Chapter1:The Divorce
892 Words
Emma sat in the corner booth of Murphy's Bar, staring at her phone. Her best friend Rachel's voice came through the speaker, worried and confused.
"Emma, are you really sure about this divorce thing?" Rachel asked. "I mean, have you thought this through? Once you sign those papers, you and Marcus will be done forever."
Emma took a sip of her whiskey. The drink burned her throat, but it didn't hurt as much as the memory of last night. Her fingers gripped the phone tighter.
"Yes," she said quietly. "I'm leaving him."
"But why?" Rachel sounded upset. "Marcus treats you so well. Everyone says he loves you more than anything..."
Emma almost laughed out loud. Love? That was a funny word. She pressed her lips together, trying not to cry.
After hanging up, Emma looked out the window. Across the street, there was a giant TV screen on a tall building. It was still showing that news conference from yesterday.
Marcus stood there in his expensive suit, holding up a beautiful piece of jewelry. He had used the world's best diamonds to make something special for his wife. He called it "Forever Emma."
He named it after her and told the whole world he would love her forever. Everyone on the internet was talking about it. People said they were the perfect couple.
Outside, the big TV screens kept playing the video over and over. Emma laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh.
"Love me?" she whispered to herself. "If he loves me so much, why was he sleeping with another woman on our anniversary?"
Last night was their third wedding anniversary. Marcus had told her he wanted to surprise her. He asked her to wait for him at home. Emma wore Marcus's favorite blue dress. She lit candles. She cooked his favorite dinner. She waited and waited. Midnight came and went.
At one in the morning, her phone buzzed. Someone wanted to be her friend on social media. The profile picture was strange. The message said "A surprise for you."
Emma almost deleted it right away. But then another message came: "Are you still awake? Is it because your husband isn't with you?"
Emma's heart started beating fast. How did this person know Marcus wasn't home? She didn't accept the friend request, but more messages kept coming.
"Stop pretending. I know you're reading this."
"Your husband is with me right now."
"I was scared of the thunder, so he came over to keep me company."
"What a sweet man. Too bad he's not sweet just for you."
Each message felt like a knife stabbing Emma's heart. Her hands shook. Her brain said it might be a joke, but something inside her knew it was real.
The last message broke her completely, "If you don't believe me, I'll send you the address. The door code is your wedding date."
Emma couldn't sit still anymore. With shaking fingers, she accepted the friend request. The person immediately sent an address and a password, 0615. That was their anniversary date.
Emma ran out of the house and drove to the address. It was a fancy apartment building. She stood in front of the door. Her finger touched the number pad. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might explode.
She typed 0615. The lock clicked. The door opened.
A man's jacket was lying on the floor near the door. Emma recognized it. It was the anniversary gift she had given Marcus. He had worn it when he left home that morning.
A pair of black underwear was on the sofa. A wine glass with red lipstick was on the coffee table.
From the hallway to the bedroom, men's and women's clothes were everywhere. The worst thing was a red nightgown, ripped into pieces, lying by the bedroom door.
Emma's legs felt weak. She could barely stand. But she walked forward and pushed open the bedroom door.
On the bed, Marcus was with another woman. The woman was doing something to Marcus that made Emma feel sick. Marcus had his eyes closed. He was making sounds that showed he was enjoying it.
The woman asked, "Am I better than Emma?"
Marcus said, "You think you can compare to Emma?"
Then he turned the woman around and continued doing things with her. The sounds they made filled the room.
Emma couldn't watch anymore. She covered her mouth so she wouldn't throw up. She ran out of that terrible place.
She drove to Murphy's Bar and sat alone, drinking. The whiskey hurt her throat, but it didn't make the pain in her heart go away. When Rachel got her call and rushed to the bar, Emma was already very drunk.
"Emma!" Rachel slid into the booth, looking worried. "Why are you so drunk? What happened? Did Marcus do something wrong?"
Drunk Emma looked at her with red, puffy eyes. "Rachel, I don't want to hear his name right now."
Emma took another drink of whiskey. Her mouth felt bitter. "Rachel, I saw him sleeping with another woman right in front of me. It's not a mistake."
Rachel grabbed her hand, looking sad. "Emma, maybe you two can talk about this..."
"There's nothing to talk about," Emma said firmly. "I want a Divorce. Every time I think about him with that woman, I want to throw up."
- Writer
