"Please don't throw six years away. " I calmly removed her hand. "I didn't. " She froze. "You did. " For several seconds neither of us spoke. Finally, she asked the question she had been avoiding. "Is there Is there any chance you'll change your mind? " "No. " The answer came so quickly that it seemed to knock the air out of her.
She began crying harder. "I love you. " I shook my head. "You loved what I gave you. Trust, stability, a home. " "If you loved me, you wouldn't have traded our marriage for a weekend. " She sank back into the chair. "I never thought you'd actually leave. " "I noticed. " That night she slept in the guest room.
The next morning I left for work before Karen woke up. A couple of hours later I sent her a text. "Be gone before I get home. Take whatever belongs to you. The house stays with me. " She called almost immediately.
I declined the call. Then she called again. I declined that one, too. By lunchtime my phone had 23 missed calls. She kept leaving voicemails, sending texts, and begging me to answer.
I didn't. When I got home that evening she was gone. The guest room was empty. Half the closet in the master bedroom had been cleared out. Her car wasn't in the driveway.
I changed every lock on the house that same night and updated the garage door code. Then I blocked her number. From that point on, if Karen wanted to say something, she could do it through her attorney. As far as I was concerned, the marriage was already finished. The paperwork just had to catch up.
Blocking Karen's number didn't stop her. It just forced her to get more desperate. Two days later my receptionist called my office. "Frank, your wife is here. " "I don't have a wife. " I replied. "I have someone I'm divorcing. " There was a short silence.
"She says she isn't leaving. " "I'll handle it. " When I walked into the lobby, Karen stood up immediately. "We need to talk. " "We don't. " "Please, just 5 minutes. " "I've said everything I needed to say. " People had started looking. She stepped closer and lowered her voice. "I'll do anything. " "You already did. " I walked past her and left through the front doors. She followed me all the way to the parking lot.
"Frank! " I kept walking. "Look at me! " I unlocked my truck. She grabbed my arm. I pulled it away. "Don't touch me again. " She stared at me for a second, breathing hard.
"You can't just erase 6 years! " "I didn't. " I got into my truck and drove away. I thought that would be the end of it. I was wrong. The following Saturday morning I was inside the house making coffee when I heard shouting outside. By the time I opened the front door, Karen was standing beside my truck.
She had a metal key in her hand. A long scratch ran from the front fender all the way to the tailgate. Before I could say a word, she slammed the key down the side again. The sound of metal scraping paint echoed through the driveway. Karen!