She Approved Our Marriage, She Approved Our Divorce Chapter 01

She Approved Our Marriage, She Approved Our Divorce Chapter 01

Every time my husband, Nathan Mercer, wanted to sleep with me, he had to ask his female best friend, Maya Collins, for permission.

If Maya was in a bad mood and refused, Nathan took his pillow and slept in the study.

“Maya’s boss chewed her out today, so she’s just acting up. Don’t worry. She’ll approve it tomorrow.

“She’s innocent. She doesn’t think things through.

“Don’t read too much into it.”

But soon, Maya had the final say over everything. She decided whether Nathan could stay out past ten, whether I joined our friends on trips, and even whether we should have a child.

Our friends loved to joke about it.

“Only Nathan could marry one woman and somehow end up with two wives.”

Nathan would merely smile and place a peeled shrimp on Maya’s plate.

“Maya and I are just friends. We were like this long before I met Ella.

“I’m careless, and she’s thoughtful. We balance each other out.”

Then, six months into my pregnancy, I slipped and fell at home.

I called Nathan, and he ended his meeting at once. He rushed home and bent to pick me up, but Maya’s furious voice burst from his phone.

“You didn’t ask me for permission to leave.”

“Ella fell.”

“I still don’t approve.”

Nathan lowered the phone. Then he tossed a twenty-dollar bill onto the floor beside me.

“Call an Uber. It’ll get you to the ER just as well. Once you’re stable, let me know.”

I lay on the floor, crying as I reached for him.

He walked away without looking back.

Not long afterward, Maya posted a photo to her Instagram Story. An apology cake sat on her desk beneath the caption.

[Since someone finally apologized properly, his next request is preapproved.]

Everyone congratulated me. They said Maya had finally permitted us, so next time everything would be fine.

I only rested a hand over my now-empty belly.

Then I sent the divorce papers to Nathan with one message.

[Then approve this.]

***

Our group chat exploded.

[Ella, stop. Delete that right now.]

[It wasn’t easy getting Maya to make an exception for you. What if she actually approves the divorce too?]

[Exactly. Think about what you want Nathan to buy you. Maya said his next request was preapproved, no matter what it was.]

Preapproved…

I stared at the word through a blur of tears and gave a bitter smile.

Even a gift from my own husband required another woman’s permission. What was left in this marriage worth saving?

I typed one final reply.

[No need. This is the only request I have.]

Nathan called almost immediately. Voices and footsteps echoed behind him, as if his meeting had only just ended.

“Ella, don’t be ridiculous. Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get you this chance?

“I drove across town and waited in line for that apology cake just to calm Maya down.

“Don’t waste this on another tantrum. Do you want to take a trip? Pick anywhere on the map, and I’ll take you.”

My mouth twisted into a humorless smile.

“What exactly was Maya angry about?”

Nathan hesitated.

“Because you came home to help me without asking her first?”

He laughed softly. “Maya has always been childish. You know that.”

“She’s twenty-six. How is that a child?”

He fell silent.

“Nathan, I was pregnant, bleeding, and lying on the floor. Why did one word from a woman who has nothing to do with our marriage matter more than your wife and baby?

“Why did you think she deserved an apology gift for letting you come home to me?”

“Ella, Maya and I have always been this way.”

“Even if it cost us our baby?”

Silence stretched between us.

When Nathan finally spoke, disbelief roughened his voice.

“What happened to the baby?”

“The baby is gone,” I said hoarsely.

“That’s impossible!”

Maya’s voice came through the phone in the background.

I frowned. “Nathan, is she in your office?”

“She only came in to make coffee…”

“Ella, don’t lie,” Maya cut in. “I did tell Nathan to come back to work, but only because he broke our rule. He needed to learn his lesson.

“That doesn’t mean I actually left you there. I called 911. The paramedics told me you and the baby were fine.”

“That’s a lie!” Rage tore through me. “No ambulance ever came.”

“Lower your voice, Ella,” Nathan said, irritation creeping into his tone. “Maya can be blunt, but she doesn’t lie. I know you’re angry, but she already agreed to approve whatever we want to do next. Isn’t that enough?”

“Nathan, can you come over here? The coffee machine is stuck again.”

“Coming.”

Then Nathan returned to me as if I were the interruption.

“Ella, don’t joke about losing our baby. A mother shouldn’t say things like that.”

He hung up.