Learning From Others: Time to Change Wives

"You're copying Claire's husband again, aren't you?" Whitney Shaw asked, letting out a soft laugh.

She set the steaming bowl of soup on the kitchen island and untied her apron.

"Are you throwing another tantrum? Which husband in our circle doesn't fool around? I'll buy you a watch, and you'll get over it.

"Sean, enough already. If you're going to throw a fit, at least know when to stop.

"I know you're angry because I didn't go to the hospital to be with you a few months ago, but Claire did the exact same thing."

She looked at me as though she had every right to be offended.

"Everyone in our circle knows how much I dote on my husband. It was just a little harmless fun. Do you really have to embarrass me in front of everyone?"

…

Three months ago, I got into a serious car accident while rushing to deliver some urgent documents to her. Shards of glass pierced my spleen, and I was bleeding heavily beneath the wreckage.

I called her 99 times, but she rejected every single call.

On the last one, her young lover, Brian Landry, answered. In the background, I could hear her friends cheering and laughing.

"Sean, Whitney's cutting my 100-day anniversary cake right now," Brian drawled. "Claire and the others are all watching. Can't you stop ruining the mood for once?"

That day, I was lying outside the operating room, my entire body convulsing with pain. I was losing a dangerous amount of blood, and the hospital urgently needed a family member to sign the consent form.

All I got was one message from Whitney.

"Claire said men are always pulling the same tricks to get their wives' attention. Keep this up, and I'll block you."

She actually meant what she said and blocked me for three months.

It wasn't until yesterday, when Claire's husband filed for divorce with evidence of her affair and took half of Claire's shares in the settlement, that Whitney finally began to panic.

That very night, she threw Brian out of the apartment and rushed home to cook for me.

"I've been cooking this for four hours," she said.

Sensing my silence, Whitney pushed the bowl toward me.

"I know you're still recovering from your surgery and can't handle the cold, so I added some herbs," she added, a hint of pride in her voice.

"Look." She held up her index finger, making sure I could see the blister. "I even burned my hand making this soup for you.

"Claire has probably never even set foot in a kitchen. I went this far for you, so what more could you possibly want?"

I lowered my gaze to the bowl. The soup was golden yellow, the very dish she used to make so well when she was pursuing me.

Back then, she would stay up late making it just to help me regain my strength. But now, even when she treated me well, she had to compare herself to someone else.

"I don't want it," I said evenly, pushing the bowl away. "Whitney, I'm not joking. I've already signed the divorce agreement."

I tapped the document on the table.

Three months ago, she had a lawyer draw it up and send it to me just to please Brian.

The agreement stated that our marriage fell apart because I was jealous and emotionally unstable, and that she was filing for divorce against me.

At the time, she only wanted to flaunt it in front of her friends to show them how carefree she was.

Whitney's expression finally darkened.

"Sean, I've already given you a way out," she snapped. "If you're going to throw a fit, at least know when to stop."

She snatched up the agreement and tore it in half without even looking at it. "I already told you I'll be a proper wife from now on. What are you still mad at?

"I've completely cut Brian off, and Claire and the others are all into going back to their husbands now. I'll stay home and keep you company every day. Isn't that enough?"

The doorbell suddenly rang.

"It must be Claire and the others," Whitney said, her expression softening. "I invited them over for dinner today. I'll show them exactly how a model wife is supposed to behave.

"Don't embarrass me, okay? Don't sit there looking miserable in front of my friends."

The moment the door opened, Claire Crawford and several of her equally frivolous friends came pouring in.

To my surprise, a flamboyantly dressed young man stood behind Claire—and he wasn't her husband.

"Whitney, you really dumped Brian?" Claire asked loudly, throwing an arm around the man beside her as she laughed.

"I was only fooling with my husband yesterday. Once I transferred the assets out of his reach, I dumped him today and brought my new man out instead."