He pulled me out onto the deck and slid the glass door shut, blocking out the fake laughter from the living room.
“You saw Lily. She’s a wonderful woman, good family, very successful. We’re in love.”
And my voice was as dry as sandpaper.
“So, we’re getting a divorce.”
He stared out at the yard as if he were discussing the weather.
“This house is in my parents’ name, so you won’t get a scent. For old times sake, I can give you $5000. As a settlement, $50,000”
for 5 years of my youth, 5 years of servitude, 5 years of humiliation. My heart felt like it was being sawed apart by a dull knife. The pain so intense I could barely breathe. I looked at him, the man I had loved for so many years, and he was a complete stranger.
“Mark, where is your conscience?”
It took all my strength to ask. He finally turned to look at me, his eyes filled with impatience and contempt.
“Ella, be realistic. Look at yourself. You’re a washedup housewife with no job and no savings. Without me, you can’t even survive in this city. 50,000 is more than generous. Lily is different. Her father is a senior executive at a major corporation. She can help me. She can help our family live a better life. What can you do besides housework? You’re just dragging me down.”
Every word was a poisoned arrow aimed perfectly at my most vulnerable spots. He was right. I was a fool. I had given up everything for this family only to become a worthless burden in his eyes. Suddenly, I wanted to laugh. Laugh at my own stupidity at the cruelty of reality. I took a deep breath, swallowing the bitterness in my throat, and looked him straight in the eye.
“Fine, we can get a divorce, but I don’t want a single penny of your money.”
Mark was stunned. He clearly hadn’t expected me to agree so easily. I ignored him, turned, and slid open the deck door.
In the living room, Carol was happily serving fruit to Lily, as if Lily were her own daughter.
“Li, dear, try these cherries. They’re imported so sweet. Not like some people who can’t even tell good from bad,” she said, shooting a pointed glance my way.
Lily smiled, picked one up, and popped it elegantly into her mouth, her eyes locking with mine in a look of pure triumph. I walked over my face, a mask of calm, and took off my apron, dropping it on the floor.
“Mom,” I said evenly. “Since Mark is bringing her home, I won’t be staying in this house anymore.”
Carol froze for a second, then shrieked.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you trying to threaten us? Let me tell you, Ella, we’ve been wanting to kick a jinx like you out for years. If you leave on your own, you’re saving us the trouble.”
Mark followed me in immediately, shielding Lily as if I were going to attack her.
“Ella, don’t make a scene. Just pack your things and go.”
I looked at their faces and the last shred of affection I had for this family evaporated. Without another word, I went back to the room I had lived in for 5 years, but had never felt an ounce of warmth. I didn’t have much. A few old clothes, a couple of books. It all fit in one suitcase.
As I dragged my suitcase to the door, the three of them watched me as if I were part of a circus act. Lily even had the audacity to say in a saccharine voice,
“Ela, don’t be impulsive. We can talk this through.”
The gloating in her tone was unmistakable. I stopped at the doorway and turned back, my gaze sweeping coldly over each of them.
“Mark. And you too,” I said, my voice quiet but clear. “I, Ella, will remember how you treated me today. I hope you don’t live to regret it.”
Carol scoffed.
“Regret it. We couldn’t be happier. Now get out.”
I opened the door and walked out. It slammed shut behind me, sealing off my past. Walking through the treelined suburban street, the evening breeze felt cold against my face. I didn’t cry, not a single tear. When your heart dies, the tears dry up. There was only one thought in my mind. I will repay this humiliation a hundred times over.
I pulled out my phone and found a number I hadn’t contacted in years. It belonged to an upperassman from college, a man whose advances I had once turned down. He’d gone on to start his own tech company and become the most dazzling success story of our graduating class. I had always seen him as someone to be admired from afar. In the years since, my own insecurities and failures had made me too ashamed to ever reach out. But now, I had nothing left to lose. He had once sponsored a scholarship I received in college. With it came a promise. Ella, he’d said, if you ever run into a problem you can’t solve, you can call me.
The phone connected.
“Hello.”
a calm magnetic male voice. My heart skipped a beat.
“Alex, it’s me, Ella.”
There was a pause on the other end. Alex seemed surprised.
“Ella, it’s been a long time. What made you call?”
His voice was still warm, but with a polite distance. It made sense. We hadn’t spoken in almost 6 years. After graduation, I had buried myself in my marriage, cutting off ties with almost everyone from my past, especially him. I was ashamed of my life. A mouse hiding in a dark corner, too embarrassed to face the people who shone so brightly in the sun.
“Alex, I”
My voice cracked.
“I’m in some trouble. I I need your help.”
“Take it easy. Tell me what happened.”
His voice through the phone had a calming effect. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I squatted on the sidewalk and like a lost child told him everything. The 5 years of misery, the scene that had just unfolded, sobbing uncontrollably. I don’t know how long I spoke. By the end, my throat was raw. Alex listened patiently, never interrupting. When my crying subsided, he finally spoke, his voice laced with a barely concealed anger.
“The Miller family from the Oakwood Hills subdivision in Neapville.”
“Yes,”
I was surprised. How did he know? He a cold laugh.
“What a coincidence.”
“Alex, you know them.”
