3
I woke up from the nightmare and saw Jake
lying next to me, frowning.
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11:15
I stared at him for a long time, then finally
reached for my phone.
89
I texted my best friend, who lived all the way in
California. [“Remember how you wanted me to
join you on a business venture? I’ll meet you next week.“]
My hand was trembling when I sent the
message, my other hand was clasped in Jake’s
fist. I started sweating.
Jake’s phone pinged.
I wanted to ignore it, but it went off a few more times. Finally, I couldn’t resist.
He didn’t have a password on his phone. He always joked, “I’ve got nothing to hide from you, Claire. Look whenever you want.”
I trusted him. I’d never gone through his phone.
<
11:15
The wallpaper was our wedding picture. We looked so happy, like a real couple in love.
If it wasn’t for that reminder on the screen.
89
[“January 22nd: Abby’s birthday. Get her that one–of–a–kind necklace.“]
That was tomorrow. He was already planning to take Sue Ellen out for her birthday.
I don’t know why, but I clicked through to his calendar, forgetting the pain in my body.
The pain in my heart was worse.
[“April 5th, 2023: Abby looked at me today.
Does she still have feelings for me? If she’d
married me, I would’ve made her happy. Oh, well. I still can.“]
[“June 13th, 2023: Abby took a fall today. She’s
never been strong. Gotta keep her away from
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11:15
89
places like that. I’ll hire her more help.“]
[“July 19th, 2023: Abby’s boy starts school tomorrow. Gotta get them both gifts.“]
[“September 27th, 2023: Abby’s boy called me Dad today. It’s not much, but I’m still happy. This is as close to being together as we get.“]
I couldn’t read anymore. All those days when Jake wasn’t with me, he was with Abby.
He’d been doing it for years.
I was crying now, tears dripping on the screen,
staring at the pictures he’d secretly taken of
Abby.
Besides the wallpaper, I wasn’t anywhere on his
phone.
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11:15
89
When you love someone, you want to remember
every detail.
My heart fell to the bottom and broke.
I couldn’t stay here, living a lie.
I forced myself up, ignoring the pain, and
booked a flight for California.
Then, I called a lawyer friend and asked her to
draw up divorce papers.
I crawled back into bed. Jake seemed to notice
something was wrong. He turned over and
wrapped his arms around me.
We stayed like that all night. I didn’t sleep a
wink.
The first light of day streamed through the
window. I wiped my eyes, but all I felt was dried
tear tracks.
<
11:15
cal
- 5.
Jake woke up and looked at me. “Claire, you
didn’t sleep well?”
