Chapter 3

After the IV finished, I forced my weak body upright

and settled the housekeeper's wages in full.

I was leaving this place of heartbreak for good.

Once she was gone, the huge house went terrifyingly quiet.

I looked around at the couch in the living room, the wall of photos in the hallway, the big bed in the bedroom.

Every corner held seven years of Otis and me.

The sweetness we'd once had felt like nothing but mockery now.

I dialed Otis's number.

A soft, delicate woman's voice came through.

It was Madeline.

"Is this his wife?"

"Otis is in the shower. He got soaked tonight protecting me."

"He's not coming home today. I'll take good care of him."

Whatever tenderness I had left in me drained away completely.

I sat on the couch and waited from dusk until dawn.

At six in the morning,

Otis pushed the door open, carrying the gardenia perfume I hated most.

It was the scent Madeline loved to wear.

He saw how haggard I looked, his eyes sweeping over the hospital bills on the coffee table,

and he let out a scoff, his tone mocking.

"You just want money from me, don't you? Did you really have to sit up all night playing the victim?"

He scrawled his name across the last sheet of paper.

Then he peeled off his coat and tossed it on the couch.

"Wash it and iron it flat. I need to wear it this afternoon."

With that, he didn't spare me a single glance, turning to go catch up on sleep.

I lifted my eyes to the collar.

A garish smear of lipstick stood out there, impossible to miss.

My stomach churned all at once, a violent wave of nausea sweeping through me.

I clamped a hand over my mouth and rushed into the bathroom, gagging over the toilet.

Tears welled up in my eyes on their own.

This marriage, this love, was filthy enough to make me sick.

I clamped a hand over my mouth and rushed into the bathroom, gagging over the toilet.

This marriage was filthy enough to make me sick.

Still, there was one thing that made me happy.

The last document he'd signed was our divorce agreement.