Foreign Abandoned Wife
Chapter One
It was the fourth year I was playing the dutiful wife, tagging along with Chad on his grand academic adventure overseas. Then, BAM! Country went sideways. Riots, looting, the whole shebang. Every study-abroad student was scrambling to get back to the good ol’ US of A.
Except yours truly. My passport went missing. Poof. Gone.
And guess what else vanished with it? Chad.
While I was dodging bullets and tear gas in some foreign hellhole, Chad was playing hero, escorting his little protege, Tiffany, back to safety.
Saw the pic on Tiffany’s Insta, Chad’s dreamy profile in the background. Caption? “So grateful to have you by my side during all of this.” Gag me with a spoon.
Barely made it out alive. As soon as I could, I called him up and told him I wanted a divorce. Chad, of course, totally freaked.
1.
Heard that dial tone again. Just hung up. I let my arm drop, feeling all the strength drain out of me.
Downstairs, the chaos was picking up again.
Gunshots, screams, sirens – a symphony of terror that had me on edge.
I dove back into the bedroom, but not fast enough. A window in the living room exploded.
Stray bullet. Just my luck.
No idea when this nightmare was gonna end, so I just curled up, plugged my ears, and tried to block it all out.
Most of the other Americans were already long gone, sipping lattes back in their cozy apartments, far away from this warzone.
But not me. I couldn’t get a flight out. Thanks to the missing passport, I was stuck.
It had been tucked in with Chad’s passport, but then he left without saying a word. I woke up and he was gone.
Every time I tried to call he just sent me to voicemail. I managed to get a hold of him eventually, but he just said he had to take care of something.
If it weren’t for Tiffany’s Instagram post, I would have believed him.
I texted Chad, told him he’d accidentally swiped my passport, and now I was stranded. Radio silence.
The food in the fridge was dwindling, and the riots were raging on.
To avoid starving to death in a foreign country, I decided to sneak out to the grocery store when things quieted down.
Turns out, Chad had also packed up all the cash in the house when he left.
Being broke here wasn’t just about going hungry. Rent was due.
My hands were shaking as I dialed Chad’s number over and over, until my battery was practically dead.
Finally, he texts me back. “In surgery. Deal with it yourself.”
Except Tiffany’s latest post showed Chad at some happy hour. Definitely not in surgery.
Because I couldn’t pay the rent, the landlord kicked me to the curb.
No choice. I dragged my suitcase out onto the street.
My phone died.
Thinking about the news, I just prayed I wouldn’t run into any of those thugs.
But fate had other plans.
A gunshot ripped me out of a fitful sleep. I was caught in the crossfire.
The sound of gunfire was deafening.
Huddled in a corner, I was trembling from head to toe.
Suddenly, a bullet tore through my shoulder.
I looked down and saw the blood gushing between my fingers. I was only 25. I didn’t want to die here.
Desperate, I screamed for help, but no one could hear me.
Then, everything went black.
I woke up in a hospital. The antiseptic smell burned my nostrils.
2.
Some lady who ran a local Chinese restaurant saved me. She even brought me to the hospital.
Thinking about the crazy hospital bills, I didn’t know how I would ever repay her.
This stranger was the warmest thing I’d felt since I got here.
“Honey, give me your number. I have to pay you back.”
“Money’s no big deal. But sweetie, why aren’t you home yet?”
“M-my passport. I can’t get back.”
After I explained everything, the woman helped me get a new passport and buy a plane ticket home.
The moment the plane touched down, I took a deep breath.
Finally, I didn’t have to worry about getting shot.
The relief was overwhelming.
After I said goodbye to the woman, I saw a message from Chad that was 20 hours old.
He said he was going to arrange for someone to help me get back to the US.
I smirked and shook my head. I didn’t bother contacting him. I just got a taxi and went home.
There was no way he was going to pick me up.
And if he did, he’d just tell me to wait, or to take care of it myself.
Sometimes, I wonder if this marriage is even worth it.
3.
I was so tired when I got home that I passed out on the bed.
It had been a long time since I’d slept so soundly.
I was starting to drift off when I heard voices from downstairs, giggling and whispering.
I went downstairs to find Chad and Tiffany on the couch, huddled over his laptop, looking way too cozy.
They were so wrapped up in whatever they were doing, that they didn’t notice me until I was standing right behind them.
“What are you two doing?”
Tiffany nearly jumped out of her skin. Her eyes darted around the room.
“Oh my god, Sarah! When did you get back? Why didn’t you say anything?”
Us?
Looks like they were up to a lot while I was gone.
“So, Tiffany, why are you in my house?”
I kept my eyes on Chad.
“She just got back and didn’t have anywhere to stay, so I told her she could crash here,” he said.
“Oh, how thoughtful of you.”
His wife is stuck overseas during a riot, and he can wait to help her. But he got his student back quickly and even put her up in our house.
“Sarah, Tiffany is young and naive. I was just worried about her being alone.”
“What about me? Did you think about what might happen to me when you left me in that country?”
He didn’t have anything to say.
“Our apartment was safe. What could have happened?”
Chad paused.
“Well, you got back safe.”
Safe.
How ironic. I made it home safe, and that was the end of it.
I turned to leave, but Chad grabbed my arm.
“This won’t happen again,” he said, trying to sound soothing. “You’ve had a long trip. Let me run you a bath so you can relax.”
I smiled, shook my head, and pulled away.
“I don’t want to put you out. I’m sorry to barge in on you two.”
“Sarah!”
Chad’s face was like thunder.
“Don’t be like that.”
The tension in the room was growing when Tiffany suddenly piped up:
“Guys, it’s my fault. I’m sorry. I’ll just go. Don’t fight because of me.”
Then, with tears in her eyes, she ran to the guest room to pack up her things.
Chad and I stood there staring at each other.
“She’s just a little girl, Sarah. What if something happens to her?”
I twisted my lips.
“You can go with her.”
When Tiffany came out with her bags, Chad went to pick them up.
“I’m going to take her to a hotel,” he said, and then walked out.
4.
Chad left me again.
I should be angry, but I felt too calm.
Years of neglect had worn down my feelings.
Even seeing him put her first didn’t affect me.
I poured myself a glass of water, but my injured arm wasn’t strong enough to pick it up.
My wound was still sore, and the pain was getting worse.
Every time I felt the pain, I remembered how helpless and afraid I was.
Chad came back late that night.
I woke up when he put his coat around me.
Even though I was back home, I couldn’t get over what had happened.
Chad sat down next to me.
“Why aren’t you asleep?”
“Didn’t feel like it.”
I threw his coat off.
It smelled like Tiffany’s perfume.
Disgusting.
Chad picked up the coat.
“Leaving you there was my fault, but you can’t blame other people or question my relationship with Tiffany.”
“OK.”
“Sarah, I get that you’re upset, but don’t go overboard.
“Tiffany and I are just colleagues, and since you’re home, why didn’t you tell me? I was worried.”
Worried? He wouldn’t have left me there if he were worried.
I used to be happy when Chad was nice to me.
But when I saw Tiffany in my house, I realized he didn’t care about me.
If he wanted to, he could have been nice to me, could have taken care of me.
I was the one who chased Chad.
I thought it would be worth it to be with someone I loved.
I was always the one trying to please him.
I used my family’s money to send Chad to school and take care of him.
My parents didn’t like this.
Later, Chad asked me to marry him, and I thought I had won him over.
But even after we got married, he was cold to me.
“I shouldn’t have left you there, but I had to get back right away, and that’s why Tiffany came with me.”
“OK.”
“Sarah, what is that attitude?”
I touched my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, I’m tired.”
Maybe I used to be too agreeable. He thought he could get away with anything.
He thought he could just apologize and make it better.
But I didn’t want to hear any excuses.
I went to bed.
After a while, I called my mother.
“Mom, I want to get a divorce.”
For Chad, I had given up too much. I had given up my family business to make him happy.
Now, I didn’t want him anymore.
After we talked, my parents forgave me for what I had done.
“Your father said that after you get your divorce, you can go back to work.”
“OK.”
My divorce lawyer will start the proceedings immediately.
I had hope for the future.
5.
I woke up after a good night’s sleep.
Chad was still on the couch.
“Breakfast is ready. I got you breakfast.”
I looked at the table. The food looked good.
Wow.
I took out my chopsticks and started eating.
Chad saw the food I had pulled out of the bowl and started to ask me what was going on.
“Oh, I’m allergic to peanuts. Don’t get me wrong.”
Chad looked surprised.
“Sorry, I…”
I ate some more.
“This tastes great. Thanks.”
Chad sat down.
“Sarah, I want to talk about yesterday.”
I thought about all the times I wanted to talk to him.
He never paid attention.
Sometimes I would talk a lot, and he would ignore me.
Sometimes he would get angry and yell at me.
Even when he had time, he didn’t care about me.
We had been together for so long, and he didn’t even know what I was allergic to.
“It’s OK. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Are you upset because of Tiffany? I promise not to let anyone stay here again.”
“It’s OK. She’s just a girl and needs a man to take care of her.”
Chad was at a loss for words.
“Can’t you just talk to me? What is this?”
I looked at his face.
Didn’t he want me to ask him why he brought Tiffany home, and accuse him of having an affair with her?
“I have to go.”
I stood up, cleared the dishes, grabbed my bag, and left.
“If you don’t want to talk now, don’t talk later!”
I slammed the door.
6.
I waited to see a doctor about my shoulder.
I also ran into Tiffany.
“Are you sick?”
“None of your business.”
“It’s sad that you’re here by yourself. Chad is always busy.”
Chad.
“It’s too bad you’re living in my house, Tiffany.”
“He said I could move in.”
The other patients came to listen.
I stood up.
“So, Chad is letting you live in my house as a mistress?”
Tiffany started to cry.
I didn’t want to talk to her anymore, so I turned around.
She grabbed my shoulder.
“I didn’t mean it.”
I turned around to see Chad standing behind me
“Sarah, what are you doing to her?”
I turned around and saw blood.
7.
“When did you get hurt? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“What would you do?”
Chad grabbed my hand.
“Doctor, I need to see the doctor.”
I shook my head and walked into the doctor’s office.
The doctor said that I was probably going to have nerve damage.
I was sad.
Chad was standing in front of me.
He was looking at my shoulder.
“What happened?”
“I was injured in the riot.”
His face turned red.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I’m your husband!”
Was he?
I used to want to tell him everything.
Now he wanted to listen.
“Sarah, are you mad at me?”
“Doctor, this is your office. You have patients.”
I left, but he stopped me.
“Wait, let me get a break, and we can go home.”
I shook my head and left.
“Chad, please!”
He stood there. It was usually him that said things like that.
