I told my husband that I was sick and I was in danger of stopping walking – He left me immediately, not knowing how much he was going to regret him soon.

A bubbling anger, heated to white.

Tyler had left me for nothing. All this pain, all this grief of love... none of this had been necessary. And what did that say about him?

I hung up, already meeting Dr. Duncan to fix my calcium problems. I felt a strange mixture of freedom and clarity. It was not just a question of being healthy for me.

My husband had shown me who he really was, and there was no going back. I imagined him sitting on the beach, looking at the water and doing everything but care for me.

A man sitting at the beach - Source: Midjourney

About two weeks later, life gave me another drama.

My grandmother died, leaving Audrey and I with everything she had. Before I realized it, a substantial legacy was in my bank account.

My grandmother had always been there for Audrey and I, encouraging us to live our lives as we saw fit. Now, with this money, I could finally free myself from the life I had clung to. I wasn't just in good health. I was independent. I had the resources to build a life that fully belonged to me.

A Funeral in a Church - Source: Midjourney

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