AFTER MY EX-WIFE

MI

ital waiting room. I paused before answering. My fingers, still numb

to reality. "I'm just leaving the hospital," I replied, my tone remote.

the hotel. Now." Her voice faltered. "Your husband is been stolen fr

e face, but I didn't respond. I co

s most exquisite five-star hotel, a place that seemed almost mystical to me-like something out of a storybook. Not me. Not us. The word "us" felt hollow now,

g a child. anticipating Alex 's child. I had hoped, genuinely thought, that this would be the turning moment after three hard years- three hard year

had held me for the first time in three years. Not out of cold need or obligation, but something more. Even though he had been far g

and was tired. We sat in the living room, and

wards. But that night, when he sat down with me, there was something different in h

he warmth I had always sought. His hands, were smooth and friendly, even sensitive, as he escort

e house before I even woke up; I looked around, but he was gone. Tha

l flowers that decorate it, the liveliness outside, the magnificent halls, the contrast between the richness of the environment and the barrenness of my

ere-one of the numerous jobs she took on after the Corona vir

ide in, and she was aware of my misery and the heartbreaking parts of my marriage. As I went closer, I could see the conc

s," she mumbled in apologies. "I think I saw him here twice,

rning question mark on

han she already had. "Her name is Alessia." She's the daughter of one of his k

r once or twice, always with a subtle air of respect, as if she ca

was the begar wandering through its hallways. My stomach churned with each step, the life inside me appearing so fragile and

es, lustrous dark hair, and a form that made her seem like she belonged in places like this. I saw him give her a quick kiss on the forehead. An expression of love in public, something he had never done

as more difficult, every step seemed heavier. A scorching infe

exist and too lost in her. I yelled, nearly breaking into a cry, "Alex ," lou

rt moment-guilt? remorse? However, i

one filled with curiosity, as though I were merely a small interruption. "She's no one," he explained. "She used to work for me." "That's all." The

nt. But before I could say anything, he stepped in closer and murmured quietly.

d, the only thing I could detect was how severe his reaction is. He was

ady shifted his sight from me, return

und and left the hotel. My once-dreamed ex