After the Divorce, He Begged Me to Stay

When he saw how serious I was, he suddenly burst out laughing.

"Babe, quit joking around. If you divorced me, where would you even go?"

"You're an orphan. No parents, no family to run home to."

"Oh, right! You said you don't want any assets. You've been a housewife for how many years now? You walk away with nothing, then what? What are you going to do?"

"Paint? But babe, you haven't picked up a brush in years, and nobody knows your name. You really think anyone's going to buy your work?"

Every word he said.

My heart sank a little deeper.

Lewis ruffled my hair with that indulgent smile of his. "Alright, stop throwing a fit. The girl's on her period today, she's in a bad mood, and I need to go keep her company. I'll have my assistant transfer some extra money to your account later. Consider it making it up to you."

He picked up his car keys, still smiling, and walked out.

I watched his retreating figure.

Lewis, I'm not throwing a fit this time. I genuinely don't want to be with you anymore.

I looked down at my phone and messaged a lawyer:

Can I file for divorce unilaterally?

As long as you have sufficient evidence of the other party's infidelity, yes.

After leaving the law firm, I called my best friend, Althea Pruitt, and told her everything.

Althea's eyes turned red on the spot.

"Letitia! Are you fucking kidding me? You call yourself my friend? Something this huge and you're only telling me NOW?"

"That piece of shit Lewis! I always knew there was something off about him. I always said he was no good!"

"And now he's not just cheating out in the open, he has the nerve to humiliate you? I'm going to kill him. Right now."

I laughed and grabbed her hand, shaking my head. "Calm down. I don't care anymore."

That only made it worse. The moment the words left my mouth, Althea started crying.

"How can you not care? You were together for ten years! I watched every single one of those years closer than anyone. I know exactly what you went through!"

"Do you have any idea how much you suffered for him? That time you went to the competition for his sake—"

She caught the shift in my expression and immediately changed course. "Forget it. Point is, I can't stand that bastard. If he thinks he can do this to you, I swear I'll find a way to destroy him and that homewrecker both."

Watching her rage on my behalf like that.

My nose stung.

All these years, having someone like her by my side. That was enough.

"Okay, Thea, enough with the depressing stuff."

"I have good news for you."

Althea blinked. "Good news?"

I smiled and placed her hand on my lower belly. "You're going to be a godmother."

Her eyes went wide. "You're keeping Lewis's baby? Letitia, have you lost your mind? He cheated on you!"

I knew she'd react like that.

"It's not his."

"What?" Her voice shot up an octave.

Every head in the restaurant turned our way.

I grabbed her arm. "Keep it down."

Althea looked dazed, like she'd been hit by one bombshell after another and her brain was still trying to catch up.

"You better start talking. Now."

I nodded. "Remember Frederick Pruitt from high school? The genius?"

"Of course I remember. Same last name as me, completely different brain."

I let a small smile curl my lips, about to say It's his—

When a low voice came from beside us. "Letitia, what are you doing here?"

I turned my head. Lewis was walking out of a private dining room with a young, pretty girl on his arm.

"You son of a bitch! I was just looking for you!"

The second Althea laid eyes on him, she snatched the bottle of ketchup off the table, marched over, and slammed it against his shirt with a sharp, open-palmed smack.

"Do you have a goddamn conscience? You actually had the nerve to cheat!"

"Do you deserve Letty? Do you deserve everything she went through all those years, standing by your side through every hardship?"