Don't Marry Him
In the second year of my divorce battle with Adrian Pierce, the judge awarded him everything.
As I was packing, my daughter pulled an old cell phone out of one of the boxes. "Mommy, look. It still turns on."
I tapped the screen, and an email popped up. It was one I had written to myself 10 years ago.
"Clara, how are you at 28? Did you marry the man you love? Is your baby adorable? He loves kids so much. You two must be so happy together."
Tears splashed onto the screen as I typed back, one sentence at a time.
"I did get married, and we had a daughter. However, I found out he was cheating on me with my best friend, our daughter's godmother, during the third year of our marriage. We spent two years fighting through the divorce, and he won. I walked away with nothing."
A reply came back mere seconds after I hit the send button.
"You're lying! Adrian and Avery love me more than anyone else in the world. They would never betray me like that."
A bitter smile tugged at my lips as my trembling fingers typed another swift but brutal reply.
"The people who loved you the most? Funny. Our daughter was born with a congenital heart defect. She wouldn't survive without surgery. I got down on my knees and begged Adrian for the money to save her, but he accused me of trying to scam him.
"He froze every one of my accounts and used the money from our wedding gifts to pay for his wedding with Avery. The invitations have already been sent out.
"Wake up, Clara. Adrian will no longer love you 10 years from now. Now that you know the cruel truth, it's your choice whether to walk away now or stay with him."