For illustrative purposes only
My chest tightened. “There’s someone else.”
He didn’t even deny it.
“She understands me,” he said simply.
I thought the pain would come like an explosion.
Instead, it arrived like ice spreading slowly through my veins.
“What about Howard?”
“He’ll adjust.”
That answer hurt more than anything else.
Our son was upstairs doing homework while his father calmly destroyed our family downstairs.
“Aidan,” I whispered, “I just gave up everything to save you.”
“No one forced you.”
Then he picked up his suitcase waiting by the door.
Before leaving, he turned back one last time.
“Oh, and don’t make this divorce difficult. You’ll lose.”
The door slammed behind him.
And just like that, fourteen years of marriage ended.
Three days later, I discovered he had moved in with his mistress.
A week later, I was served legal papers.
I sat frozen on the couch while Howard played quietly on the living room floor with his toy cars.
Aidan wasn’t just asking for a divorce.
He wanted everything.
The house we bought together.
Our SUV.
My bakery shares.
Even the necklace he gave me on our tenth anniversary.
But the line that shattered me completely was this:
PRIMARY CUSTODY REQUESTED FOR MINOR CHILD HOWARD WHITMORE.
“No…” I whispered.
