Farewell to Seattle Dreams

Synopsis

In the three years we’d been married, my wife’s mentally unstable ex-husband, Daniel, had attacked me thirty-eight times. Number thirty-eight was supposed to be a heavy-duty corrosive cleaner. He grabbed the bottle off the kitchen counter and hurled the liquid right at my face. It turned out to be vinegar. I reached for my phone to call the cops, but Claire’s hand clamped over mine. "It wasn't acid," she said, her voice heavy with exhaustion. "Just go change, Ev. Wash it off." She looked at my soaked shirt, her eyes pleading. "Daniel still thinks we're married. Give me some time to explain it to him, okay? Let me get him to his treatment first." She paused, taking a breath. "Also... his kidney failure is getting worse. He needs a transplant. Could you go to Harborview and do a preliminary compatibility test for him?" I just stared at her. She kept going. "Lily is still having a hard time accepting you. I want to go stay with them for a while. Just bear with it a little longer." My heart sank, turning to lead in my chest. She had never truly let him go. I didn't argue. I just pulled out my phone, opened an app, and booked a train ticket out of the city. "Let's get a divorce," I said. "If you want to go back to Daniel and keep revolving your life around him, go. Lily needs a mother. And I'm done being the guy who just waits around."