The Ninth Time He Left

The conversation inside continued.

"Julia, tell us the craziest thing Isak ever did for you."

Julia’s voice was bright with excitement. "Craziest? There are too many." She started counting on her fingers. "He beat a guy to a pulp for looking at me the wrong way three years ago. And he used to wire me money from his own accounts for my 'investments.' Fifty thousand at a time, easy."

A cold rage washed over me.

"What else?" someone prodded.

"For the past year, he's flown to New York to see me every single week," Julia said smugly. "Thursday night flight, back to Vegas Sunday morning. He told Leona he was on business, but really…"

She didn't have to finish. Everyone laughed knowingly.

Every Thursday.

I thought about Isak's frequent "business trips." Always Thursday to Sunday. He said it was work. I never doubted him.

"But the best part," Julia went on, "is that he'd bring Leona back a gift every time to cover his tracks. All those expensive watches, necklaces, bracelets… they were all guilt offerings."

I thought of the drawer full of gifts that appeared out of nowhere. "I saw this and thought of you," he'd always say.

"He'd even…"

I'd heard enough. I pushed the door open and walked in.

The room fell silent. Julia slowly turned to me, a defiant smile spreading across her face, as if she knew I’d been there all along.

I scanned the faces around the table. For three years, I thought I'd earned their respect. Now, they were treating my marriage like a joke with her.

Just as the silence became unbearable, the door opened again.

Isak rushed in. He didn't see me with my back to the door and went straight to Julia.

"Julia, the private party's about to start. I came to get you…"

Then he saw me.

"Leona, what are you doing here?" he asked, forcing a smile. "I thought you were at the docks today."

I slowly turned to face the man I had loved for three years.

"Yeah," I said, my voice terrifyingly calm. "And I thought you had business to handle today."

I turned and walked out without a second glance.

The air in the hallway felt clearer, but the suffocating weight on my chest remained. Three years of marriage, a calculated lie from the very beginning.

"Leona, wait!"

Isak's dress shoes clicked on the polished floor behind me. I didn't slow down.

"Leona, let me explain…" He caught up, out of breath, reaching for my arm.

I flinched away from his touch.

"Explain what?" I said, stabbing the elevator button. "Your weekly trips to New York? Or the money you funneled out of our joint accounts?"

The color drained from Isak's face.

"I can explain. It's not what you think, I swear…"

The elevator doors slid open. I stepped inside. Isak moved to follow, but Julia's voice echoed down the hall.

"Isak, don't waste your time on her," she called out, strolling toward us. "Tonight's party is going to be amazing. You don't want to miss it, do you?"

I looked at Isak, waiting.

He hesitated, his foot hovering over the threshold. He didn't get in.

"Leona, can we just talk about this tomorrow? I…"

I pressed the 'door close' button.

I sat in the driver's seat of my Maserati and lit a cigarette, watching the city lights blur. Neon signs flashed, cars streamed by, everyone heading somewhere. Only I had nowhere to go.

I started the engine, ready to head back to my own apartment—the one that didn't smell of Isak's cologne and false affection.

"Leona!"

Julia's voice came from outside my window.

I rolled it down and gave her an ice-cold stare.

"You heard what I said in there, didn't you?" she asked, leaning on the window frame. "Isak never loved you. It's always been me."

She laughed, a cruel, vicious sound. "Every time he slept with you, he was thinking of me! He told me so himself!"

I shoved the car door open, ready to drag that bitch out by her hair.

Just then, a horn blared.

A truck, out of control, was careening toward the sidewalk. The driver was drunk.

Julia was standing right in its path, oblivious.

Time seemed to slow.

I saw Isak burst out of the club doors.

"Julia!" he screamed.

The next second, he sprinted toward her, shoving her out of the way with all his strength. They both tumbled to safety.

I was still standing by my open car door.

The truck slammed into the Maserati. The force of the impact threw me backward. I felt my ribs crack as warm blood filled my mouth.

As I lay on the ground, the last thing I saw was Isak holding Julia tight, checking her for injuries, tears in his eyes, repeating, "Are you okay? Are you okay?"

No one looked at me.

Even in a moment of life and death, he still didn't choose me.

The wail of a siren grew closer as I faded into unconsciousness.