Page 12 of Midlife Woes (Ex)

“But how? I don’t think Kevin the snake would be so shameless as to introduce her to his mom.”

“Maybe she saw them together, something because I’m pretty sure that’s what your father-in-law was hinting at. That’s the only thing that makes sense for him to be going in so hard on the two of them. You could see the disgust each time he looked at either of them.”

It would kill Kevin if his dad froze him out. It’s like his biggest fear, the disappointment and loss of admiration from his dad. He’s always bent over backward to please his dad for as long as I’ve known him, but the way Dalton spoke today, I have the feeling my soon-to-be ex was in his own personal hell right now.

To have the father he worshipped and admired all but disown him for the woman he’d cheated on must sting. Add to that the fact that Dalton had spelled out the terms of his will and the lengths he had gone to to protect it from being contested was a testament to the fact that he had chosen sides, and it wasn’t with his wife and son.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kevin looking so whipped.” Sheila went back to sipping her special juice while I started the car, still deep in thought. Could it be that Marie knew about the affair? If so, when, how? If I find out that hag knew and encouraged it, I’ll make her life a living hell. It’s one thing to think her son could do better and another entirely to encourage him to cheat on his wife and kids.

“And she claims to love her grandkids.” I looked up in time to see Kevin heading to his car, and the little imp on my shoulder put my foot on the gas, and I almost backed into him.

“Hey, watch it.” He smacked the back of my car.

“Sorry, didn’t see you.” I smiled out the window. “Sheila, I thought the city had an ordinance to clean up after your pet? People just leave their dog shit in the parking lot.” I drove past him as Sheila howled with laughter.

JOLENE

Iknew that jackass was going to be home waiting for me as soon as I walked through the door, and I was right. After I dropped Sheila off, I drove around a bit just to avoid the confrontation I knew was coming. Not because I was afraid but because I didn’t want to spend another minute of my time on that waste of space.

“We need to talk.” I tried walking past him in the kitchen and heading up the stairs, but he blocked my way.

“What do you want?”

“You can’t seriously believe that my father is going to do all those things he said.”

“If that’s true, why are you so worried about it?” I looked at him for the first time then and felt nothing but disgust. Did he really begrudge me this? What the hell happened to him?

Instead of the boy I’d fallen in love with all those years ago, I saw a selfish, egotistical jackass that had seemingly lost the sense the good Lord gave him. There was one more thing that I was very glad to realize at that moment as he stood there breathing fire; I no longer felt the same.

I’ve been walking around here breathing fire for weeks on end, doing my very best to keep my true feelings hidden, but at that moment, I realized that it was no longer an act. How did that happen? I would be the first to say that love isn’t something you can just toss to the side like a used-up napkin. I never once believed that true love could actually wither up and die, but as I looked up at him, I realized that I was no longer masking my true feelings of hurt behind bravado.

I genuinely felt nothing. It was shocking. How, when? What the hell? Somehow, I think he realized it as well because he took a step back, and the look on his face was as if he finally got it. I saw realization dawn, saw the look in his eyes as he took another step back.

I didn’t even realize that he’d grabbed my arm until he let it go. “Was there anything else?”

“No…no.” He looked befuddled and confused as I turned and walked away. What the hell is wrong with me?

If I was a greedy person who’d been in it this whole time for his inheritance, that would be an easy explanation, but I hadn’t been; I had genuinely loved this man. So what the hell happened?

Even when I was angry as hell at him, I knew I still had feelings for him. I thought it was just my stubbornness, my hurt, and regret for the damage he’d done after more than twenty-five years of life and love together.

So, how did it just evaporate like this in the space of one brunch? I know myself very well. It wasn’t Dalton’s money or any of the things he’d promised. I was getting more than my due in the divorce as it stands.

Was it the validation from my father-in-law? Could that be it? No, that wouldn’t have been enough to make me have this change. Was it something Sheila said back there in the car? No, that wasn’t it, either.

So what the hell happened? Why the hell am I like this? I had all plans to rub this new turn of events in his face, to carry out my plan to torment him until the judge got some sense and dissolved this already dead union between him and me.

Now, I don’t have the energy to fight with him; all I want is to be done with him and this broken marriage that I have no desire to fight for. Where’s the pain and hurt? The rage and bloodthirst that I had only this morning when I woke up.

I ran upstairs to the bathroom mirror as if expecting to see something different, but no, I looked the same. I felt my forehead for fever, but there was none. The only thing that was different was the feeling in my heart.

I rubbed my hand over my chest to see if the damn thing was still there, but it was as calm as a sea of glass. I ran back to the bed where I’d dropped my phone and grabbed it to call Sheila.

“What happened? Did that jackass say something to you? I’m on my way.” She hung up before I could get a word in.

Ten minutes later, she was standing over me after yelling something that I couldn’t make out at my soon-to-be-ex downstairs. “What happened?” She looked genuinely afraid.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I think I might need to check myself into the psych ward.”

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