man.
But Dad shook his head.
“Whitney, I don’t have much time left. If you
get divorced, I’ll be at peace. I never should
have let you marry into that mess.’
“I can’t control him, but you have your whole
life ahead of you. Do it for yourself.”
He shakily took out a card and a deed from
the cabinet and handed them to me.
I refused, but he cut me off.
“He hasn’t even visited me once since I’ve
been in the hospital. This is for taking care of
me.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve saved enough for my
funeral. If you don’t take it, I won’t be able to
rest.’
He forced the card into my hand and ushered
me out.
“Go home, the nurse will be here tonight. Go
get a divorce.”
Leaving the hospital room, I sat in my car and
pulled out my phone.
I hesitated for a moment, but then images of
the past flashed before my eyes.
When did it start?
He had never stopped cheating, but I had
been lying to myself, thinking they had broken
up so that I would feel better.
I realized I had fooled myself completely.
