Walk in Her Shoes

The night of my mother's birthday, we had planned to celebrate together, but my husband disappeared.

I couldn't reach him by phone, so I called his office. His assistant told me he had left early that afternoon.

Just when I was wondering if something urgent had come up, his social media feed updated with a post.

[Late but well worth the wait. I've been waiting for this moment for so long. From now on, I'll never let go.]

The photo showed my husband, Declan Specter, holding a woman's hand—clearly female, though I didn't recognize her.

What caught my eye, however, was the bare finger on his left hand. It was missing the wedding ring I had so carefully chosen for him.

On our wedding day, as I placed that ring on his finger, he had promised me he would wear it forever.

What a joke! It had only been two years, and his "forever" had ended already.

Clenching my teeth, I left a comment on his post.

[I thought you were dead when I couldn't get ahold of you. Turns out you're still alive. You can post on social media but can't pick up the phone?

[Is this your new girlfriend? Why haven't you introduced her to me? Is she too ugly to be seen in public?]

The comment was deleted almost immediately after I hit the send button.

Moments later, Declan's call came through.

His voice was deep and gloomy, filled with accusation. "Louisa, can't you be more straightforward? Why are you badmouthing her behind her back? Apologize to her right now! I won't allow you to slander her like this!"

Hearing his familiar voice and his ridiculous words, the anger inside me exploded.

"You want me to be straightforward? I can't compare to you, a married man, boasting about his new girlfriend all over social media!

"We've been married for two years, and you cheated on me! And to tell the world about it!

"What's wrong? Do you have cancer? Are you dying? If you're really dying, please, divorce me first. I don't want to have to scatter the ashes of someone like you!

"How dare you accuse me of slandering her! As if she's a saint. There's nothing I can say that counts as slandering when she's trash!"

I could hear him gasp, clearly not expecting me to hit back with such blunt force.

"Camilla and I are together; there's nothing to hide! What's wrong with us announcing it? And you? You don't have the right to say anything! Camilla is my true love. Marrying you was a mistake from the start!"

Declan's voice rose, and I heard another voice in the background, fake and overly sweet.

"If your wife is upset, maybe we shouldn't be together. I-I'm fine with whatever..."

"No, I won't back down. You're the woman I love, and I won't let you suffer!"

I couldn't listen any longer and hung up the phone, my stomach churning.

That night, I still had dinner with my mother. It wasn't a lively birthday, but I tried to make it pleasant.

On the way home, I was stopped by a strange woman in front of our apartment building.

She looked me up and down and suddenly let out a laugh.

"You do resemble me a bit. No wonder Declan married you. Though, you're the low-budget version, always the backup. It's normal for him to abandon you."

Even though she didn't introduce herself, I knew exactly who she was by the venomous words coming out of her mouth.

I shot her the same look from head to toe, holding my nose as I stepped back.

"Lady, please, stay away. Even if you bathe in perfume, you can't hide your old-lady stench. What can you possibly compare to me? I used to be confident in my looks, but now that you say I look like you, I feel like tearing this face off."

Before I could even finish my retort, the woman who had been standing there with her arms crossed, calm and composed, suddenly lunged at me, claws out.

I sidestepped quickly and, with one smooth motion, kicked her square in the backside, sending her flying to the ground.

"Madam, your talent lies in chasing men. Don't overestimate yourself, and please, don't embarrass yourself further."