Open Marriage, Broken Promises: When Love Turns to Ashes novel Chapter 56

Shocked, Sean stared at me in confusion.

"Emily, what are you doing now?"

He sighed and shoved a food container into my hands.

"I prepared breakfast for you early this morning. Can't you stop acting out? I get tired too, you know! Why don't you learn from Lily? She's so much more sensible than you!"

I recognized the food in the container. I had seen it in Lily's post.

It was clearly her leftovers.

I looked up at the man in front of me, and suddenly, I realized he had changed.

His hair was still neat, but there were a few strands of gray; his eyes were still moist, but bloodshot; his body was still upright, but his muscles had relaxed...

He wasn't as I had imagined him to be.

In that moment, I woke up, finally seeing him as he was.

I smiled faintly, my face pale, my eyes filled with an exhaustion words couldn't describe.

"We should divorce, Sean."

Sean froze, staring at me in disbelief.

"You want a divorce? Why? Is it because of Lily?"

"I told you, there's nothing between us! I only see her as a sister. What more do you want?"

"Stop being difficult, okay? Don't ruin the holidays. If we're going to divorce over something so small, then I don't think you deserve to be a good wife!"

I raised my eyes to look at Sean, my tone eerily calm.

"I don't want to anymore. I'm tired."

"Sean, let's divorce."

Sean froze.

He knew I couldn't leave him. Seven years of marriage, no matter how big the conflict, I had never once brought up divorce.

He couldn't believe his ears, that this came from me.

His eyes reddened as he looked at me, suddenly sneering.

"Emily, you're so pathetic. No wonder your parents tried to drown you."

At those words, both of us froze.

Sean quickly realized what he had said and began apologizing furiously.

"I'm sorry! Emily, I was out of my mind. I didn't mean that! I—"

He knelt down in front of me, slapping his own face with his hands.

"You know I didn't mean it. I was just speaking thoughtlessly. I'm sorry, I'm a beast!"

I watched him quietly, my expression blank, feeling as cold as dead water inside.

I hadn't expected that the weaknesses I once trusted and spoke of would now be used as the sharpest knife in Sean's hands.

Suddenly, Sean's phone rang.

It was Lily calling.

He glanced at me and still picked up the call.

But it wasn't Lily's voice on the other end. It was a doctor's voice.

"Hello, is this Ms. Larson's husband? She suddenly fainted. Could you come and sign something for us?"

I almost blocked him, but accidentally clicked to answer.

Sean, someone who had never cried in front of me, now spoke with a voice full of sobs.

"Emily, I know I was wrong, can you forgive me?"

"Everyone makes mistakes, you need to learn to forgive me. You can't be like this, it's unfair to me!"

"Come on, tell me where you are, I'll come pick you up, okay?"

…

At that moment, the airport speakers called my name repeatedly, urging me to check in.

Sean, broken, cried out.

"Emily, you can't leave me, where are you going?"

I answered calmly.

"Sean, Happy New Year, I wish you a hundred years of happiness."

Then I hung up decisively and blocked him.

Sitting on the plane, I stared out the window, my eyes blank.

The young Emily would never have imagined that this would be the outcome with Sean.

It seemed that "divorce" wasn't as bad as it appeared compared to being in mutual disdain.

I looked at my reflection in the window and gave a resigned smile.

"Emily, Happy New Year, happy new life."