Chloe, worried about my emotional state,
hovered around me, chattering like a
hummingbird to distract me. “Mia, there’s
something I need to confess.” “What is it?”
“When you asked me to give Ethan that box, I…
I didn’t put the baby in it, but I printed a bunch
of ultrasound pictures and stuffed them in
there. He kind of lost it when he saw them.”
She peered at me nervously. “Are you mad?”
<
know, but I was worried he’d use it against you
in the divorce. Maybe I should have just left it
alone.” I was surprisingly calm. “I’ll find a way to
prove his infidelity. He can’t hurt me anymore.”
Chloe tilted her head, studying me. “Mia, you’ve
changed. You know, sometimes, the only way to
deal with a jerk is to become stronger. It’s… it’s
good. It’s really good.” Despite her words, her
eyes were red–rimmed. I guess everything that
had happened had forced me to grow up. I
squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t be sad for me. I’d
rather face the storm head–on than wither away
in a greenhouse.”
- 14.
A week later, I sent Ethan the divorce papers,
reviewed meticulously by my lawyer. Days
turned into a week, and still no signed
agreement. I had to unblock his number. I called
him. He answered on the first ring. “Mia.” I
hadn’t expected him to call me that. I frowned.
“Ethan, is there something wrong with the
divorce papers?” “No.” “When will you sign
<
ATTer a long pause, ne asked, “Do you really
want this?” I didn’t understand his hesitation.
We had no child, no ties. What was he holding
onto? My voice was sharp. “I’m getting tired of
answering that question.” He chuckled dryly.
“Fine.”
- 15.
Another week passed, and still no signed
papers. Meanwhile, Juliet continued her
relentless harassment, urging me to leave
Ethan. If she wanted to make a fool of herself, I
wasn’t going to stop her. I texted her, “I sent
Ethan the divorce papers weeks ago, but he
won’t sign them. What should I do?” Juliet
didn’t believe me. She launched into a long,
rambling text about Ethan’s undying love for
her: “We’ve been together since college. We
struggled when we first graduated, sharing a
tiny apartment and eating cheap takeout, but I
never minded. He treated me like a princess,
always buying me flowers and gifts. He cooked
breakfast for me every morning, gave me foot
massages every night did all the chores All his
<
massages every night, did all the chores. All his
friends knew about me. His social media was all
‘July‘, which stood for Juliet. He told his friends.
If he wasn’t marrying me, they didn’t need to
come. Even my parents said I’d found the best
man in the world… If we hadn’t broken up,
you’d never have had the chance to marry him.
He doesn’t love you. Just let him go.” Reading
her message, I felt… nothing. Just pity. She
thought Ethan’s love was unique, special, meant
only for her. She didn’t know he’d done all
those same things for me. I’d agreed to marry him precisely because he’d seemed so perfect.
I wasn’t angry at her anymore. “Okay,” I replied
calmly. “I’ll go see him in person today and talk
about the divorce.” Barely a second after I hit
send, my phone rang. It was Juliet, her voice
shrill and frantic. “Don’t you dare go near him!
You’re not allowed to see him!” “If I don’t get
him to sign the papers, you’ll always be in the
shadows.” “I don’t believe he’s refusing to sign!
You must be playing some kind of trick! What
did you do to him?” I couldn’t resist a final jab.
“Instead of wasting your time harassing me
<
