Making Room for Everyone but Myself

When I got home, I scheduled an appointment to file for divorce. The earliest available date was 21 days away.

As I confirmed the appointment, Victoria Reed was on the phone with Gavin Burton.

"Your medicine's in the side pocket of your bag. Don't forget to take it before bed. Make sure you lock all the doors and windows, too. Call me anytime if you need anything."

It wasn't until she hung up that she noticed me standing in the entryway.

"Why are you soaking wet?" she asked.

Rainwater dripped from my pant legs, forming a small puddle on the floor.

"You took the umbrella."

Victoria fell silent. There had only been one umbrella outside the supermarket, and she'd taken it to keep Gavin dry.

"You could've called out to me."

"I did, but you didn't hear me."

She was about to explain herself when her phone rang again. Apparently, Gavin's water heater had broken down.

Victoria immediately grabbed her toolbox. "He's living alone, so he's probably panicking. I'll go check on him and be right back."

Before leaving, she took my hand and frowned. "Why do you look so pale?"

Her palm was soft and warm. There was a time when a simple touch from her would've been enough to make me overlook every grievance I had.

"I think I caught a cold from being out in the rain."

"There's medicine in the cabinet. Take some for now."

After she left, I checked my temperature and found that I had a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, there wasn't any fever medicine left in the cabinet.

Gavin had been sick the week before, and Victoria had taken the last box over to him.

I sent her a message asking her to pick some up on her way home.

Half an hour later, she replied, "Sure."

I eventually fell asleep on the couch. By the time I woke up again, it was morning, and someone had covered me with a blanket. There was a glass of warm water on the table, with Victoria asleep beside it.

She stirred as soon as I sat up. "Feeling any better?"

Instead of answering, I glanced at the table, but there was no medicine.

Victoria seemed to realize what I was looking for, and her expression stiffened.

"It was pretty late when I got back, and the pharmacy was already closed," she explained. "I'll go get you some now."

I didn't bother pointing out that the pharmacy downstairs was open 24 hours a day.

Her phone screen was still lit up, displaying a message from Gavin.

"Thank God you came over. I don't know what I would've done without you."

She'd replied with an affectionate head-pat sticker, the same one she used to send me whenever she wanted to comfort me.

"Don't bother," I said.

"Lucas, you're sick. Don't be so stubborn."

"I'm not being stubborn."

I ordered some fever medicine through a delivery app, and it arrived at our door in less than ten minutes.

After taking it right in front of her, I said, "You should get to work. I can take care of myself."

I'd said those words countless times before, but I'd always secretly hoped she would insist on staying to look after me.

Today, however, I genuinely didn't expect her to stay.

Victoria glanced back at me twice while putting on her shoes. "I'll come home and keep you company during my lunch break."

"Okay."

At noon, I ordered two servings of chowder. By 1:00 pm, the food had gone cold, and there was still no sign of her.

It wasn't until 2:00 pm that I finally received a message from Victoria.

"Gavin's having a dispute with his landlord. I'm helping him sort it out, so go ahead and eat without me."

I ate one serving and dumped the other in the trash.

When I checked my phone again, the countdown to my divorce appointment had dropped to 20 days.

It turned out that deciding to walk away from someone didn't hurt nearly as much as I'd expected. What truly hurt was remembering all the times I'd made excuses for her before finally deciding that I'd had enough.