Page 1 of For the Lover in You
One
Mila Cruz
Istared at my husband. My body shook, and my heart broke into a million pieces. This was not the man I married fifteen years ago.
"Kyle, what about therapy? We can work through this," I pleaded, with tears falling from my eyes.
"Mila, you and I both know this marriage isn't going anywhere. We barely fuck, and when we do, it's nothing exciting."
I cringed at his admission. After having our son, KJ, six years ago, sex was never the same for me. Still, it didn't stop me from making sure I showed up for Kyle when he needed me. I knew it was my role to make sure his needs were met. I was a stay-at-home wife, so I felt it was my duty to make sure that when Kyle made it home, the house was cleaned, dinner was made, his lunch for tomorrow was packed, and I was there to please him. To top that all off, I made sure I ran his bath water, rubbed his feet, and spent my nights pleasing him. It was the least I could do, considering he handled everything.
"Kyle, we have sex four times a week. After running around with KJ and having to make sure everything is good when you get home, I'm tired."
He scoffed. "Mila, please. You've got it made. If anything, I should be the one who is tired. I bust my ass every day just so you can drive that fancy-ass BMW SUV. I work long hours so that you can have the nice, fancy bags and all the other extra shit you need done, like your hair and nails. I need somebody who will appreciate all that and me!"
"Kyle, you can't be serious. I don't ask for any of that! You provided that lifestyle for me. You complain if my hair isn't done, if my nails and toes aren't polished, or even if I haven't had a wax. All the maintenance is to please you!"
He stood up from the table and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. He popped the top and chugged the contents, barely leaving anything in the bottle after he finished.
"Mila, I can't do this anymore. It's just not working for me."
The tears continued to pour as I watched him with his back turned to me.
"Kyle..." I whimpered through my tears. "Please don't do this. Think about KJ."
His phone dinged, and I knew that sound by heart. It was a notification from the hospital letting him know his job needed him. He let out a deep sigh. "I'll be back."
"We haven't finished talking about this."
He sighed again, rubbing his hand down his face. "Yes, we are. Read over the paperwork and sign it. Don't make this hard."
"Kyle! Kyle!" I screamed as he walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
As soon as the door closed, my tears became sobs as my head fell to the table. My tears stained the divorce papers under me because never in a million years did I think Kyle would one day walk in here and serve me with divorce papers. Of course, likeany other couple, we had our ups and downs, but what married couple didn't?
I met Kyle in my freshman year of college. Kyle was a pre-med major, and so was I. We ended up having biology together in our freshman year and joined the same study group. We all became friends, but Kyle and I developed a special friendship over time. If we weren't studying, we were hanging out with each other. We would attend college events and parties together, but most of our time was spent together in each other's dorms. Once Kyle and I spent more time together outside of everyone else, one thing led to another, and we started dating.
During that time, Kyle was the type of boyfriend people read about in books or saw in movies. As time went on, we got serious. We ended up getting our first apartment together, and by the time we graduated, we were still on cloud nine. When it was time to apply for medical school, we applied to the same school. I knew for sure we both were getting in, but when I received my rejection letter, it crushed me. I cried for days. It hurt knowing I wouldn't be able to continue this journey with Kyle. Still, he convinced me that things happened for a reason. Kyle felt it was for the best because I could fully be there to support him during this journey. He promised that after he made it through, he would help me as well. Unfortunately, the opportunity never came.
I ended up pregnant with Kyle Jr. and took on the role of being a housewife and a stay-at-home mom for the past six years while Kyle was now a physician assistant at the local hospital. He worked many hours, making good money. KJ went to the best private school for six-year-olds. We lived in a two-story house with five bedrooms, four baths, and a state-of-the-art kitchen. Everything was fine in my opinion, but over the past two years, things had gotten rocky between us. Kyle spent more time arguing with me than showing me love. He picked up morehours and was hardly ever home now. For fifteen years, I loved this man and never questioned his love for me. However, I now questioned whether he loved me.
I picked my head up from the table and wiped away my tears. When we said our vows at the altar, we made vows for sickness, and in health, 'til death do us part. I needed to save my marriage. KJ deserved to grow up with both of his parents in the same household. At that moment, I decided I needed to do something special for Kyle to remind him that our love was still there.
After cleaning my face and changing clothes, I called my best friend Trina to make sure that it was okay for KJ to stay at her house a little longer. Once the phone rang for the third time, she answered. I could hear all the commotion in the background. KJ and Trina's son, Trent, was a few months apart and the best of friends. Trina was KJ's godmother, and I was Trent's. We made a vow that the two would grow up together and be best friends like her and me.
I met Trina in college. She was also part of the friend group, but she and I were closer because we were roommates. If I wasn't with Kyle, I was with Trina. She had gone through the nursing program and was now a charge nurse. She wasn't married because she didn't believe that a man could be with just one woman. She didn't develop that belief until she found out that Trent's father was actually married. Trina was devastated when she found out, while pushing out Trent, that her baby daddy was married. She had been dating him for a year and had no clue. Since then, Trina has barely looked at men.
"Hello," she sang while answering the phone.
"Hey, T."
"Is everything good?" she asked, trying to talk over the yelling boys in the background.
"Do you mind watching KJ for a bit longer? I've got to handle some things."
She sucked her teeth. "Duh, of course! Trent and KJ are living their best lives. I don't mind at all. Anything I can help you with?"
I didn't want to tell Trina about my plan because I knew she would lose her mind knowing Kyle had served me with divorce papers. Trina knew about Kyle's ways. She would always encourage me to leave him before he left me. She and Kyle were once cool, but over time, things had changed. She barely said two words to him, and vice versa. They were only cordial on account of me.
