On Our Fifth Anniversary My Husband Begged Me Not to Leave Chapter 07

On Our Fifth Anniversary My Husband Begged Me Not to Leave Chapter 07

“Where could I possibly be?” I asked flatly.

“The gas company came by for their inspection today.” Ethan’s voice was cold. “No one was home. The call got forwarded to me. Why weren’t you there?”

So that’s what this was about. For a moment, I’d thought he’d finally noticed something was wrong. I let out a quiet, inward laugh at my own absurd expectations.

“Why do I have to be home?” I shot back. “Don’t I have my own things to do?”

There was a brief silence on the other end. Then Ethan’s voice came through, dripping with righteous condescension. “You don’t even have a job. What things could you possibly have?”

I let out a soft laugh. “Not working means I can’t leave the house? Can’t have my own life? What if I just wanted to go traveling?”

Ethan’s tone grew darker and darker. “Stella, what the hell has gotten into you lately? You stopped cooking. You stopped coming home. Every little thing sets you off. And now you’ve run off on some solo trip? Have you completely lost your mind?”

I gazed out the window at the evening glow. “I haven’t lost my mind. I’ve just finally woken up.”

Silence filled the line. After a long pause, Ethan let out a cold laugh. “Fine. Keep this up. Since you won’t come home, then neither will I. Let’s see which one of us breaks first.” The call cut off.

My best friend was so furious she nearly hurled my phone against the wall. “Is that man clinically insane? He’s a department head—all it would take is one casual question and he’d know you were hospitalized. He doesn’t care at all!” Her eyes reddened. She reached over and wrapped her arms around me. “Stella, if you need to cry, just cry. Don’t hold it all inside.”

I leaned against her shoulder and was silent for a very long time. Then I shook my head gently. “I can’t cry anymore.” There were simply no tears left.

Three days later, I had recovered enough. I completed the discharge paperwork and went home to gather my things. The moment I pushed open the door, I froze. Ethan was home.

Our eyes met, and the air between us seemed to congeal. In the end, he was the first to speak. “Back already? Where’d you go?”

I didn’t answer. I walked straight to the bedroom and opened the safe to check my documents.

Ethan’s voice followed me. “Haven’t you always wanted to do that Route 66 road trip? Perfect timing—now that the house is settled, we should upgrade the car too. Let’s go look at some tomorrow. When I get my next vacation, I’ll take you.”

My hands stopped mid-motion. In the past, hearing those words would have kept me awake all night with joy. Now, it was far too late.

“No need,” I said flatly.

Ethan frowned. “Why not?”

Because I’d already bought my own car. Because wherever I was going next, there would be no place for you. “No reason,” I said. “Just no.”

Faced with my absolute refusal, Ethan’s patience finally ran dry. “Maren has been telling me to treat you better, and this is the attitude you give me?”

A cold, mocking smile twisted my lips. “She tells you something and you just do it? If she told you to go die, would you?”

Ethan’s face went rigid. “Stella! What happened to the way you used to talk?”

I lowered my head and kept sorting through my documents. I didn’t even spare him a glance.

Ethan stood there, his chest heaving with rage. After a long moment, he let out a bitter laugh. “Fine. Clearly we both need to cool off. I’ll sleep at the hospital for a couple of days. Use the time to reflect on yourself.” He grabbed his coat and stormed out, slamming the door.

Through the entire exchange, I never once looked up.

Only after the front door clicked shut did I slowly walk to the bedside. From my bag, I pulled out two documents. The first—the signed divorce agreement. The second—the hospital’s abortion record, along with the now-meaningless ultrasound. I laid them out neatly on the nightstand. Then I dragged my suitcase and left. That house was saturated with Ethan’s presence. I couldn’t bear to stay another second. I decided to spend my last night in the city at a hotel.

The next morning, I went to the dealership. The salesperson greeted me warmly. “Ms. Shaw, your vehicle is all ready for you.”

I was about to sign the paperwork when I heard a voice I knew. “What do you think of this one?”

I turned my head. Not far away, Ethan was standing beside an SUV. Maren Walsh stood right next to him, leaning over to study the specs. They said something to each other and laughed at the exact same moment. Their chemistry was effortless, like a couple who’d been in love for years.

The sales consultant beamed at them. “You two have fantastic taste. This model is especially popular with couples for road trips—lots of young marrieds choose it. Would you like to take it for a test drive?”

Ethan offered no correction. He climbed straight into the driver’s seat. Maren blushed, but she didn’t say a word either. She slipped into the passenger seat right behind him. They drove off together in the test car.

The staff buzzed among themselves. “Those two are so perfectly matched. Both of them that good-looking.” “I heard they went to the same medical school and now they work at the same hospital. Is this a real-life love story or what?” “I’m shipping them so hard right now.”

I stood there quietly, listening to it all. But the pain I’d expected never came.

“Ms. Shaw?” The sales manager’s voice brought me back.

I snapped out of my thoughts. I signed my name with a clean stroke. Swiped my card. Took the keys. I walked toward my car—my own car. Started the engine. Shifted into gear. Drove away.

In the rearview mirror, I could see Ethan’s car heading in the opposite direction. I didn’t look back. Ahead of me—that was my future. After five long years, I had finally found myself again.