Chapter 3

The next morning, I applied delicate makeup. I wanted to look presentable in the final moments of my life.

I arrived at the state court and waited, but Christian never showed up. He didn’t answer my calls either.

Frustrated, I called Mina. “Christian’s with you, isn’t he? Tell him to hurry up and sign the divorce papers!”

Before she could respond, Christian’s angry voice came through the phone. “Rachel, don’t push your luck! If I sign those papers, don’t come crying when you regret it!”

My voice remained calm. “If I regret it, I’ll write my name backward. But if you don’t show up, you should write yours backward instead.”

Christian hated being humiliated. In the end, he came.

The procedure went smoothly. When I held the divorce certificate in my hands, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

I refused to die with his last name on my tombstone. The thought alone disgusted me.

I couldn’t contain my smile, while Christian’s face was like stone. “Well done, Rachel,” he sneered. “You’re practically glowing after our divorce! What’s the matter? Found yourself a lover already? Be as trashy as you want, but don’t drag Minnie into your mess. I’ll head to the hospital in a few days to pick her up. If you try anything, you know exactly what I’m capable of.”

Mina turned and flashed me a smug smile, clearly pleased to have claimed the man I had discarded.

I thought, ‘Christian, you’ll never pick Minnie up. She died the moment Clara was reborn. Maybe you should be grateful that you won’t even have to pay child support.’

Back at the house I once called home, I packed up everything that belonged to Minnie and me. I took what I could and destroyed what I couldn’t. My body felt weaker these past two days, and even something as simple as packing left me breathless.

I had held on for one reason—to erase all traces of him from my life. I never wanted to see Christian again. I didn’t want anything of mine left in his presence. Even breathing the same air as him made me sick.

That same day, I booked a flight and went to my best friend, Eloise Winthrop’s, house, carrying only a few suitcases and Minnie’s urn.

I had considered returning to my hometown, but after marrying Christian, I had moved far away. My parents had been left behind with no one to care for them. Their health had always been poor, yet every time I called, they only told me the good news, never the bad.

Then one day, they were gone. Influenza took them both.

I was afraid that I would be reminded of them if I went back.

Eloise sobbed when she saw how frail I had become. She cursed Christian in front of me.

As the days passed, I grew weaker. And with each passing day, Eloise looked more exhausted.

For the first time, I felt a twinge of regret.

Maybe I shouldn’t have come. Perhaps I should’ve gone somewhere isolated, waited for death quietly, and spared her the burden of watching me fade away.