Even the law firm she now ran with pride had been built on the money my parents scraped together—selling their spacious home to buy a smaller one, just so she could have her start.
All of that, she conveniently forgot.
And in her heart, my mother's life wasn't even worth fifty thousand.
After twelve years of marriage, it hit me with brutal clarity: Abigail had never loved me. Because when you love someone, you love their family too. And when you despise someone... that hatred spreads as well.
When I stepped out of the restaurant, I was startled to find her car still parked nearby.
A boy in a pale blue shirt sat in the passenger seat, carefully applying lipstick on her lips. When he finished, she laughed and leaned in to kiss him.
Through the windshield, I stood frozen, watching them laugh together as if I didn't exist.
When her eyes flicked toward me, her smile vanished, but there wasn't a trace of guilt in her expression. The boy glanced curiously in my direction, and without hesitation, she started the engine and sped away.
The car tore past me, tires splashing through a puddle left by the morning rain. Dirty water sprayed across my body.
Soaked and filthy, I dragged myself home.