Chapter 14
He broke the contract and blew through what little money he had left.
Honestly, Dean and his crew probably never thought I’d actually show up. When I walked into the hospital, he looked uncomfortable–caught off guard–but there was this flicker of hope in his eyes. His buddies suddenly remembered they had places to be and cleared out fast.
Dean finally spoke, his voice rough. “How have you been?”
I set the fruit basket on the chair by his bed and nodded. “I’m good.”
“But I’m not,” he said, almost sulking. “Why didn’t you come back? You said you’d only be away for three days on business. Were you lying to me?”
His eyes were full of accusation.
“You’re not leaving again now, right? I’ve already talked to her. We can go back to how things were-”
I couldn’t help it. I started to laugh, even though I’d planned to keep up a sad front. Maybe my acting had been too convincing. Maybe I’d given him the impression I was just waiting around for him, ready to pick up where we left off, like I was his backup plan.
Dean stared at me, confused.
I wiped away the tears from laughing and said, “I’m only back because work needs me here.“}
“And by the way, the day after tomorrow we’re finalizing our divorce. You can roll in with your wheelchair if you have to. If that’s too much, I’ll even hire a nurse for you.”
Dean just gaped at me, stunned.£
didn’t stick around. I left.S
On the day of the divorce, Dean showed up on time. Even as we stood there with the papers in hand, he tried one last time. “You can still change your mind, you know. We don’t have to do this.”
Walking out of the courthouse, he took a deep breath. “Marian, I know I messed up. I hurt you, but-”
Bryan pulled up, got out, and opened the car door for me. Dean stared at the scarf around Bryan’s neck, at me smiling and talking to him.
“All done?” Bryan asked.
I nodded, waved the divorce papers, and slid into the car.
Before we drove off, I made sure I had the certificate, then turned back to Dean.
“Actually, I do have regrets,” I told him.
I’m not like Erica. I regret things pretty easily. ! think things through, but no matter how careful, life always finds a way to surprise you. Mistakes happen. The difference is, I regret, but I don’t let it stop me. I fix what I can. Regret isn’t some shameful secret.
“I regret marrying you,” I said. “You’re the kind of guy who’s fun for a fling, but you’re nowhere near husband material.”
Dean still looked shell–shocked.
I gave him a bright, grateful smile. “But thank you, really. If you hadn’t cheated, I wouldn’t have known how to ask for a divorce. If you hadn’t crossed that line, nobody would’ve taken my side.
But keeping a marriage going was never about whether the man made some huge mistake. People always say marriage is serious, not something you can just quit if you fall out of love. But that’s exactly why you can’t let mistakes slide.
Bryan started the car and we drove away. In the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of Dean trying to do something–then he fell right out of his wheelchair,
one.
Later, he showed up at my office, but security sent him packing. He yelled that I was treating him like a dog, but no one believed him. I’ve always been the honest
A few years passed. I heard he went abroad chasing after Erica, only to wind up sick. After that, I never heard another word about him.
By then, I’d moved up so far at work that I never had to press the elevator button myself. As for the men around me? They weren’t important. They were either there to make me happy, or to help me climb even higher.
The end.
