A Justice for Miscarriage

My in-laws were hit by a car crash. I called my husband, begging him to give me some money to pay the hospital bill.

He said, "Oh, if you want money, just come out with it. That excuse is terrible!"

He hung up on me. Despite how unfair it felt, I had to call him again. This time, a voice I was familiar with hit my ears. A woman's voice.

"Chris, I got a bit too much sunscreen on my hand. Can I smear the rest on your abs?"

Lovingly, my husband said, "You little troublemaker."

His parents died that night. Overseas.

Cheating Man

More than two weeks had gone by since my in-laws' deaths. I could not leave their remains behind, but Christopher Grayson refused to take my calls or even come home. I had to handle the paperwork myself and deal with the cremation.

I remembered distinctly about the thing they told me one day before they met their demise. They wanted to pray to God so Christopher and I would be blessed with a child. Instead, death now separated us. They were lying in coffins, while I stood beside them.

I had no idea why this happened all of a sudden. I had no idea why Christopher would go no contact with me for so long. This was his parents, for God's sake!

And then something rustled. He was home. I raised my head only to be met with the frail childhood friend of Christopher's. Yvonne Wood.

She was wearing my sleepwear, and her neck was covered in hickeys. The sight alone nearly made my eyes hurt, and my stomach churned.

"Chris and I have been waiting for you. Did you have fun? I got takeout. Want to share?"

Christopher was standing beside the dining table. He didn't even give me a single look.

The bastard let Yvonne wear my sleepwear and messed around with her while his parents were dying. I refused to think about the things they did in our bedroom. It would push the bile up to my throat.

I was going to the bathroom, but Yvonne got in my way. "Don't get mad at Chris. He's busy and has no time to relax. I wanted him to let his hair down, so I asked him to join me on a vacation. You can't shop around every day if he doesn't work for it."

She was too close to me. My personal space was invaded. The stench of her perfume shot straight up my nose. That was it. I threw up. She moved back, but the vomit hit her anyway.

"Disgusting," Christopher said. First thing he said to me in half a month. He refused to tell me why Yvonne was in my pajamas. He didn't even ask me what I'd been doing. He didn't even care that I threw up because I was sick.

But in times long past, a single frown alone would've gotten him all worried. He'd ask me again and again if I was fine. Then he fell out of love with me. I couldn't remember when that started, though I knew it wasn't recent.

I met his eyes. Cold. Indifferent. Yes, I expected it, but it still hurt my heart. "You call me disgusting? That's my line, Christopher."

"Can you drop it already? I came back, didn't I? Just as you wished."

"Chris only joined me because I had a breakup, Josephine. Don't get mad at him."

"Don't apologize to her. She's crazy. This shouldn't even be an issue, but she has to turn it into drama."

Christopher was defending her, metaphorically and literally. How asinine. I grabbed the urns and stood up. "Your parents' ashes. Settle them somewhere. And I want to get a divorce."

"My parents? For all I know, that's just some random urns you got from the streets. And a divorce? Are you mad?" he mocked as he threw the urns away like they were cheap knockoffs.

"All I did was not sleep with you, and you snitched to my folks? They're playing along with you, aren't they? I know you want a baby, and you're mad because your plan failed. If you had been honest with me, I'd have given you a child."

Honesty? Now he was calling me dishonest? Seriously? Did this man know no shame?

The bastard spent millions on his childhood friend on our anniversary. He told me he was working overtime when he was at an amusement park with Yvonne. He lied and lied again for her. He abandoned me time and time again for her.

This marriage was meaningless. Perhaps at some point it wasn't, but things had changed. It was time to end this.

Calmly, I said, "We're getting a divorce. I'll move out so you guys can have more space for yourselves."

Yvonne wanted to say something, but Christopher stopped her with a dark look. Then he turned to me, his eyes never leaving me. Slowly, he said, "Another divorce threat? If you so much as leave this house, we're done. I won't keep you around."

I nodded and left the house as he wished.

For some reason, Christopher felt defeated, but he pushed that feeling down. My parents died a long time ago. He must think I would return to him, since I had nowhere else to go.