I could only shake my head at the absurdity of it all. They didn’t understand. None of them did. Even my parents had called earlier, their voices full of concern and disapproval.
[Jane, honey, you’re not too old yet. Have a baby and everything will go back to the way it was. A child will fix things.]
A child... I thought bitterly. My hand unconsciously moved to my stomach. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t bring a child into this broken mess of a marriage. I didn’t want to.
Just as I was lost in my thoughts, the front door swung open, slamming against the wall with a crash. Mark stumbled inside, his eyes bloodshot, his breath reeking of alcohol. He staggered towards me, rage flickering in his eyes when he saw the half-packed suitcase on the floor.
“What the hell are you doing, Jane?” he slurred, his voice thick with anger.
I didn’t answer. Instead, I took a deep breath and looked at him, my eyes filled with the exhaustion of a decade of love gone wrong. “Do you even know what today is?” I asked quietly.
Mark frowned, his brow furrowing as he tried to remember. His face remained blank.
I smiled sadly, the weight of his forgetfulness crushing my heart. “It’s our tenth wedding anniversary, Mark.”