Trying to keep his patience, he spoke again. “You know Cathy is naive. If I hadn’t gone, she could’ve been taken advantage of by those men. You’re a woman too—you know how important purity is. I only went because I felt sorry for her!”
I let out a laugh, sharp and uncontrollable.
This was the first time I’d seen someone justify their cheating so righteously.
When I finally stopped laughing, I looked him in the eye. “You felt sorry for her? And what about me, Mike? Did you ever stop to think about how I felt? Do you even know Mom—”
“Your mom, again?” he cut me off impatiently. “Is she all you ever talk about? Jess, don’t push your luck. I already married you. What more do you want?”
I swallowed back the words stuck in my throat.
My voice was steady when I spoke again. “I want a divorce.”
His eyes widened. “No way. Don’t even think about it!”
He opened his mouth to argue further, but his phone rang.
The moment he saw the caller ID, his entire expression softened.
I only needed one glance to know it was Cathy.
Only in front of her did he ever show this kind of tenderness.
With me, he was always distant, always looking down on me. The only time he softened was when he needed something.
Without hesitation, he stepped into the bedroom to take the call.
Thirty minutes later, he emerged and was about to leave again..
He spared me a glance. “Jess, take some time to reflect on your behavior. Cathy’s sick—I’m going to take care of her. When I come back, I hope you’ve figured out where you went wrong.”
The door slammed shut behind him.
A cold laugh slipped from my lips.
He cheated on me, drove my mom to her death, and now I was the one who needed to reflect?
What a joke.
I stood up, grabbed the suitcases by the door, and tossed them straight into the dumpster.
‘Mike, I won’t compromise anymore.’
