I'm Leaving Forever

Synopsis

Jeremy was a total clean freak. Whenever I touched his shirt, he'd spray disinfectant three times over. He said it was some kind of mental quirk, so we'd been living like a sexless married couple for three years. On the Carnival day, I made donuts and waited for him to come home. But he walked in with a young woman, holding her waist gently like she was made of glass. The girl suddenly felt queasy and threw up all over his favorite custom-tailored suit. Normally, Jeremy would flip his lid over a single stray hair on his clothes. But right then, his eyes were filled with nothing but tenderness for her. Instead of pushing her away, he softly wiped the mess from the corner of her mouth with his sleeve. "This is Sophie. She's pregnant and can't stand any cooking fumes." He turned to me, talking to me like I was some hired help. "Fix her sour cream pasta. She's hungry." I stood there in the shadows and spoke quietly. "What about me? I went to get my medical test results today, and—" He cut me off, sounding fed up. "You're perfectly healthy. Missing one meal won't starve you." I let out a bitter laugh and headed quietly to the kitchen. I didn't bother telling him I was dying. Steam curled up from the pot. I pulled out my phone and booked a one-way ticket to Swonica. Jeremy, this time, I'd leave you for good.