Chapter 2

Madeline looked at me, her expression unreadable. "You're back?"

"Yeah." I changed my shoes, ignored them, and went straight to the bedroom. I needed to take stock of my things.

I opened a drawer in my wardrobe and froze. The tie I had bought just last week was gone. It was a new design from a high-end luxury brand, a limited edition I had bought through a personal shopper for more than 400 dollars. I had only worn it once.

I walked out of the bedroom. "Madeline, where's my tie?"

She was sitting there with the remote, flipping through channels. She didn't even look up. "Oh, Kenneth said his old one was worn out, so I let him take yours."

Blood rushed to my head. "You gave it to him?"

"Yeah." She finally looked at me, completely matter-of-fact. "It's just a tie. I'll buy you a new one later."

Kenneth spoke quietly from the side. "Charlie, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was that expensive. I'll buy you another one tomorrow."

"How are you going to replace something I've already worn?" I demanded.

Madeline's patience began to wear thin. "Charlie, that's enough. It's just a tie. I already said I'll buy you a new one. Do you really have to keep sulking over something so trivial?"

Trivial? He had his fingerprint registered on the lock to my home. He could come in and take my things whenever he wanted, and all of that was trivial?

"Let's get a divorce," I said.

The living room fell silent.

Madeline stared at me as if she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. "What did you say?"

"I said, let's get a divorce," I repeated.

She stood and walked over to me. "You want a divorce over a tie? Charlie, have you lost your mind?"

"I haven't." I looked her straight in the eyes. "I just find this disgusting."

Her face flushed. "Fine. Fine. You think I'm disgusting, is that it?"

She snatched her jacket off the couch and headed for the door. "I'm not coming home tonight. You can sit here and be disgusted all by yourself."

She slammed the door so hard the entire house seemed to shake.

Kenneth stood and gave me a helpless look. "Charlie, don't be mad. That's just how Madeline is. I'll go buy you a new tie."

"Don't bother." I looked at him. "You should leave too."

He froze, his face turning pale. In the end, he picked up his bag and left with his head bowed.

The house was finally quiet. I sat on the couch, picked up my phone, and called my mother.

"Mom, I want a divorce."

A long silence followed on the other end.

"Charlie, you're being unreasonable again. Married couples argue all the time. Why do you keep bringing up divorce over every little thing?" she asked.

"She registered another man's fingerprint on our front door," I replied.

"There must be a reason for that. Don't be so petty. It's not easy for a woman to work outside the home. You need to be more understanding of her," my mother claimed.

"She also gave the new tie I bought to that man."

"How much could one tie cost? Didn't she say she'd buy you a new one? Charlie, you can't be this stubborn. Madeline is a good girl. Don't drive her away," my mother said.