Purr Ever After

About a year ago, I had already consulted a lawyer about getting a divorce. However, to be honest, I could not let go.Lucian and I had known each other since the eighth grade, and I had pursued him for a long time. It took a whole year before he finally agreed to date me. It had been 11 years, and he had occupied my entire youth.During those 11 years, he had liked other women and had his share of flings, too. The problem was that his parents disapproved of them. Hence, under their pressure, he eventually married me instead.Yet, even after all this time, even after we were already married, I still never got him to love me.I could pretty much guess who the woman he was talking to on the phone was. It had to be Esme Barrett, his first love. The first time I had seriously considered divorce was also because of her.Back then, we had just gotten married, and we went to my mom's place for dinner. She knew he loved seafood, so she would always get up early to go to the fish market an

I had planned to sleep in the next day and maybe meet up with Serena for coffee later. However, the phone started ringing early in the morning.It was Lucian's mother, Joanne Martin.I frowned as I answered the call, and before I could even speak, Joanne launched into her rapid-fire instructions.She said, "Meredith, Lucian is back. You need to get ready because we have to visit his Aunt Irene and Aunt Kelly. Make sure you iron all of Lucian's clothes that he needs to wear."Oh, and Peter and I have a wedding to attend at noon. You'll drive us there, and once it's over, we'll call you so you can pick us up."That was typical of Joanne. She never gave anyone a chance to breathe when she was giving orders.I seized a brief pause to say, "Since Lucian's already home, why don't you ask him to drive you instead?"Joanne responded matter-of-factly, "Oh, come on... Lucian barely gets any time off from the base, and he's exhausted. Meanwhile, you stay at home all day without a job. You'

If I had not threatened to end my life, my cats would probably have been dead long ago.Lucian always asked, "Are those animals worth making Mom angry over?"On the surface, none of it seemed like a big deal. Yet, those petty things were the ones that wore me down the most.Of course, Lucian knew Joanne went too far. However, she was his mother. He would either try to smooth things over each time or tell me to just give in to Joanne.After a while, I got tired of complaining to him about it. That was also when our relationship really started deteriorating, and I began to hate being in that house.This time, I would not swallow my anger like I used to. I walked over and sat down next to my mom, looking up at Joanne with a direct stare."Weren't you the one who told my mom about this whole thing? And now you're blaming me for being difficult?"Joanne was clearly stunned, as if she had not expected me to talk back to her like that.I stood up and said, "You need to stop constantly

After taking a few days to rest, I picked myself back up and reached out to my old studio teammates, determined to get the business running again. Honestly, I was more capable than Lucian. I had a better education, and after all his years in the military, he barely had the skills to survive in the real world.Right after graduation, I traveled all over the country working and hustling on my own. I tried every kind of job and eventually, through hard work, opened my own photography studio.At the time, I had no idea why his family insisted I shut the studio. Nonetheless, I was completely lovesick back then and actually agreed to their ridiculous demands, spending two years as a housewife.Sometimes when I was bored at home, I scrolled through social media. My classmates were sharing updates: one became a designer, another started their own company, and some even landed a government job.Everyone seemed happy and thriving. Meanwhile, I had lost my job, lost my income, and then I had

Somehow, Lucian had either changed his personality overnight or Joanne had pressured him, because he actually started apologizing to me. He sent messages to me every single day without fail.[Lucian: The fat orange cartoon cat is really cute, but I still think our three little furballs at home are cuter. Should we get another cat to keep them company?][Lucian: That Eastorian place is amazing. I heard the ingredients are flown in fresh from Boreas every day. We should go try it.][Lucian: Or better yet, let's just go to Boreas and have the most authentic Eastorian cuisine there.][Lucian: Oh, but I can't leave the country while I'm still on active duty. How about Torbeit instead? You've always loved it there, and we can finally have the honeymoon we've missed.]I could not decide if he was forced into this or if something unholy had possessed him. In the past, I was always the one sending him those boring, trivial messages, and he never replied. Even so, I kept doing it enthusiast