He left with nothing. He’d always given me his paycheck. Before the divorce, he’d transferred
the title of our house and car to my name.
“Take care of yourself, Anna.”
“Whether you believe me or not, I still love you.”
<
Love? I didn’t want that kind of love.
I purged the house of everything that reminded
me of Ethan. I took a leave of absence from
work and booked a customized tour of Europe.
I watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night from
a boat on the Seine. I ate mango gelato on a
picturesque hillside in Grindelwald. I climbed to
the top of Duomo, overlooking Florence.
Six months in Europe cleansed my soul. The
drama with Ethan and Ashley felt like a distant,
insignificant memory.
When I returned, I was at peace.
I signed up for a gym membership. The gossipy
owner filled me in on the latest Ethan and
Ashley saga.
Shortly after I left, Ethan had married Ashley,
<
worn down by her persistence.
They had a quickie courthouse wedding,
nothing fancy.
Gossip spread like wildfire, of course, about
Ethan marrying so soon after our divorce. But
Ashley didn’t care. She gleefully packed her
bags, ready to move into my
her
–
now, technically
spacious house with Zach.
But when she arrived, she found the doors.
locked. She learned that Ethan had left with
nothing.
She went to him, playing the victim. This time,
Ethan didn’t budge.
“We wronged Anna. It’s only right that I left
with nothing.”
He stopped cooking for her, telling her to order
takeout. He stopped fixing things around the
<
He stopped cooking for her, telling her to order
takeout. He stopped fixing things around the
house, spending all his time at work. When Zach got sick, he told Ashley to call 911.
