Torn Between Me and His Ex

That slap knocked the smile off my son's face and shattered my composure right along with it.For the first time in my life, I threw away every scrap of the composure I'd been raised with and shoved Jim Pattison, hard.My son's face was streaked with tears, but he rushed straight into my arms."Mom, it doesn't hurt," he said, panicked. "Please don't be angry."Hearing Charlie comfort me like that only made my chest ache worse. In a boy of just seven, I could see a maturity that had no business belonging to someone his age—enough that even after being struck himself, his first instinct was to protect what was left between his parents.Jim didn't seem to notice any of it. He looked at me for two silent seconds, his eyes cold and indifferent beneath his brow."You two already have more than enough," he said. "Don't be so ungrateful."Fury surged through me. Ungrateful? What did I have to be grateful for?Back then, it was Jim who'd approached my family for this marriage. I'd heard

Impatience flickered across Jim's face, but before he could get a word out, Elizabeth shook her head at him, gentle and understanding, and led Milo off toward the other car without complaint. As if she were afraid I might start something with Jim, she glanced back once she was inside, gave him a soft, reassuring smile, and let him know she was fine.That gesture alone was enough to light the fuse on Jim's temper. He got straight into the Bentley and slammed the door, leaving me and Charlie standing there like a couple of fools.Whatever Elizabeth said to Milo, it made him burst out laughing. He rolled down his window and called out, all mock innocence, "Don't be mad, Charlie. Mom and I gave up our seats for you two. No need to thank us."My son's face went pale, his small body trembling. I couldn't stand to watch him take it."That car's registered under my name," I shot back. "What business do you or your mother have giving it up?"Elizabeth faltered, shot me a weak glance, and p

My head buzzed, and tears threatened to spill over. But I couldn't let them. The man of the house had already made his exit—the rest of us still had to fake our way through to the end of the party.Finally, after what felt like hours of forced smiles, the last guest left.I walked into the living room, exhausted, to find Charlie sitting on the floor unwrapping presents. He looked cheerful, as if the day's events hadn't touched him at all."Wow, a game console—the newest model," he said to himself, turning it over in his hands."Ryan told me today that I'm pathetic, because pretty soon I won't have a dad." He paused there, like he needed to catch his breath before he could find the courage to keep going. "But that's not true. I have Mom, and tons of toys, and a big house to live in. I'm not pathetic at all."His voice stayed even, his eyes fixed on the toy in his hands, even as the game kept chiming out its little death jingle over and over."I already have more than enough. I sho

Once Jim had finished speaking, the hospital room went dead silent.Jim had been ruthless—willing to expose his own worst side just to draw a clean line between them. Elizabeth doubled over as if something had twisted inside her, pain contorting her face. Only days ago, she'd still been dreaming of becoming a rich man's wife. In the span of a few minutes, that dream had shattered completely. She pounded the bed in fury and broke down sobbing.Jim felt nothing. He couldn't understand why Elizabeth cried so easily. Over the past year alone, she'd cried more times than he could count—sometimes choked back, sometimes silent—and now, she was screeching like a woman possessed.Out of nowhere, he thought of Autumn. He tried to remember if his wife had ever cried in front of him. No matter how he searched his memory, the answer came back the same: never. Proud as Autumn Mars was, she never wept in front of him—except that one time, for their son.'Like a doll,' Jim thought quietly. If on

Jim's chest heaved. "You didn't hear me calling you? Why did you run?""Oh," I said. "I didn't."Jim choked on that, dragging a hand through his hair in frustration. "Why do you want a divorce?""Because I want one."He choked again. Behind us, the kids were still buzzing with excited chatter. Remembering the absurd conversation that had just happened, Jim looked at Charlie with a flicker of guilt."Kids like to joke around. Don't believe him, Charlie. Why would I ever bring Milo home? You don't actually think I'd lie to you, do you?"Charlie's face stayed calm, but the small hand holding mine was slick with sweat. He shifted his gaze from the road in the distance to his father's face and said, quietly, "It's fine. I've heard it plenty of times already. I'm used to it."Jim's expression went blank, like something inside him had cracked open. He grabbed Charlie by the shoulders, panicked. "Plenty of times? Who said that? Why didn't you tell me?"Listening to him fire off questio