The Wife Who Was Never Mine
On the day I was cleared for depression, Olivia Jones spoke up out of nowhere as she drove.
"I have another family out there."
The words hit without warning. My head rang.
She kept her eyes on the road and went on, almost like she was talking to herself.
"All these years, you were spiraling, talking about dying every day. I was just as miserable. Now you're better, and the baby's here. It's time I make things right with my real husband and child."
It took me a long moment to find my voice. When it came out, it shook.
"Then what are we, me and the kid? Just placeholders?"
She didn't deny it right away.
After a pause, she said, calm and steady, "Call it whatever you want. You won't leave anyway. Not with the kid, right?"
The warmth drained out of my body.
I had been holding it together for show.
At once, it all broke.