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The third morning,waking up without him,I felt uneasy.
I dropped my son at my parents'and went to work.
Midway through,the quiet office erupted.
I heard my name in the chatter.
Suppressing dread,I stepped out and saw him.
James was standing in the lobby,holding a banner accusing me of not performing wifely duties,letting his mother die.
I had kept my private life to mysekf;few colleagues knew my situation.
His pitiful act swayed some,who eyed me with disgust as I emerged.
James's eyes gleamed with triumph.
I laughed,enraged.
Facing the gawking crowd,I pulled out my phone."James,I had wanted to spared you for the sake of all our years together.Since you're so shameless,don't blame me."
I played a recording of his words at home and the hospital,exposing his lies.
The crowd's scorn towards me turned to sympathy.
Security dragged him out.
I thanked my colleagues for trying to comfort me and resumed work.
Closing this big deal would mean another promotion,ensuring a comfortable life for my son and me.
I heard James,failing to make a scene,scraped together surgery funds from relatives.
But ongoing hospital costs loomed.
His frequent absences at work got him fired.
His rigid personality had long annoyed his boss,who seized the chance.
Now without a job,James regretted asking for a divorce.
But I'd never let him go back on his words.
My friend,a lawyer,handled divorces expertly.
I sent her all the evidence,and she replied,"Making him leave with nothing is tough,but the house and car are your parents’ gifts before you two got married—he can't touch them."
"He neglected you during pregnancy and has no income now.You'll likely get custody over your boy."
Relieved,I sent James the divorce papers.
He,who had demanded divorce,didn't respond.
As I was begging to get impatient,I got a call from his sister."Lily,I hear you and James are fighting.Must be a misunderstanding.Come home,let's talk?"
Her fake warmth disgusted me.
His family was all the same—hypocrites.
But I agreed.
We did need to talk.
