Love Has Become a Tragedy

Chapter One

The day I got the cancer diagnosis, some random woman DMed me on Instagram with a video of my husband.

He was sprawled out on a leather couch in some fancy hotel room, all casual, saying, “Ever since we got married, I just haven’t been feeling it with her anymore, you know?”

I showed him the video.

He just looked at me, like, “Seven years, babe. I’m over it. Maybe take a look in the mirror, see if you can compete with the young chicks out there.”

But get this, later on, he was the one saying he was over it, then he was the one crying and begging me to take him back.

1

I watched the guy in the video, Mr. Cool, and my fingers started shaking.

Some chick’s voice, all bubbly, chirped in, “Oh, Wade, you’re so sweet. Why don’t you just go home? Won’t your wife get mad?”

Wade, my husband, barely opened his eyes, flicked some ash off his cigarette, and grinned like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Sheryl, right?”

“Ever since we got hitched, I just haven’t been feeling it with her anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter what she wears, I just can’t get turned on.”

The girl started giggling like crazy, then came the kissing sounds, all gross and slobbery.

I stared at his face, and the doctor’s report in my hand was crumpled to hell.

Why did this have to happen now, when I was already dealing with the worst news ever?

The girl on the other end wasn’t letting up. She kept sending messages, one after another.

First, a bunch of pictures, all suggestive, then some straight-up trash talk.

“Hehe, girl, just give it up. He’s not into you anymore.”

“You know what he says about you? He says he’d rather take care of things himself than be with you.”

“Honestly, I feel sorry for you. After all, the one who isn’t loved is the third party.”

My knuckles were white as I gripped my phone, and the nails on my other hand were digging into my palm.

But I didn’t even feel it, my eyes were just empty and numb.

My husband, with some other woman, in a hotel, in the same bed.

And he was letting his mistress run wild and talk smack right to my face.

I wanted to call him, to scream at him, but my finger kept hovering over his name in my contacts.

In the end, I couldn’t do it. I was too afraid of what he’d say.

2

“Ms. Sheryl, are you listening?”

The young doctor was looking at me, worried and sympathetic, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

He handed me a tissue, and I realized, damn, my eyes were full of tears, and they were dripping all over my phone.

“I understand how you must be feeling, but as your doctor, I really need you to contact your family.”

“I…I can handle this myself.”

My only family was probably busy with his girlfriend right now.

“Unfortunately, we need a family member to sign the paperwork.”

“I’ll see if I can get ahold of him.”

I nodded, and dialed Wade’s number, trying to sound strong.

It rang for ages, then he finally picked up.

“Hello? Who is this?”

His voice was like ice water, freezing the last little bit of hope in my heart.

“It’s me, Sheryl.”

“What’s up?”

“I’m at the hospital. Can you come down here?”

That must have hit a nerve, because his voice went up a few notches, all annoyed.

“What are you doing at the hospital again? I told you, we’re not rushing into having kids.”

“I don’t want to have children now. Do you understand?”

“It’s not that… I’m sick. Can you just come and be with me?”

He practically laughed in my ear.

“Sheryl, do you know how much money I’d lose if I spent an hour with you? Come on, you’re a grown woman, you don’t need someone holding your hand.”

It felt like someone had stabbed me right through the heart.

“Okay… I get it.”

Just as I was about to hang up, I heard the girl’s voice in the background.

“Babe, can you come help me with this zipper?”

He hung up. Just like that.

The tears started flowing again, and I gave a sad little laugh.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have time, it was that he thought I wasn’t worth his time.

Before we got married, he promised I’d never have to grow up, that he’d always take care of me.

3

“Ms. Sheryl, we strongly suggest you get admitted to the hospital as soon as possible. There might still be hope.”

I shook my head, took the stomach cancer diagnosis, and walked out of the hospital.

And there he was, the guy who was too busy, right in front of me.

“Sheryl?”

For a second, I was confused, then I saw him.

It was Wade.

He was helping some girl out of the car, all gentle, and he looked surprised when he saw me.

“You’re really at the hospital?”

He still sounded cold, like we were strangers.

I gripped my purse tighter.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Maybe I was imagining things, but he sounded a little worried.

“Nothing, just a cold.”

I didn’t look at him, I was staring at the girl he was holding.

“Sheryl, Lacey twisted her ankle on the way to work. You don’t have to think…”

Don’t think what?

If I hadn’t seen that video, if I hadn’t heard him on the phone, maybe I would have believed him.

But Wade didn’t let go of the girl. He held her even closer.

When the girl turned around, my eyes went wide.

My hands started shaking again.

“Lacey? How could it be you?”

Lacey started working at our company five months ago.

At first, she was clumsy and inexperienced, and I showed her how to handle the little things.

I’d always thought that since I’d been through hard times, I wanted to help other girls avoid them.

I taught her everything I knew, how to deal with people, how to get things done.

And she went behind my back and stole my husband.

4

“Sheryl,” Lacey said, all shy, then bit her lip, her face pale.

She looked like I was the one bullying her.

Suddenly, I understood why Wade had transferred her to another branch of the company. He was protecting her.

“Please, don’t say that. I would never want to shorten your life.”

I glared at her, a sneer on my face.

She blinked back tears, looking all innocent and pathetic.

“It’s all my fault. I’m so clumsy, I tripped on flat ground. I’m so sorry for the trouble to Wade.”

“Sheryl, don’t fight with Wade because of me. I really didn’t mean to get hurt.”

I watched her act, she even knew how to cry at the right angle, to look strong and positive.

Wade saw me glaring at Lacey, and stepped in front of her, blocking my view.

“Sheryl, are you okay? We should get going.”

He brushed past me, and I smelled perfume, a light, unfamiliar scent.

Wade always had good taste, but he never wore perfume, and now he was covered in it.

I remembered joking with him about his “new cologne”.

My heart sank.

Had they been together for months?

I watched them walk away, then I ran after them and grabbed Wade’s arm.

“Wade, what were you going to say?”

He paused, like he was trying to figure out what to say.

“I was going to say, don’t read too much into it. Lacey and I are just coworkers, I felt responsible for her getting hurt, and you’re the one who got her hired into the company…”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and started running down my face.

Wade stopped talking and just looked at me, not knowing what to say.

Finally, he sighed.

He helped Lacey sit down, said something in her ear, and she nodded.

Then he pulled me aside, grabbing my arm so hard it hurt.

“Sheryl, can you stop with the drama? We’ve been married for five years, you know me, right?”

But I did know him. I knew he didn’t love me anymore.

I took out my phone and showed him the video Lacey had sent.

“Sheryl? Ever since we got married, I just haven’t been feeling it with her anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter what she wears, I just can’t get turned on.”

Wade froze for a second, then let go of my arm.

5

“Alright, don’t give me that wounded puppy dog look.”

He smirked, and raised his eyes to look at me.

“Seven years, babe. I’m bored. Take a look in the mirror, see if you can compete with the younger chicks out there.”

He said that, then walked off to be with Lacey, like I was wasting his time.

I just stared after him.

Seven years together, and all I got was “I’m bored.”

I helped him build his career from nothing, and all I got was “I’m bored”?

All the strength drained out of me, and I stumbled backward.

Wade and I had been together for seven years, and he’d never talked to me like that.

We had a rule, no matter how bad the fight, we wouldn’t give each other the silent treatment.

Now, he was covered in another woman’s perfume, and he was protecting her right in front of me.

“Careful.”

A hand grabbed my arm, and I looked up.

It wasn’t him!

I lowered my head and whispered thanks, then turned and walked away.

Why was fate so cruel? Taking away the person I loved, and giving me cancer.

6

I wandered around for hours, then finally went home.

Wade wasn’t there, not even late at night.

My stomach started burning, and I ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet.

Bright red blood stared back at me.

I wiped my mouth, and sat on the floor, weak.

The door clicked open, I flushed the toilet, checked my face in the mirror, and then went into the living room.

I froze when I saw who was there.

Wade’s mom?

She never liked me much, thought I wasn’t good enough for her precious son.

I didn’t have the energy to deal with her. I looked at her and said:

“What are you doing here?”

She frowned. “Wade’s not home yet?”

“Nope.”

She got angry, her voice loud.

“Don’t give me that face, you think I don’t know you’re sick? Your husband doesn’t come back, don’t you know to ask him?”

I forced a smile, but my voice was sharp.

“He has his own legs, he goes where he wants. And you’re right.”

“What?”

I was dying.

I shook my head and said nothing.

She snorted. “Don’t keep things to yourself all the time. What, do you think the Wades have let you down?

“Don’t think I want to see you like this. But you haven’t been able to have children. Do you know I don’t want to worry about you?”

Kids, kids, more kids. Is it just my responsibility to have children?

“Enough. Do you think I don’t want children? It’s Wade. If you want to say things to me all day, why don’t you ask if he has any problems!”

“You, you, you! You are against me! I’m going to tell Wade to divorce you.”

“Do what you want.”

I walked into the bedroom, leaving her there yelling.

Her words leaked through the door.

I used to get upset at those words, but now, I didn’t care.

The next day, I woke up to loud knocking on the door.

To keep his mother from bothering me, I locked the door.

7

The knocking continued.

If I didn’t open the door, he would keep knocking.

As soon as I opened the door, I was pushed to the ground.

“If you have a problem, come to me, why do you need to talk to my mother like that?”

“You knew my mother wasn’t well, and now, you made her mad and sent her to the hospital.”

I’d never seen him so angry.

He used to be on my side.

I suddenly remembered what he said when he pursued me.

He said he would choose me no matter what happened.

He said he would give me a comfortable home, and not let me be homeless again.

He knew his mother was lying, and that she did it to make us break up.

He chose to believe his mother.

I asked him, “What do you want?”

“Apologize to my mother.”

He didn’t hesitate, sure that I would say yes.

We were like this for a long time. Finally, I said:

“Let’s get a divorce.”