9
One day, an unexpected guest showed up at the office.
It was Rachel.
Her usual polished appearance was gone–no makeup, pale complexion, and a hint of desperation in her eyes. She looked at me with a mix of resentment and envy.
“I got fired,” she said flatly. “This city has nothing left for me. I’m heading back to my hometown.”
“Going back home is a fresh start,” I replied calmly. “If you’re talented, you’ll shine wherever you are. Best of luck.”
11:43 Fri, Jan 31 BB.
<
3
My indifference only seemed to enrage her. She slammed her hand on my desk and snapped, “Stop pretending! You must be thrilled that you’ve won, right? Your husband and son–they’re yours again!”
“They’re individuals, Rachel. I’m an individual too. Nobody belongs to anyone.”
I met her glare with an unbothered shrug.
“You’re such a fake. Goodbye forever!” she spat, storming off.
But at the door, she suddenly turned back, her eyes glistening with tears. With an edge of bitterness, she said, “God, I hate you. I’m so jealous of you. Why do you get so much love?”
So much love?
I no longer cared.
For six months, I lived and breathed work, even staying at the company dorms. I didn’t go
home, not even for the holidays.
It wasn’t until I received a call from Max that I finally agreed to return. He had just been accepted into a prestigious university and begged me to come home to celebrate with him,
I showed up, bearing two things: a gift for Max and a divorce agreement for Tom.
When Tom saw the papers, his face turned ashen, his lips trembling as he stammered, “W–why? You’re joking, right?”
But the seriousness in my eyes told him otherwise.
Suddenly, he collapsed to his knees, gripping my hands as tears streamed down his face.
“No! Please, Lauren, don’t do this! I was wrong–I know I was wrong! I swear I’ll put you first from now on. I’ll love you forever. I’ll never hurt you again!”
Max, seeing his father’s reaction, panicked and dropped to his knees as well. Holding his acceptance letter in one hand, he looked at me with tear–filled eyes and shouted, “Mom, please don’t divorce Dad! Don’t stop loving us! you leave, I won’t go to college–I swear I
<
11:44 Fri, Jan 31 GG.
Looking at the two of them, I felt an overwhelming headache coming on.
D
“Max, I’m divorcing your dad, not you,” I said firmly. “I will always love you, but for the past ten years, I’ve sacrificed everything for you two. I’ve worked myself to the bone, putting you both first, forgetting to take care of myself.”
419
I took a deep breath, my voice steady but resolute. “But I’m tired now. I don’t want to make you two the center of my world anymore. There are so many other people and things in this world worth loving. Max, your life is just beginning. You’ll have your own people to love, your own future to build. Don’t throw that away by trying to guilt me into staying.
That’s not fair to either of us.”
Max cried harder, his face buried in his hands. Whether he truly understood my words, I
couldn’t tell.
Igently removed their hands from mine and reached into my bag, pulling out Max’s gift- a life–sized version of the toy car robot I’d given him when he was a child.
“This is for you, Max. A graduation gift from me. I can’t take you to college, but your dad will. I’m sure he’ll do a great job.”
Without giving them a chance to respond, I turned and left the room. Their desperate pleas followed me, but I didn’t look back.
Instead, I knocked on the door across the hall.
Danny’s face lit up as he peeked out from behind the door.
“Danny,” I said with a smile, pulling out an even bigger toy robot from my bag. “You’re starting elementary school soon. This is your graduation gift.”
His eyes sparkled with excitement as he grabbed the toy, clutching it tightly.
“Thank you, Lauren!” he said, beaming.
As I watched his joy, I realized that I didn’t need to carry the weight of others‘ expectations anymore. My love, my energy–it was now mine to give freely, to whomever
and whatever I chose.
