Mark stared at his phone as if it had suddenly burst into flames.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Martha demanded.<\/p>\n
He swallowed hard. \u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t look like nothing,\u201d I said, crossing my arms.<\/p>\n
For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Melanie stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cMark,\u201d she whispered, \u201ctell them.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face turned pale.<\/p>\n
The phone rang again.<\/p>\n
This time, I could hear the voice on the other end.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Reynolds, this is Human Resources. We need you to return all company equipment immediately. Your employment has been terminated effective today.\u201d<\/p>\n
The entire driveway went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cTerminated?\u201d Melanie asked.<\/p>\n
Mark quickly ended the call.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey made a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n
But nobody believed him.<\/p>\n
Especially not me.<\/p>\n
The truth came out only minutes later.<\/p>\n
The company training trip to Miami had never existed.<\/p>\n
Mark had used vacation time.<\/p>\n
He had lied to his employer.<\/p>\n
He had submitted fake expense reports.<\/p>\n
And worst of all, he had been carrying on an affair with Melanie during work hours for months.<\/p>\n
Someone in the office had discovered everything.<\/p>\n
The investigation had finished that morning.<\/p>\n
His job was gone.<\/p>\n
His salary was gone.<\/p>\n
His health insurance was gone.<\/p>\n
And now his house was gone too.<\/p>\n
Martha looked as though she might faint.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou lost your job?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s temporary,\u201d Mark snapped.<\/p>\n
Melanie stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me you got promoted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody said a word.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me your bonus was coming next month.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me we were moving into a new house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark looked away.<\/p>\n
That was the moment Melanie understood.<\/p>\n
The house he had promised her\u2026<\/p>\n
Was mine.<\/p>\n
PART 3<\/p>\n
The next few weeks were surprisingly peaceful.<\/p>\n
I filed for divorce.<\/p>\n
Because the house belonged solely to me before the marriage, there was little for Mark to claim.<\/p>\n
My attorney smiled when she read his text message announcing his beach wedding.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat may be the most expensive text message he ever sent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark moved into a small apartment across town.<\/p>\n
Melanie moved in with him.<\/p>\n
At least for a while.<\/p>\n
Then the phone calls started.<\/p>\n
The first came at midnight.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica, listen\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Click.<\/p>\n
Blocked.<\/p>\n
The second came from another number.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica, I made a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blocked.<\/p>\n
The third came through Brenda.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three months later, Melanie left him.<\/p>\n
I found out through mutual friends.<\/p>\n
Apparently life became much less romantic when there were bills to pay.<\/p>\n
The luxury vacations disappeared.<\/p>\n
The expensive dinners disappeared.<\/p>\n
Reality arrived.<\/p>\n
And reality wasn\u2019t nearly as attractive as fantasy.<\/p>\n
PART 4<\/p>\n
Six months after the divorce, I received a certified letter.<\/p>\n
Inside was a request.<\/p>\n
Mark wanted to meet.<\/p>\n
Against my better judgment, I agreed.<\/p>\n
We met at a coffee shop.<\/p>\n
The man sitting across from me barely resembled the confident husband who had texted me from a beach.<\/p>\n
His hair was thinner.<\/p>\n
His eyes looked tired.<\/p>\n
His expensive watch was gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica,\u201d he said softly, \u201cI miss us.\u201d<\/p>\n
See more on the next page<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know I hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou married another woman while still married to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou planned it for a year.\u201d<\/p>\n
He lowered his head.<\/p>\n
Then he said something unbelievable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we can start over.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think you can cheat on me, marry someone else, lose everything, get divorced, and then simply come back?\u201d<\/p>\n
His face reddened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was hoping you\u2019d forgive me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cForgiveness and reconciliation are not the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, he looked genuinely defeated.<\/p>\n
Then I asked one question.<\/p>\n
The same question Melanie had once asked him in my driveway.<\/p>\n
\u201cMark, if your job hadn\u2019t fired you and if I hadn\u2019t owned this house\u2026 would you even be sitting here?\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened his mouth.<\/p>\n
Nothing came out.<\/p>\n
Because we both knew the answer.<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
PART 5<\/p>\n
A year later my life looked completely different.<\/p>\n
The house was renovated.<\/p>\n
The mortgage was nearly paid off.<\/p>\n
I earned a promotion at work.<\/p>\n
I traveled more.<\/p>\n
Smiled more.<\/p>\n
Slept better.<\/p>\n
One afternoon I was planting flowers in the front yard when a moving truck stopped nearby.<\/p>\n
A woman stepped out.<\/p>\n
She introduced herself as my new neighbor.<\/p>\n
We talked for nearly an hour.<\/p>\n
Before leaving she smiled and said:<\/p>\n
\u201cYour husband must be proud of this beautiful home.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have a husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDivorced?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the house.<\/p>\n
The garden.<\/p>\n
The peaceful life I had rebuilt.<\/p>\n
Then I corrected myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, it was his lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for the first time since that text message arrived at 2:47 a.m., I realized something important.<\/p>\n
Mark hadn\u2019t ruined my life.<\/p>\n
He had removed himself from it.<\/p>\n
And that turned out to be the best gift he ever gave me.<\/p>\n
THE END<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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