Your Ex Used Her Depression to Break Us

Mom was the first to freak out. "Sherry, why exactly did you come back here? You and Winston got the marriage license, so you're basically married! You can't just come back here like this! Oh, dear, it'll cause problems!"

"I didn't even get the damn license."

I flopped down on the couch and recounted everything that happened earlier that day.

Dad was so mad he immediately called Winston. He started off with a couple of heated things, but then, all of a sudden, he changed his tone.

"Sure, sure, no problem. Of course, it's all Sherry's fault. I'll talk to her about it!"

"This is a very serious matter—life and death! Good grief, how can she be so unreasonable? Don't worry, son, I'll convince her and make sure she comes back."

The second Dad hung up, his phone dinged with a notification: [You received $15,000 from Winston Belvoir.]

He started laughing, all cheerful. Just like that, he didn't care about my feelings anymore. He just slipped on his coat, eager to get to the poker table.

He took my jerk fiancé's money, dismissed my frustration, and even had the nerve to blame me instead!

"Enough, Sherry! Stop being difficult. Winston's a good guy—generous, responsible, and he's making good money! Come on, what else do you want?"

"I get it. You're the one being unreasonable here! Look, Winston's just considering Frankie's health. Sweetheart, saving a life is way more important than any grand gesture. Besides, doing the right thing now is gonna set a good example for your kid. Now, get your ass back there!"

Mom? She was grinning at her phone by then. I bet she got some cash too. So then, the two of them started shoving me out the door.

"Come on, enough already! Don't stay here any longer! I called you a cab. Go get back home now. Winston's waiting for you."

"Don't get all emotional over nothing, got it? Getting a little emotional is fine once in a while, but if it happens all the time? Oh, dear, you'd be pissing him off!"

They shoved me further and further until I found myself sitting in the cab back to Winston's place.

I couldn't help but look back at my parent's place. It was dark—not a single light on. Clearly, nobody was waiting for me to come back here.

That's when I finally got it.

No wonder Winston's mom had been giving me the cold shoulder since day one, always on guard around me.

She'd even said outright that I'd suck his son dry. If I hadn't gotten pregnant with his kid first, there's no way she'd have welcomed me into their family.

It turns out...

My own parents had been shaking him down for money behind my back this whole time!

God, coming home only made me feel more exhausted.

When I got back to the place Winston and I shared, I tried the door code a few times, but it wouldn't work. Then the lock alarmed and shut itself down.

Just when I was starting to wonder what was going on, Winston opened the door.

"Oh, look who's here." He raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "So you actually came back, huh?"

He had this smug little grin on his face. He didn't care where I'd been all day—he was so sure I'd crawl back because I was pregnant with his child.

I ignored his sarcasm and asked, "Why's the door code not working?"

"Oh!"

Right then, an apologetic voice from a woman piped up from inside. "Sorry about that, Sherry! Totally my fault! I forgot to tell you—Winston changed the code to my birthday so it'd be easier for me to remember."

It was Frankie.

She blinked at me, looking sheepish. Oh, she was wearing my pajamas and my flip-flops and my hair accessories like she was me!

"What the hell are you doing in my clothes?"

I glared at her, and she immediately shrunk, hiding behind Winston.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't bring anything to wear, and Winston said I could borrow your stuff. Y-You don't mind, right?"

I was about to say I definitely did mind, but Winston cut me off.

He told Frankie to go back to bed, and then he pulled me over the couch for a "talk."

I thought maybe, for the sake of our baby, he'd at least try to comfort me. But what he said next just broke my heart even more.