Chapter 2

I had wanted our relationship, after two years of dating and seven years of marriage, to at least end with some dignity.

I rubbed my fingers over the abortion report tucked inside my bag and chose my words carefully. "I went to the hospital today—"

"How big a deal can it be? Can't it wait until after we eat?" Aaron cut me off impatiently. "Tessa, I don't have that much time to waste on you."

I froze and stared at him in disbelief. My throat felt stuffed with cotton, and I couldn't force out a single word.

I had once said those very words to him—a waste of time.

Back then…

Aaron pursued me with grand gestures. He showed up outside my classroom building, in the cafeteria, and on the sports field.

When he gave me a love letter, I turned him down. By then, I had received so many that I'd lost count.

"I don't want to date right now. Don't waste your time."

"How could it be a waste of time?"

The 18-year-old Aaron had smiled sweetly. His eyes were as clear as spring water, and I could see my own reflection in them.

"Feeling the same wind blow across the same patch of ground, looking at the same tree, basking in the same sunlight as you... all of it makes me happy. Listening to you speak, hearing every single word, even hearing you turn me down... it's all worth it to me."

…

Back then, my heart had pounded like a drum, and my face had burned bright red.

But now, I looked up at the ice-cold face before me and barely recognized him.

When had Aaron stopped caring enough to spare me the time for a single sentence?

"Professor Jefferson, since your wife didn't buy any groceries, let's just forget it." Vivian giggled and stepped forward, steering Aaron toward the kitchen with a hand at his waist. "I've actually been craving those mushroom meatballs you made last time!"

Aaron smiled. He tied on an apron, then turned and ruffled Vivian's hair affectionately. "It just so happens I made extra last time and froze them."

"You're the best, Professor Jefferson!"

They laughed and joked as they walked past me, as if I were invisible.

A fine, needling pain spread through my heart.

So even those mushroom meatballs had never been made for me. What I'd eaten was nothing more than a test batch Vivian hadn't wanted.

My hand shook around the abortion report. I suddenly lost my nerve and retreated to the bedroom. At the very least, I didn't want Vivian to see me this humiliated, this pathetic.

Outside the door, they ate meatballs and chatted casually. They talked about thesis topics, then the weather, then the snow in Kelbraska, then the maple forests of Mount Radeon.

Professor Jefferson, a man who usually rationed his words like gold, responded to every single thing Vivian said.

Inside the bedroom, I cried until I could no longer make a sound. My tears dripped onto the report and soaked through a large patch of paper.

It wasn't until dusk, after the sun had set, that Aaron finally opened my bedroom door.

He pushed up his glasses and held out a takeout bag. "You're still pregnant. You can't skip meals."

It was herbal soup from my favorite shop. Before the owner had even offered delivery, Aaron used to wake up early every morning just to buy it for me.

"You weren't yourself today. Why were you so aggressive with Viv?" he asked.

I gave him a thin smile and looked him straight in the eye. "Aggressive? She likes you. Can't you see that?

"You brought her into our house. She wore your clothes. She sprayed alcohol in my face. And even though you know I'm allergic to mushrooms, you still kept mushroom meatballs in the freezer for her—"

Aaron's face darkened. "Enough!"

His brows drew together, and contempt flickered in his eyes as he looked at me. "Viv is the best student in my research group. What's wrong with her coming over for a meal? Stop being so narrow-minded and reading into everything.

"She has ambition. She has goals. She's nothing like you, a housewife who only knows how to revolve around the kitchen and the washing machine."

A bone-deep chill crept through me inch by inch until my heart seemed to freeze and shatter.

I stared at him in disbelief, my entire body trembling. "Aaron, you were the one who begged me not to work all those years ago!"

He was the one who had said he couldn't bear to watch me leave early and come home late. He couldn't stand the thought of our time together dwindling away. He had promised to support me for the rest of my life.

And I had believed him.

Aaron stared at my tears for a long moment before he finally sighed. "Fine. I was too harsh. You're still pregnant. You shouldn't get this worked up."

He headed for the door. "It's raining outside. I'm going to drive Viv home. Whatever you have to say can wait until I get back."

I didn't stop him. Even if I'd tried, I couldn't have.

Just then, a message from Misha popped up on my phone.

Misha: [Tess, the divorce agreement is drafted. I booked two tickets out of the country. Come clear your head with me.]

I didn't hesitate.

[Okay.]

…

I waited on the couch for Aaron to come home so we could talk about the divorce, but dozens of calls went unanswered. He didn't rush through the door until 7:00 a.m. the next morning.

When he saw me, Aaron looked stunned. "Tess, why are you sitting here? The rain was heavy last night. Viv twisted her ankle on the stairs, so I took her to the hospital and stayed with her all night."

"Aaron..." I hadn't slept all night, and my voice came out impossibly hoarse. "Was it really so hard to send me one message? To answer one call? Was it really so hard to listen to me say just one thing?"