Chapter 2 · After Divorce, I Became His One That Got Away

Our circle was small, and I knew it was only a matter of time before Nathan found out I'd been looking for a job.

But I also knew the silence from every company I'd applied to had his fingerprints all over it.

Nathan leaned back and said, "Isabelle, you've been a stay-at-home wife for five years now. What could you possibly do out there? The only thing you're actually good at is taking care of me and Anna around the house.

"Besides, what's so bad about being a housewife? I'm out there grinding to support you, and all you have to do is cook and clean. Honestly, if I were a woman, I'd kill for that kind of life."

I stared at him in disbelief.

He had gaslit me more times than I could count, but hearing him say that still hit like a slap.

I couldn't believe anyone in this day and age could actually think that way, let alone say it out loud.

When I didn't respond, Nathan must have taken my silence as surrender. He settled deeper into the couch and asked, "Anna's still at the hospital, right? Tell her Daddy's been busy lately, but I'll come see her soon."

Nathan didn't deserve to be a father.

And he sure as hell didn't deserve to be Anna's father.

I glared at Nathan. "You will never see Anna again."

Nathan thought I was picking a fight. "Can we not do this right now? You're being unreasonable."

I was so sick of hearing that. Every single day, Nathan told me I was being unreasonable.

He must have realized he'd crossed a line, because he softened his tone right away.

He said, "My mom already agreed to let Anna be officially added to the family registry. Just be on your best behavior for a few days, and once you give her a grandson in a couple of years, she'll accept you for sure."

I rolled my eyes at him, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out the door.

Nathan's mother, Janet Sullivan, had always favored sons over daughters. She had spent years making snide remarks and taking jabs at me, and she treated Anna even worse.

Anna was the sweetest, most well-behaved little girl. Every time she found out we were going to visit Janet, she would get so excited and insist on picking out a gift.

But Janet was never happy to see her. She would toss Anna's gifts straight into the trash and then criticize everything about her with that cold look on her face.

Eventually, I stopped bringing Anna along.

And Anna would ask me if she had done something wrong to make her grandmother upset.

The thought of my sweet little girl lying in a cold urn made my whole body shake.

I turned around and saw Nathan sitting on the couch, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

I said, "Nathan, Anna is dead. That's why you will never see her again."

I walked out of the house and never looked back.

*****

Before I married Nathan, the Sullivan family had been on the verge of bankruptcy, and I poured every penny of my savings into keeping them afloat.

That included the house and the car I had bought with my own money.

Eventually, the Sullivans turned things around and built their way up to where they are today, but somehow I ended up being the one nobody wanted around.

Since the divorce wasn't finalized yet, I didn't have much money left, so I moved in with my best friend, Grace Jennings.

She had been transferred overseas for work and couldn't find a tenant for her place, so she was more than happy to let me stay.

The whole situation with Anna had kept me up almost every night for days.

Grace couldn't stand watching me fall apart, so she booked me an appointment with a therapist.

I didn't fight it. I just showed up at the scheduled time.

The therapist put me through a light hypnosis session, and after getting a better picture of what I was dealing with, she walked me through some coping strategies.

I picked up my prescription and my diagnosis paperwork and headed out.

Grace had been texting me nonstop, asking how it went. I was looking down at my phone, typing a reply and not watching where I was going, and I walked right into someone.

I quickly apologized, but when I looked up, I was staring straight at Emily's sweet, innocent little face.

And right there beside her, holding her arm, was Nathan.

Chapter 2

Our circle was small, and I knew it was only a matter of time before Nathan found out I'd been looking for a job.

But I also knew the silence from every company I'd applied to had his fingerprints all over it.

"Besides, what's so bad about being a housewife? I'm out there grinding to support you, and all you have to do is cook and clean. Honestly, if I were a woman, I'd kill for that kind of life."

I stared at him in disbelief.

He had gaslit me more times than I could count, but hearing him say that still hit like a slap.

I couldn't believe anyone in this day and age could actually think that way, let alone say it out loud.

Nathan didn't deserve to be a father.

And he sure as hell didn't deserve to be Anna's father.

I glared at Nathan. "You will never see Anna again."

Nathan thought I was picking a fight. "Can we not do this right now? You're being unreasonable."

I was so sick of hearing that. Every single day, Nathan told me I was being unreasonable.

He must have realized he'd crossed a line, because he softened his tone right away.

I rolled my eyes at him, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out the door.

Nathan's mother, Janet Sullivan, had always favored sons over daughters. She had spent years making snide remarks and taking jabs at me, and she treated Anna even worse.

Anna was the sweetest, most well-behaved little girl. Every time she found out we were going to visit Janet, she would get so excited and insist on picking out a gift.

But Janet was never happy to see her. She would toss Anna's gifts straight into the trash and then criticize everything about her with that cold look on her face.

Eventually, I stopped bringing Anna along.

And Anna would ask me if she had done something wrong to make her grandmother upset.

The thought of my sweet little girl lying in a cold urn made my whole body shake.

I turned around and saw Nathan sitting on the couch, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

I said, "Nathan, Anna is dead. That's why you will never see her again."

I walked out of the house and never looked back.

*****

Before I married Nathan, the Sullivan family had been on the verge of bankruptcy, and I poured every penny of my savings into keeping them afloat.

That included the house and the car I had bought with my own money.

Eventually, the Sullivans turned things around and built their way up to where they are today, but somehow I ended up being the one nobody wanted around.

Since the divorce wasn't finalized yet, I didn't have much money left, so I moved in with my best friend, Grace Jennings.

She had been transferred overseas for work and couldn't find a tenant for her place, so she was more than happy to let me stay.

The whole situation with Anna had kept me up almost every night for days.

Grace couldn't stand watching me fall apart, so she booked me an appointment with a therapist.

I didn't fight it. I just showed up at the scheduled time.

The therapist put me through a light hypnosis session, and after getting a better picture of what I was dealing with, she walked me through some coping strategies.

I picked up my prescription and my diagnosis paperwork and headed out.

Grace had been texting me nonstop, asking how it went. I was looking down at my phone, typing a reply and not watching where I was going, and I walked right into someone.

I quickly apologized, but when I looked up, I was staring straight at Emily's sweet, innocent little face.

And right there beside her, holding her arm, was Nathan.