“Who’s coming?” he asked, looking confused.<\/p>\n
Right on cue, the doorbell rang.<\/p>\n
Mark chuckled, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “Are we expecting someone? You didn’t tell me your mother was dropping by.”<\/p>\n
“Why don’t you get it, darling?” I smiled, taking a slow sip of my red wine.<\/p>\n
He pulled open the heavy oak door, and the color drained from his face so fast I thought he might pass out right there in the foyer.<\/p>\n
Standing on our front porch was the woman from the suburbs. The $15,000 diamond necklace sparkled brilliantly under our porch light. On her hip rested the toddler, who was staring up at Mark with his exact hazel eyes and signature crooked smile.<\/p>\n
“Mark?” the woman asked, stepping tentatively inside. “I got your text. You said it was a family emergency and sent an Uber?”<\/p>\n
Mark\u2019s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. He spun around to look at me, sheer panic completely erasing his usual arrogant smirk.<\/p>\n
“I sent the text,” I said, stepping gracefully into the hallway. I extended a hand to the bewildered woman. “Hi. I’m Chloe, Mark’s wife of ten years. He’s told me absolutely nothing about you.”<\/p>\n
The woman gasped, taking a sharp step back. Her hand flew up to clutch the diamond necklace. “Wife? He told me… he said his divorce was finalized three years ago. He told me he was just waiting to sell this house.”<\/p>\n
“Oh, it’s definitely not for sale,” I replied breezily, walking back over to the kitchen island. “And as of this afternoon, my lawyer has frozen the joint accounts. You see, when a husband claims money is ‘too tight right now’ for an anniversary gift but drops fifteen grand at Cartier, a smart wife does her homework.”<\/p>\n
I picked up the cheap cardboard box from the counter and shoved it hard into Mark’s paralyzed arms.<\/p>\n
“Here,” I whispered, my voice dropping to a dangerous chill. “Take the blender. You’re going to need it to puree baby food in whatever cheap motel you’re staying at tonight. The locks are already being changed.”<\/p>\n
I didn’t wait to hear his stammered excuses or the other woman’s sobbing. I grabbed my coat, walked right past the two of them, and stepped out into the cool evening air, leaving the wreckage of my ten-year marriage behind without shedding a single tear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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