Chapter 2

The next day, Jonathan and I went to get our divorce paperwork done.

Jonathan started packing up his stuff, getting ready to move out.

Yvonne and I didn't bother asking if he needed help. He and I just pretended each other didn't exist.

I was barely through the door after work one night when Jonathan cornered me. "Your mom called," he said.

A cold dread trickled down my spine.

"Your brother Richard lost his job," Jonathan said. "Your mother wanted me to help him out and let him work at my company.

"It's no big deal for me, so I said yes. I just thought I should let you know."

As soon as he finished, I pulled out my phone, dialed my mom's number, and put it on speaker.

My mother picked up right away.

"Mom, Richard needs to figure out his own job," I quickly said. "Jonathan and I are divorced now, so don't go ask him for anything anymore."

"Divorced?" my mother replied, as if struck. "When did this happen? Why did you get divorced? Elaine, you—"

I knew exactly how she'd react. She'd try to talk me out of it, of course. After all, she'd always preferred Jonathan as her son-in-law.

So I cut her off right away. "Jonathan's got someone else. We're divorced. We're done. Got it?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, and I took the chance to hang up.

When I looked up, I found that Jonathan's face was flushed.

He probably hadn't expected me to be so blunt with my mother.

Before I could say anything, my phone buzzed. It was my mother calling again.

I hung up and got up to leave.

If I was going to argue with her, I didn't want Jonathan to hear it.

But he grabbed my wrist, stopping me. "Elaine, it's just a job for Richard. It's nothing serious. You don't have to refuse me and get into a fight with your mom about it."

My relationship with my mother was already rocky, and I hated arguing with her, but owing Jonathan a favor was even worse.

He used to be my husband, my family. But now, I just saw him as my kid's father. Other than that, he was basically a stranger to me.

I yanked my hand away. "I'll take care of this myself. Stay out of it."

He blocked my way, his voice tinged with confusion and a flash of embarrassed frustration. "You'd rather argue with your mom than let me help? Why?"

I sighed, and then suddenly let out a light laugh. "Do I really need to remind you? We're divorced."

Jonathan's face turned ghostly pale. "Yes, we're divorced, but we spent twenty years together. Even if we're not a couple anymore, can't we at least be friends?"

I just found it funny. "Friends with your ex-wife? Did you run that by the woman you're seeing now?"

The color drained from Jonathan's face, his expression crumbling into a vacant stare. He just stood there, stunned.

My phone was still ringing. Ignoring Jonathan, I made a beeline for the stairwell to answer it.

As soon as I picked up, my mother's shrill voice nearly pierced my eardrums. "Elaine, tell me straight. Did you really divorce Jonathan?"

"Yes, we're divorced," I said.

My mother was so frantic that her voice nearly broke. "How could you divorce him? He runs a big company now. At your age, a divorce means throwing away a future. A man like him, with his prospects, won't look at you twice.

"Every guy cheats. Just suck it up. It'll pass.

"I went through the same thing, you know. Just listen to me. Don't get divorced. You'll be left with nothing if you walk away."

Suddenly, I just wanted to cry.

My father was always chasing another woman. Suddenly, I saw him again, his eyes cold and empty as my mother begged him to stay.

I'd tried to talk my mother into leaving him, but she always said no. She hadn't worked a day since getting married. If she left him, she couldn't even take care of herself, let alone me and my brother.

And so, even if it meant swallowing her pride and begging my father for money, she would never divorce him, simply to make room for someone else.

She spent her whole life stuck in that broken marriage until my father finally died.

A bitter, sarcastic laugh slipped out of me. "So what, am I supposed to just endure it for the rest of my life, like you did?"

There was a pause, and then she snapped, her voice getting sharper, "If you don't put up with it, what else can you do? Isn't that how everyone gets by?

"And now that you've divorced Jonathan, what about your brother?"

I knew it. It always came back to Richard.

After all, Jonathan was the son-in-law who made her look good, and he'd helped Richard out plenty of times. My mother would never want to lose that connection.

"Why don't you just have Richard tie the knot with Jonathan? The position of Jonathan's wife is up for grabs now that I'm out of the picture. Richard can try his luck," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You—" My mother tried to protest.

But I didn't have the patience for her nagging, and I couldn't be bothered to argue with her, so I cut her off. "I'm not you. I don't have to put up with this. Divorced or not, I can support myself and my kid just fine.

"I'm telling you I'm getting divorced, not asking for your advice. And I'm still sending you that 1,000-dollar allowance every month.

"Spend it however you want, but that's all you're getting."

I hung up, leaned back against the wall, and exhaled hard, but I couldn't stop the tears from falling.

I wiped my face clean before going back in. Another thing one learned in the adult world was how to hide their tears.