The day I came home, "Sweet Syd" in the burlap sack had already gone stiff.
Something flickered across Morton's face, unnatural and quick.
"There's no point dragging up old grievances, Sydney."
"Fine, if you don't want to do it! I'll go eat out."
He turned to leave.
"Morton."
He glanced back, impatient.
"I went to the hospital."
His footsteps stopped.
"You…"
The notification tone he'd set just for Kathleen chimed.
He looked down at his phone.
And smiled.
That smile burned, stinging the backs of my eyes.
"Whatever it is, we'll talk when I get back."
The door shut, sealing him off from me completely.
Once, every little thing about me had mattered to him.
And I had cared about him caring.
Cared so much that I'd nearly forgotten what I used to be.
I picked up my phone and called my secretary.
"Morton's team. Next season's funding. We're not renewing it."
In the middle of the night, my phone buzzed. A text from Morton.
"Hey, Morton's wasted, come pick him up!"
In the past, every time we'd had a falling-out, he'd pretend to be drunk.
I would panic, ask where he was, and rush over the second I knew.
And he'd use the moment to make up with me.
This time, I only sent back one line. "Thanks for looking after him."
So he finally sensed something was off.
In under ten minutes he was home, a bouquet of red roses now in his hand.
"Syd, I bought these just for you. Don't be mad anymore, okay?"
He shoved the roses into my arms, leaned down, his kiss aiming for my lips.
I turned my head away.
"I'm tired."
"Syd, our wedding night, let me make it up to you, okay?"
"I'm tired. If you don't want to sleep, go squad up online with Kathleen."
He frowned. "You're still hung up on the wedding night?"
"Besides, it wasn't even our first time. It was just a formality."
"I played a few rounds of a game. It's not like I did anything to wrong you."
I had no patience left to listen. I closed my eyes and turned my back to him.
He wouldn't let it go, gripping my shoulder and pulling me back around.
"Sydney, if you've got a problem, just say it."
Listening to him demand answers like he was the wronged one, I spoke, perfectly calm.
"Morton, do you think I'll just keep waiting for you forever?"
Morton blinked, then laughed.
"You're my wife. If you don't wait for me, who would you wait for?"
He didn't know.
Once, joking around, he'd given me a divorce agreement with his name already on it.
"Syd, if I ever betray you, I'll walk away with nothing."
His signature was right there.
On our wedding night, in my own column, I'd signed mine too.
Once the paperwork went through, this marriage would no longer exist.
A whole night, back to back.
At six in the morning, the doorbell rang. It was Kathleen.
"Sydney, I came to apologize on Morton's behalf."
She said apologize with a smile, but her eyes flicked toward the bedroom.
"I brought breakfast. Hurry, go wake Morton up so we can eat together."
"Go wake him yourself."
She walked straight into the bedroom, like she'd been there many times before.
Soon, laughter drifted out.
She led Morton out by the hand, setting dish after dish of breakfast in front of him.
Every single one of them was his favorite.
"Sydney, you should eat too."
I didn't move.
She tilted her head, looking at Morton. "Morton, is Sydney still angry?"
"I really did just ask you to play a game. I didn't think it through."
Morton looked at me, impatient.
"Kathleen got up early to buy you breakfast. The least you can do is take a bite."
He picked up a shrimp dumpling and brought it to my lips.
"Eat one."
