Chapter 5 He wanted a divorce

Upstairs, I made my way to the bedroom I had been banished to.

The room that had once been my comfort zone now felt cold and empty, a mirror of the future Tyler had left me with.

I spotted my charger on the bed and remembered I needed to power my phone. I rushed to plug it in, knowing I needed to call Ann, my friend. She was the person I could always count on and right now, I really needed her.

When the phone lit up, I felt a tiny bit of relief. I knew that I was not alone in this, even if only for a moment.

With that small comfort, I turned to face the rest of the room.

Seeing my stuffs spread around the room felt practically stunning, similar to remainders of a day to day existence that had turned strange to me.

I strolled to the my closet and took out a bag, the truth of leaving soaking in with each thing I pressed.

My phone buzzed, breaking the calm of the room.. I pulled it up to saw a new message from Anna.

"Hey girl! What's wrong with your phone?! Call me, it's important."

I couldn't ignore her, not when my world was coming apart.

I dialled her number, my heart racing as the phone began to ring.

The phone rang once, twice, and then Anna's voice came through, loud and urgent.

"Sam! Wtf is wrong with you? Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you! There's something important to talk about"

"Ann..." I drifted off, unable to keep up with Anna's normal energy, my voice breaking with emotion.

Anna's tone softened after a brief pause. "Sam, something's wrong. What is it?"

I took a deep breath, holding back the tears that threatened to pour over. "Tyler... he... he wants a divorce."

Anna let out a gasp of amazement and shock.

"What the hell?! Divorce?? No way, Sam, you can't be serious. Did something happen? You were just settling into married life. What changed?"

I let out a bitter laugh, the weight of the situation too enormous to bear.

"Apparently, Tyler's been seeing someone else, his secretary. He dropped the bomb on me out of the blue, possibly because he wants to start a new life with her."

I paused for a while, the words felt like shards of glass in my throat.

"I tried to argue with him, but he had made up his mind. He does not want me anymore. I don't know what to do, Anna. I'm not sure whether I can do this alone."

Anna's voice, even though it was coming via the phone, felt like an embrace. "Sam, listen to me. You are not alone. I'm here for you, okay? You're going get through this, and I'm gonna be by your side every step of the way. And Tyler? He's an idiot. He doesn't realize what he's lost."

I closed my eyes, soaking in her words. But even with her encouragement, the worry of being left behind still gnawed at me. "But what am I expected to do? I've never been on my own."

"Well, for starters," Anna continued, her voice full with resolve, "you're going to move in with me until you get back on your feet. You'll remain in the guest room, and I won't accept no for an answer."

I grinned despite myself, Anna's tenacity usually a source of comfort.

"But truly, Sam," she said, her tone softening, "you're stronger than you think. I've seen you handle life's obstacles before, and you always come out on top. This is simply another obstacle to go over, and I know you can accomplish it."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I attempted to understand what had transpired. "I thought we were happy, Anna. I thought..."

My voice faded off, and the stillness was thick with pain. Anna didn't need me to continue my statement, she already knew the rest.

"Sam, you can't blame yourself for this," she added softly. "Even if they don't make sense to other people, people sometimes make their own decisions. But, there is one thing I am certain of.. you are deserving of a relationship with someone who values and adores you. Take a full breath and recall what your identity is. You're not simply someone's wife..my best friend is a great lady, with so much to give the world."

Anna's voice was a calm, steady sound, calming me amid the commotion.

My heart loaded up with appreciation as Anna's calm words overwhelmed over me.

She had an approach to causing me to feel like I could achieve anything... even heartbreaks.

"Much thanks to you, Anna," I said, my voice imposing with feeling. "Without you, I don't know what I would do."

"Hey, what are best friends for?" Anna answered with a laugh. "We've gone through thick and thin together, and this is simply another chapter in our life. So finish packing, and then get your butt over here."

"You're right, we've got this," I replied. "I'll pack up the essentials, and be over in an hour."

"Perfect," Anna said. "Oh, and Sam? Don't forget your favorite blanket. We both know you can't sleep without it."

I chuckled, despite the pain in my heart. "Always looking out for me, aren't you?"

"That's what I do," Anna said.

I forced a feeble smile, appreciative for the strength in Anna's voice. "Thank you, Anna. "I will be there very soon, say in the next few hours," We said our byes and I hung up the phone.

The only sound that broke the silence in the room was the sound of my movements.

As I closed the suitcase, I glanced around one final time. It was a goodbye to the space, to the person I had once been, and to the life I had believed I led.

After inhaling deeply and wiping the tear off my face, I picked up my bags.

The sound of Tyler's voice seemed to echo as I made my way downstairs. "I miss you, Julie. When can you come over? I really need to see you."

His words cut through me, a painful reminder of the betrayal happening right in front of me.

So it's Julie. Tyler's new secretary. She was the reason my marriage was falling apart.

My heart hurt, the pain sharp and deep. I pulled my bag towards the main door, past my unfaithful husband who stood indifferent.

I rushed to my car, my fingers fumbling with the keys in my desire to flee this place of lies and betrayal.

With a screech of tires, I sped off, my mind racing as quickly as the car.

The tears poured freely now, blinding my vision as I relived every minute of Tyler's betrayal and Julie's deceit.

The pain was a real thing. It was gripping my chest so tight that I could hardly breathe.

I drove on autopilot.

My thoughts were full of what I had gone through in the past hour.

How had it come to this? How had my life unraveled so completely? I had married Tyler thinking it was a new beginning, but suddenly it seemed like the end.

My mind kept returning to the positive pregnancy result, the small life growing inside me.

What was I going to do?

A distant part of me saw the red traffic light ahead, but my foot continued on the pedal, as if my consciousness had gone from reality.

In a moment, a truck came from the corner. Its horn was loud, but it was too late to stop what was going to happen. I hit the brakes hard, and my tires screamed.

But it was too late.

The truck hit my car so hard. It sent it spinning out of control.

My head smacked the driving wheel, and a stinging pain burst behind my eyes.. everything blurred.

I battled to remain conscious, gasping for breath as the deep smell of burning tires and smoke filled my lungs.

The pain was awful. It was like a sharp, horrible ache that went all through my body.

I tried all I could to move, to escape the twisted metal enclosing me, but my limbs felt heavy, unresponsive.

In the middle of the uncertainty, I clung to a single notion.. my baby. The life within me, the one thing left to fight for.

But the pain was too much.

My strength was fading away, and the pull of unconsciousness was too powerful to resist.

Tears flowed down my cheeks as I uttered a silent apology to my unborn baby, a desperate hope that we would still have a shot.

With one last, terrified breath, I let go, yielding to the darkness.

The last thing I felt was the warmth of my tears on my cheeks, and then... nothing.