His ex wife

Chapter three

“Hello?” She heard her husband’s mistress through the phone.

“This is Elena. You wanted to talk.”

A pause. Then, “Thank you for calling. I know this must be difficult for you.”

Difficult. Such a mild word, as though it didn’t feel like there was a scalpel shoved down her throat scraping out her heart.

“You said there are things I need to understand,” Elena said, keeping her voice steady. “So explain and help me understand why my husband was with you on his birthday instead of home with me.”

Another pause. When Vanessa spoke again, her voice was gentle, almost pitying. “Elena, I think you know Julian and I have grown close over the past few months.”

“Close.”

“Yes. We connected on a level that, I’m sorry to say, he doesn’t feel with you anymore.”

The words should have hurt. They did hurt. But Elena had already suspected as much.

“He loves you,” Vanessa continued. “I’m not trying to take that away from you. But love isn’t always enough and people need more than just stability and comfort. They need passion and understanding, someone who really sees them.”

“And you think that’s you?”

“I know it’s me, julian tells me everything. About how you’ve changed since you got married, How you gave up your career and became so focused on the house, on cooking and cleaning and trying to be the perfect wife. But that’s not what he needs, he needs a partner who challenges him and has her own life and her own passions.”

Elena’s grip on the phone tightened. “I gave up my career because he asked me to.”

“Did he ask? Or did you just assume that’s what he wanted?”

Had he asked? Elena tried to remember the conversations they’d had three years ago. Julian suggesting she was stressed and she worked too hard, That they didn’t need the extra income. That wouldn’t it be nice if she had more time for herself, for them?

She’d thought she was doing what he wanted, What they both wanted.

“I’m not trying to hurt you,” Vanessa said. “I just think you should know the truth. Julian cares about you, but he’s not in love with you anymore. And forcing him to stay in a marriage that makes him unhappy isn’t fair to either of you.”

“Forcing him?” Elena’s voice rose. “I’m his wife. We made vows.”

“Vows made three years ago. People change, Feelings change. Can you honestly say you’re still the same person he married?”

No. Elena couldn’t say that. She’d changed. She’d softened some of her edges, learned to compromise, tried to become the kind of wife she thought Julian needed.

But had he changed too? Or had he always been capable of this, and she just hadn’t seen it?

“I’m pregnant,” Elena said quietly.

Silence on the other end. Then, carefully, “I know. Julian told me.”

The scalpel scraped deeper.

“And? Does that change anything?”

“That’s between you and Julian. But Elena, a baby won’t fix what’s broken between you. It’ll only make things more complicated.”

“I didn’t get pregnant to fix anything. This baby was planned. We’ve been trying for months.”

That wasn’t entirely true. They’d stopped being careful, which wasn’t quite the same as actively trying. But Vanessa didn’t need to know that.

“I see,” Vanessa said. “Then I’m sorry, this must be very painful for you.”

She didn’t sound sorry, She sounded satisfied, like she’d won something.

“I have to go,” Elena said abruptly.

“Wait. Elena, I want you to know, I never meant for any of this to happen. Julian and I, we just, sometimes things develop naturally, and you can’t fight that kind of connection.”

“You could have tried,” Elena said. “You both could have tried.”

She ended the call before Vanessa could respond.

Mira had been listening to the whole conversation, her face getting progressively more furious.

“That woman,” she started.

“Don’t.” Elena held up a hand. “I don’t want to hear it right now.”

“Fine. But you know she’s full of s**t, right? All that garbage about Julian needing passion and challenge, that’s just her justifying an affair.”

“Maybe.”

“Not maybe, Definitely.” Mira moved closer. “Elena, look at me.”

Elena looked.

“You are not the problem here,” Mira said fiercely. “You changed to make your husband happy. You gave up things that were important to you because you thought that’s what marriage was about, but he’s the one who betrayed you, he’s the one who broke your trust. Don’t let that woman twist this around and make you feel like you’re somehow at fault.”

Elena nodded, but the words felt hollow. Because part of her wondered if Vanessa was right and she had become too focused on being a wife, and lost herself somewhere along the way. If Julian had fallen out of love with her not because of anything he’d done wrong, but because of who she’d become.

Her phone buzzed with another text from Julian.

I’m coming to Mira’s, I know you’re there. We need to talk about this face to face.

“He’s coming here,” Elena said.

Mira’s expression hardened. “Let him come. He’s not getting past me.”

But fifteen minutes later, there was pounding on the door.

“Elena!” Julian’s voice came through the wood. “I know you’re in there. Open the door.”

Mira moved toward it, but Elena caught her arm. “Let me.”

“You don’t have to see him right now.”

“Yes, I do.”

Elena stood and walked to the door. She could hear Julian breathing on the other side. Could picture him there, disheveled and angry and maybe a little scared because for once in their marriage, she’d been the one to walk away.

She opened the door.

Julian looked terrible. His hair was wild, his tie was gone, and there were circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept. He stared at her like he couldn’t quite believe she was real.

“You’re pregnant,” he said.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I tried. You left before I could.”

He flinched. “I didn’t know.”

“Would it have mattered? If you’d known there was something important I needed to tell you, would you have stayed?”

He didn’t answer. They both knew the truth.

“Can I come in?” Julian asked finally. “Please. We need to talk about this.”

Elena looked back at Mira, who shook her head firmly. But Elena stepped aside anyway.

Julian came in slowly, his eyes never leaving Elena’s face. He looked around Mira’s apartment like he was trying to find the right words, the right approach. Finally, he just said, “I’m sorry.”

“For what specifically?” Elena asked. “For missing your birthday dinner? For lying about where you were? For whatever’s going on between you and Vanessa?”

“All of it. I’m sorry for all of it.”

“That’s not good enough.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I want you to tell me the truth. Are you having an affair with her?”

Julian’s jaw tightened. For a moment, Elena thought he might actually be honest. But then he shook his head.

“No. Vanessa is a friend. That’s all.”

“Liar,” Mira said from behind them.

Julian ignored her. “Elena, I know how this looks. I know I’ve been spending a lot of time with her. But it’s not what you think.”

“Then what is it?”

“She’s going through a hard time. Her divorce, it’s been rough on her. She needs support.”

“And you need to be the one giving it?”

“I’m her friend.”

“Friends don’t look at each other the way you were looking at her in those photos. Friends don’t say things like ‘playing house’ about their wives.”

Julian went pale. “You heard that.”

“Yes. Every word.”

“Elena, I was frustrated. I said things I didn’t mean.”

“Did you? Because it seemed pretty honest to me.” Elena’s voice was shaking now. “You think our marriage is me playing house. You think I’m too focused on domestic things. You think I don’t understand what you need.”

“That’s not…”

“Vanessa explained it to me. She said you need passion and challenge, that I’ve changed and I’m not the woman you married anymore.” Elena stepped closer. “Is that true? Is that how you really feel?”

Julian opened his mouth. Closed it. Finally said, “You have changed.”

The admission landed like a physical blow.

“I changed for you,” Elena whispered. “I gave up my job because you said I was too stressed. I stopped seeing my friends because you said we needed more couple time. I learned to cook all your favorite meals and keep the house perfect because I thought that’s what you wanted, What we both wanted.”

“I never asked you to give up everything.”

“You didn’t have to ask.” She felt her voice rising. “You just kept suggesting, Kept pushing, And I was stupid enough to think I was making you happy.”

“You were—you did.” Julian reached for her, but she stepped back. “Elena, please. I know I’ve screwed up. But we can fix this. For the baby.”

“Don’t.” Elena’s voice cracked. “Don’t you dare use this baby as a reason to stay together.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.”

“Then what are you doing? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you want to have your wife at home playing house while you go out and get passion and challenge from another woman.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it like? Explain it to me, Julian. Make me understand.”

He couldn’t. He stood there, silent, and Elena realized he had no explanation. No justification that would make sense. He’d simply done what he wanted, consequences be damned.

“I want a divorce,” Elena heard herself say, she was barely aware of her surroundings but she registered Mira’s gasp. The words hung in the air between them.

Julian stared at her. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do.”

“Elena, you’re upset. You’re not thinking clearly. Let’s go home and talk about this properly.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. You made your choice when you walked out on your birthday dinner. When you chose to spend your birthday with her instead of me.”

“I told you, she needed…”

“I don’t care what she needed!” Elena’s voice rose to a shout. “What about what I needed? I needed my husband to be there. To care that I’d spent all day preparing something special. To at least pretend that our marriage mattered more than whatever sob story Vanessa was selling.”

“This is exactly what I’m talking about,” Julian said, his own voice rising. “You’re being unreasonable. Vanessa was sick.”

“She wasn’t sick. I saw the photos. You took her to a fancy restaurant for your birthday.”

Julian went very still. “What photos?”

“Someone sent them to me. All of them. You outside the restaurant with your arm around her. Inside at a candlelit table. Helping her into your car. And a video of you in the car telling her you’ll always be there for her.”

“Who sent you those?”

“Does it matter? They were real, weren’t they?”

Julian’s silence was answer enough.

“Get out,” Elena said quietly.

“Elena…”

“Get out. I can’t look at you right now.”

“We’re not finished talking about this.”

“Yes, we are. I’ll have my lawyer contact you about the divorce.”

“You’re not divorcing me over a misunderstanding.”

“It’s not a misunderstanding. You’re having an affair, and you don’t even have the guts to admit it.” Elena pointed at the door. “Leave. Now.”

“I’m not leaving until…”

“She asked you to leave.” Mira stepped forward, her phone in her hand. “You want me to call the police? Because I will.”

Julian looked between them, his face cycling through anger and disbelief and something that might have been genuine pain. Finally, he turned and walked to the door.

But before he left, he looked back at Elena one more time.

“I love you,” he said. “Whatever you think is happening, whatever Vanessa said to you, you need to know that I love you.”

“If this is what your love looks like,” Elena said, “then I don’t want it anymore.”

He finally left.

The door closed behind him, and Elena’s legs gave out. She sank to the floor, Mira catching her before she could collapse completely.

“I’ve got you,” Mira whispered. “I’ve got you.”

Elena buried her face in her sister’s shoulder and finally let herself cry. For the marriage she’d thought she had. For the man she’d thought she’d married. For the future she’d imagined that would never happen now.

And for the tiny life growing inside her that would be born into a broken family.