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All Chapters of 100 Reasons to Leave: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

7 Chapters

Chapter 1

I stared at the twelve-second voice note sitting on my screen, neither tapping to convert it to text nor replying. Mike Tank’s WhatsApp profile still displayed the photo from our wedding day.In the past, I often told him to swap it out for a proper headshot, so he wouldn’t look unprofessional to his superiors in work group chats. Mike refused every time. Squeezing my hand in his palm, he said he wanted everyone to know that he was taken. Yet now, the same married man had filled his Notes app with another woman’s name. The next morning at eight, Mike’s video call came through right on cue. I accepted the call and set the phone upright on my vanity table. On screen, Mike wore his washed-out windbreaker, the aging county office building with its peeling paint behind him.With dark circles under his eyes and a heavy frown, Mike lifted a chipped mug to his lips.“The meeting ran late last night, honey. I didn’t get a chance to text you back. “Life out here’s rough. I don’

Chapter 2

The brick sidewalks of Black Mountain left my feet aching.Following the location in Mike’s note, I arrived at a cozy B&B that was still being renovated.A rough wooden sign leaned against the porch, with the words, “Ava and Mike’s Little Hideaway” written in marker. I stood in the shadows across the street while Mike stepped onto a ladder to hang a handcrafted wind chime beneath the porch roof. A young woman stepped outside carrying a mason jar of iced tea. Getting on her tiptoes, she brought the drink to his lips. Mike leaned down and drank straight from the jar in her hands. Once the liquid went down his throat, he climbed down the ladder and wiped the sweat off the girl’s forehead with his sleeve, his gesture practiced as if he had done so many times before. He moved with care, afraid to hurt her in the slightest. “Tired? Leave the heavy lifting to me. Don’t go blistering your hands.” The Mike I knew wouldn’t even pick up his own socks. Every time I asked him to cha

Chapter 3

I added Ava through my professional design account. Over the next few days, Ava sent me daily updates on the bed and breakfast’s interior progress, dropping in bits of her love story along the way.“Cloud, Mike shared with me how life in the city was soul-crushing. He can only breathe easy when he is with me. “Every dime he’s spending on this furniture is money he hid from his ball and chain.”From my cheap motel room in Black Mountain, I stared at the term reserved for me on my phone. My mind wandered back to three years ago when Mike had earned his big project bonus. He took me by the hand as we entered an escrow company office to close on the house we still lived in today. Back then, he said, “Dawn, I’ll work hard, so you’ll never have to struggle because of me. I want to give you everything you’d ever dreamed of.” Three years later, the money we’d been saving for a new car was furnishing another woman’s dream home, while I somehow sucked the life out of him. That ni

Chapter 4

I put on a sharp black suit and loaded the flash drive with the compiled memo screenshots and bank transfer records before hopping into a cab to get to the bed and breakfast. The lobby of the bed-and-breakfast was buzzing with excitement.Along with Ava’s family from Clyde, several of Mike’s coworkers from the county office had also come.In the center of the room, a giant projector screen played a looping slideshow of the property’s transformation.I made my way to the AV station, slid my flash drive into the laptop, and quietly changed the source.Then, I found a quiet corner in the back row and took a seat.Right at ten, Mike emerged on the staircase, hand in hand with Ava as they walked down the steps. Ava looked radiant in her ivory dress, her neck adorned with the custom-made necklace that had taken the local jewelers nearly a month to finish. Mike, dressed in a bespoke suit, smiled politely and nodded at the guests in greeting. Ava dragged Mike to the center of the

Chapter 5

Leaving Mike slumped on the floor behind me, I turned on my heel and walked straight out of the bed and breakfast. With the sun beating down on downtown Black Mountain, I put on my sunglasses and made my way toward the motel along the brick sidewalk. I had barely reached the entrance when frantic footsteps caught up to me. Mike came running after me, panting, and stepped in front of me.His tie hung crooked around his neck. His suit jacket was draped over one arm, and he looked like an utter mess. “Don’t go, Dawn. Just let me finish what I have to say.” He reached out to grab my arm. I raised my right hand and held my open palm in front of his face. The scrapes from yesterday’s fall at the plaza hadn’t scabbed over yet. My palm was raw, swollen, and streaked with blood.The diamondless wedding band on my left hand had pressed deep into my swollen finger, leaving the surrounding skin bruised.Mike’s gaze fell on my hand, his eyes widening. “What happened to your hand?

Chapter 6

The day after returning to the big city, I got in touch with a moving company. Even though Mike had secretly taken out a home equity loan against the house, I was still a co-owner.I boxed up everything that belonged to me—my clothes, books, computer, and the everyday pieces of my life.It took ten large moving boxes to hold all my belongings. Once the movers loaded the last of the boxes into the truck, the cozy home was stripped bare. I removed our wedding portrait from the living room wall. Then, I gathered every photo album filled with memories of us and tossed them into the recycling dumpster outside.At eight that evening, I was sitting in my newly rented apartment, organizing my files when my phone rang. It was Mike calling. I took the call and stayed silent. Mike’s shallow, ragged breathing came through the line, echoing in a hollow background. He was back in that empty home. “Dawn… You moved out? Where are you living now?” His voice was hoarse and thick fro

Chapter 7

My attorney slid a settlement agreement across the table to Mike.“Mr. Tank, in light of your marital misconduct, your unauthorized home equity loan, and your transfer of marital assets without your wife's knowledge or consent, this is our proposed settlement. “Our client will retain sole ownership of the marital home. You will assume full responsibility for the outstanding home equity loan. We will continue pursuing legal action to recover the funds you transferred to the third party. Any recovered funds will be returned to our client.“You’ll also transfer your remaining liquid assets and your vehicle to our client.”Mike read through the papers, not refuting or negotiating. He picked up the pen. His hand shook so badly that he had to start over twice before his signature was legible.Then, Mike looked up to meet my gaze. “Dawn, I deserve everything that’s happened. You can have everything. I’ll take on the debt myself. All I’m asking is one thing.” He jolted to his feet

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