On Our Anniversary, He Called Her Name Chapter 01

On Our Anniversary, He Called Her Name Chapter 01

He snatched the agreements from me and flipped through them twice.

“What is this supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what you think it means,” I said. “When you signed them three years ago, I told you that whenever you made up your mind, you could fill in the date.”

He slapped the papers onto the nightstand.

The crisp sound cut through the room.

“River didn’t even know I’d been pursuing her for the past three years,” he said. “She only agreed yesterday. I didn’t cheat. I didn’t betray you.”

I stood up and poured myself a glass of water.

“I know,” I said. “You came home on time every night. You stayed home on weekends. You never missed gifts on holidays. You didn’t cheat.”

He followed me out.

“Then what is this? You had divorce papers ready for three years, just waiting for me?”

I set the glass back down.

“You were drunk. When I helped you into bed, you called her name twenty-three times.”

He went silent.

I walked past him back into the bedroom, picked up the two agreements, placed them on the nightstand again, and set a pen beside them.

“Fill in the date yourself. I’m going to work.”

When I was changing shoes, he came after me, barefoot on the floor, his voice sticky and helpless.

“You’re just leaving?”

I straightened and looked back at him.

“What else should I do? You confessed to her yesterday. Have you cleared things up with her today? Is she waiting for you? Did you two decide when your first date will be?”

His mouth opened.

“I already thought it through for you,” I said. “Today’s Thursday. You can have dinner Friday. Watch a movie over the weekend. I’ll come back Monday to pick up the rest of my things.”

When the door closed behind me, he didn’t come after me.

The elevator came quickly.

I stood inside, watching the floor numbers drop one by one.

The doors opened on the first floor.

A delivery guy stood outside, holding a huge bouquet of roses, looking down at the order slip.

“River Lord?” he asked, glancing up at me.

“No.”

He stepped aside.

I walked out.

The sunlight was blinding.