The Ninth Time He Left
Three years into my arranged marriage with the Valachi family heir, the one that got away came back.
He left me for Julia eight times.
The ninth time, he left me bleeding on the side of the road with a gunshot wound to go running to Julia, who’d called him because she felt a little dizzy.
"She needs me. You get that, right, Leona?"
This time, I didn't fight for him.
He didn't know about the bet I’d made with Julia. The ninth time he abandoned me, I would be the one to leave for good.
So on his birthday, I left a set of signed divorce papers on his desk and got on a plane.