Left Before You Looked Back

Four years into her marriage to Jonathan Reed, Tina Ashworth had loved him with everything she had. Jonathan, on the other hand, had always kept his distance.

People in their circle liked to joke that Tina couldn't live without him.

For the longest time, she believed it, too.

Until the day she took the child they sponsored out to lunch.

She stopped outside a private dining room when she heard laughter from inside.

"His mom's Sadie? No wonder why you had Tina sponsor that kid!" one of Jonathan's friends said. "You've got to be the most loyal ex alive. She dumped you, got married, had a kid, and you still can't let her go?"

"Let her go?" someone else scoffed. "Sadie's the exception. Always has been."

A third voice chimed in.

"Look at Tina. What does she even bring to the table? She's got no real accomplishments and no career to speak of. She's nowhere near Jonathan's level.

"Her mom died, her dad remarried almost immediately, and the new wife was already pregnant. The guy never cared about her. If Jonathan hadn't taken her in, God knows where she'd be now.

"Besides, she'd never agree to a divorce. She's way too in love with him. She'd rather die than leave."

At the head of the table sat Jonathan. A cigarette rested between his fingers as smoke curled lazily through the air, softening the sharp angles of his face. He gazed out the window, detached from the conversation as if none of it concerned him.

When he heard the last comment, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, but he didn't deny it.

His black suit fit perfectly, tailored through the shoulders and waist. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, giving the carefully controlled look a hint of ease. His features were sharply defined, with a clean jawline and thin lips.

Even when sitting down, he carried the cool detachment and quiet authority of someone used to being in control.

Outside the private room, Tina gripped the handle so tightly that her knuckles turned white. The veins on the back of her hand stood out sharply as she peered through the narrow gap.

Her mind went blank. It felt like the ground had vanished beneath her feet.

So this was what it felt like to have your love ground into dust. Every breath hurt. A piece of her felt missing, torn out and taken with it, leaving a pain that settled deep in her bones.

Sadie Farrow was the mother of the boy standing beside her. She was a below-the-knee amputee, raising her son alone while working whatever jobs she could find.

A year ago, Tina and Jonathan had sponsored the boy together. He was exceptionally gifted, but had trouble recognizing and interpreting emotions.

Back then, he and Sadie had been living in a remote rural area. Jonathan said Avensburg offered better schools and medical resources and suggested bringing them over.

Tina had gone out of her way to help them get settled, finding a school for the boy and arranging a place for them to stay.

Looking back now, the whole thing felt absurd.

She wanted children, but Jonathan always said there was no hurry.

Apparently, there just wasn't any hurry with her.

When she had suggested upgrading Sadie's prosthetic, Jonathan volunteered to handle it himself.

She thought he had been looking out for her, but it turned out he had just been looking out for Sadie.

Tina realized Jonathan had married her to spite Sadie. She was nothing more than a punchline.

Tina pushed the door open.

The bright, spirited smile people were used to seeing was gone. Her head was slightly lowered, her expression cool and unreadable.

Heads turned toward Tina. Some faces registered surprise, panic, or confusion. Most showed indifference, coldness, even disdain.

Only one person remained calm, his gaze sweeping over her before moving on.

Tina met Jonathan's gaze, searching for the slightest crack in his composure.

But there was nothing.

It was as if he knew with absolute certainty that even after hearing everything, she still wouldn't leave.

Not a single person in the room would take her side.

She had never truly belonged in Jonathan's world. His circle was filled with business elites and brilliant minds. She, on the other hand, was the pampered wife everyone assumed had coasted through life, with nothing in common with them and no place in their conversations.

To them, she lowered the room's average just by showing up. It was no surprise she had never been welcome.

Ordinarily, she would've flipped the table and caused a scene big enough to make headlines.

Instead, she stayed calm.

For once, she remembered something Jonathan had told her.

"Grow up, Tina. Stop letting your emotions control you."

Right then, someone said casually, as though nothing had happened, "Oh, hey, Tina. Come sit down."

Then the door opened again.

Sadie walked in, carrying an enormous glass platter piled with fresh seafood and crushed ice. It was so large that it nearly hid her face, and the weight dragged her arm downward.

Someone immediately jumped up to help her set it down. Then they pulled out a chair for her, the only empty seat left, right beside Jonathan.

Tina remained standing off to the side, like an outsider.

"Sadie, why are you still working a job this hard?" someone asked. "It's not like Jonathan hasn't helped you out financially."

"This isn't hard. I'd rather earn my own money. I'm doing just fine," Sadie replied with a smile, refusing to show even a hint of vulnerability.

At that moment, a server wheeled in a towering multi-tiered cake from outside. Tina had made it herself.

For the past month, she had been rehearsing with her dance troupe for an upcoming performance while squeezing baking lessons into every spare moment she had, all for their fourth wedding anniversary.

Hidden inside the cake was a ring.

Jonathan hadn't worn his wedding band in years. He claimed he had lost it.

So she had flown overseas to track down the original designer and have an identical replacement made.

"Jonathan, you even got a cake for Sadie?"

The room immediately erupted into cheers.

"Welcome back, Sadie!"

Tina looked at Jonathan. He raised his glass along with everyone else.

He never bothered to correct them or find out where the cake came from.

The first slice went to Sadie. A flash of light caught her eye from the freshly cut cake. Looking closer, she saw a ring nestled inside, only half exposed.

"Huh? What's this?"

The room exploded.

"It's a ring! He must be proposing!"

"Say yes!"

"Kiss! Kiss!"

Then a sharp crash rang through the room as the towering cake hit the floor.

The elegant venue descended into chaos.

"Tina!" someone shouted. "What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your mind?"

Every face turned toward her, angry and accusing.

Ignoring them all, Tina slipped her wedding ring off her finger and tossed it into the ruined cake.

She had worn it for four years. A deep indentation circled her finger, one that wouldn't disappear overnight. But the ring itself was gone, and sooner or later, the mark would fade, too.

"Jonathan, forget the anniversary. Let's get divorced."

The emptiness on her finger felt strangely tangible, her throat dry as she spoke.

No one seemed particularly shocked.

Tina had threatened divorce before. Every time, she had cooled off and come back on her own. No one believed she would actually leave.

Jonathan's expression didn't change. "Just don't regret it the next day. If you said it, you'd better stick with it. Don't come crawling back afterward."

"Don't worry. I won't."

And for the first time, she meant it.