But I'd met Annabel when I was twenty, too. All those years together had become nothing but a joke.
I shook my head. "This has nothing to do with him. I just don't want to be with you anymore."
Annabel's fingers tightened around her water glass.
"I don't understand. We've made it through five years of this. Why do you have to stir things up now?"
"We're leaving the country tomorrow. Do you really have to pick a fight tonight?"
The glass hit the floor. I was just grateful it was acrylic.
Annabel pulled on her coat and walked out. "I'm going to get some air. Don't wait up."
The next time I saw her was at the airport. I had Tommy with me, and we ran into Antony.
He wore that same smug grin. "Hey, Mason. I was busy packing last night and couldn't keep Annabel company. She showed up at my place in the middle of the night, all clingy and sweet. You two have a fight or something?"
"Spend more time with her from now on." I nudged Tommy toward Antony, and the boy grabbed his hand, beaming.
"Annabel's too much sometimes. I told her we could just do something low-key for my birthday, but she went and booked a whole international trip."
I looked toward the check-in counter, where Annabel was handling the boarding passes.
"When you get back, I'll have her throw you a proper birthday party."
Antony's face glowed with smug satisfaction. I swallowed every word I wanted to say and buried them deep.
I couldn't compete with a younger man's body. So I stopped trying.
Annabel looped her arm through Antony's.
"Mason, we're heading out."
A rare flicker of guilt crossed her eyes.
"Send me your birthday wish. If I can make it happen, I will."
"Mom, hurry up! Stop wasting time with him. I wanna get on the big plane!" Tommy bounced between Annabel and Antony, tugging them toward security.
After I got home, a high fever hit me like a freight train. I was so delirious that all I could do was crawl under the covers. Somewhere in the haze, I dreamed of Annabel.
She was twenty again, holding my hand, grinning that carefree grin, calling me her husband.
"Honey, don't try to tough it out when you're sick. Your health matters most."
She held the freshly mixed medicine to her own lips first, testing the temperature.
"Perfect. Drink up."
When I woke, the only sound was the shrill ringing of my phone.
I answered with a raw, cracked voice.
"Mason, why didn't you pack the allergy medicine?"
"Don't you know how windy it is by the ocean? Tommy and I are both flaring up."
Annabel dragged me back to reality.
I opened my mouth, but my throat burned so badly that no words came out. I didn't even have the strength to get out of bed for a glass of water. She snapped impatiently.
"Fine. Just text me the name of the medicine. I'll buy it myself. Honestly, you're nothing but a hassle."
The line went dead. The tears I'd been holding back for so long finally broke free.
One thing became painfully clear: Annabel and I could never go back to what we were.
I tallied every dollar earned and every piece of property acquired since the day we married.
I decided not to fight for custody of Tommy. I had only one condition: Annabel could never have another child. That had been her promise from the start.
I handed everything over to my lawyer, and the divorce agreement was drafted within days.
Before I left for good, I went to see Annabel's mother. Back in college, she always had Annabel bring me home, piling food onto my plate until it overflowed.
"Eat more, sweetheart. I love having you here."
That single sentence gave an orphan like me something I'd never had: the warmth of a family.
That feeling kept me going. I threw myself into building my career, and the day I finally made it, I married Annabel.
So for the five years that followed, I swallowed my pride for the sake of our family, nearly losing myself in the process.
When I walked through the door, Sarah Cobb was on a video call. She stared at the screen, watching Annabel and Antony, a wide smile spread across her face that she couldn't contain.
