On Our Anniversary, I Flew on My Pilot Husband’s Flight to Surprise Him
He had been waiting for our anniversary to pass before telling me he wanted a divorce.
He had let me believe we would be celebrating tomorrow.
Was that when he would hand me the divorce papers?
He let me believe I still belonged in his life until the calendar was more convenient for him.
I laughed then. I couldn’t help it. One short, broken sound.
Daniel took a step toward me. “Mercy, please. Let me explain.”
“No.”
“Please.”
I held up a hand. He stopped.
People were moving around us, barely noticing. Airport life is rude that way.
The worst moment of your life can happen under fluorescent lights while someone nearby buys pretzels.
“You do not get to explain this to me only because I found out,” I said.
“You don’t get to stand here with your mistress and her pregnancy while she talks about divorce papers and act like there is a version of this that hurts less depending on how you phrase it.”
Emily flinched at the word mistress.
Daniel looked wrecked.
“I’m sorry,” he said, voice low and shaking. “I never meant for you to find out like this.”
That almost made me slap him.
“As opposed to what?” I asked.
“Over breakfast tomorrow? After dessert? In a neat little envelope, once you’d squeezed one more anniversary out of my ignorance?”
He opened his mouth and closed it.
Emily looked irritated now, which was almost funny. As if my grief were complicating her evening.
I took off my wedding ring.
I didn’t throw it. That would have been drama for his benefit.
