My Life, My Choice

Chapter 1

I helped my bro win his divorce case, and the next thing I knew, he’d slipped something into my drink and handed me over to his psycho ex.

The cops found my body when they broke down the door.

My best friend was sobbing all over my girlfriend, acting like he was so heartbroken.

“Danny, why did you have to go and fall for a creep like that!”

I woke up, staring at Mike, my buddy, clutching my hand and begging me to handle his divorce.

This time, my heart was filled with anything but sympathy, I tightened my grip on his hands.

“It’s okay, Mikey, your wife probably just loves you too much.”

1.

A day after his one-year anniversary, Mike shows up at my law office, practically crying.

“Danny, Sarah’s a total nutjob!”

I used to think so too, but now I had a chance for payback.

“Hey, take it easy, pal. We’ll figure this out.”

I shut the door, sat him down, and handed him a bottle of water.

Putting on a concerned act when I knew exactly what was going on.

Last time, he barely got through the door before begging me to get him divorced.

I barely heard him out before I was jumping up and down in anger.

“Sarah actually tried to lock you up?”

I never liked her, even before they got married, because Sarah was always a bit of a wild card. I’d heard she dropped out of high school and was hanging around with some real shady characters.

And then, before the wedding, she was sending me those… seriously inappropriate and suggestive texts.

I was determined to help him get away from that nightmare, and I did.

Divorce, medical expenses and mental trauma compensations, and she was left without a penny.

And what did I get in return?

Mike personally handed me over to Sarah!

I barely made it to the door, bloody and bruised, pounding and begging.

“Mike, please! Open the door! I’m begging you…”

All I heard was laughter.

I didn’t see his face, but his last words were the final nail in my coffin.

“Danny, you always had to take everything I ever wanted, didn’t you?”

“I met Wendy first, I loved her first!”

“Just die, will you? Just go away!”

The cops found my body when they broke down the door.

Mike was crying all over my girlfriend, Wendy, and she was comforting him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I finally understood how stupid I’d been.

I took a sip of hot coffee, trying to shake off the bad memories.

“Mikey, you might be misunderstanding Sarah. She loves you, why would she lock you up?”

“Couples fight all the time, you just need to talk it out.”

I used the excuse that I had other clients waiting for me, and quickly got him out of the office.

Tears and all.

2.

After work, I got back to the apartment I shared with Wendy, and before I could even take my shoes off, she was on my case.

“Danny, why did you refuse to help Mike with his divorce?”

“Don’t you know Sarah’s completely unstable?”

“Why would you do that to him?”

I stood there, still in my shoes, and looked at Wendy, a cold look on my face.

“Yeah, I’m not helping him. What about it? You feeling sorry for him?”

She got nervous real quick.

“What are you saying?”

“Wasn’t it you who always said he was in trouble with Sarah and that you wanted to split them up?”

I laughed without humor, like I wasn’t already aware of the affair.

Mike only just left my office that morning, and he’s already complaining to Wendy?

I walked around her, not wanting to look at her, and went to my room and locked the door.

“I’m tired, we’ll talk later.”

…

Later that evening, I woke up wanting to order some food, but my phone was ringing.

It was Mike, still crying.

“Danny, please help me! Sarah’s drunk and smashing up the house! She’s got a knife, I’m locked in the bathroom, I’m afraid to come out!”

I could hear glass breaking in the background.

I sighed, and answered him.

“What do you want me to do? I can’t tell you how to deal with your relationship, why don’t you go make her something to eat?”

“Danny, why are you being so cold?”

Cold? I always solved his problems for him.

Tutoring him in school, helping him get his first job, paying for everything whenever we went on holiday.

Then the wedding, even though I hated Sarah, I put a smile on my face, took time off work to be his groomsman, and gave him a huge envelope of cash.

And how was I repaid?

“Mikey, isn’t there a saying, ‘Mind your own business?'”

“But…”

“Beep, beep, beep…”

I hung up.

I was sure he wouldn’t give up, so I was happy to let him stew for a while.

3.

I got to the office early the next morning.

Before I left, I hid a recorder in Wendy’s car.

Then I texted her to let her know that I was working late tonight and would be back in the morning.

At one in the afternoon, I heard something through my headphones.

I made myself a coffee and sat down at my desk, ready to listen.

“Wendy, I miss you so much.”

“It’s all my fault, and now Danny’s mad at you too.”

Mike’s voice came through the speakers, and I chuckled as I waited for Wendy’s reply.

“Mikey, don’t worry, I’ll fix it, but I need to convince Danny to help you out.”

“Wendy, you’ve already done so much, but Danny…”

Mike sounded sorry for himself.

“I don’t know what’s up with Danny, I thought we were family, but…”

“He wants you dead!”

Wendy was ready to tear me apart.

A great performance from both of them, they should be on stage.

Twenty years of friendship, I gave everything I had to Mike.

But it only took a woman, a woman who knew the right things to say, for him to be wrapped around her finger.

And to steal that woman, he’d happily “kill” me.

In the car, their conversation quickly escalated, their breaths getting heavier and louder.

I took the headphones off and texted my mother.

“Hey, I don’t have too much to do right now, I’m thinking of coming home for a while.”

My phone buzzed with a bunch of texts from my Mom, the last one asking if I should prepare Wendy’s dinner.

I tapped the screen.

“No need, never again.”

I spent a pleasant night in a hotel, and drove back to the apartment the next morning.

Wendy’s car was in its usual spot, I looked up at the building and went upstairs, and straight to the closet in the bedroom.

She came out of the bathroom, thinking I was over it, and tried to smooth things over.

“Danny, I think you should help Mike out with the divorce… What are you doing?”

“Are you moving out? Just because you’re jealous over something so trivial?”

“Danny, don’t be ridiculous!”

4.

I zipped up my suitcase.

“What if I am? If you’re so worried about Mike, fine, we’re done.”

“You can help him with the divorce, then you can marry him.”

I could see that my words hit hard.

Wendy looked totally shocked.

“Danny, are you serious…?”

She took a step towards me, trying to grab my arm, but I stepped back.

“Just because I said a few words about him, you don’t want me anymore?”

“What about our years together? I won’t let you break up with me!”

My girlfriend dropped her head, looking just like she did when I met her.

Standing under an umbrella in the rain, like a delicate flower.

Of course she wouldn’t want to break up.

Before she met me, Wendy was an aspiring artist, but she couldn’t sell her art.

Then I started dating her, ignoring my family, and buying her a studio in the middle of the city and then arranged a gallery for her art.

Even the apartment we shared, I paid the rent every month.

If she broke up with me, she’d be out on the street.

It’s a lot easier to be with me.

All she had to do was say a few words and she could have an ATM at her beck and call, as well as her side piece, Mike.

No.

If I was dead, they could be together without worry.

That’s what Mike wanted, wasn’t it?

He told the police that I offered to help with the divorce case because I was sleeping with his wife.

I died because of a divorce case.

And now here she was, putting on a show.

“Enough. The reason I want to break up is because I don’t like you anymore.”

“If you want the studio, you can get away and don’t call me again.”

“And the rent for this apartment… you can take care of it.”

5.

Because of the studio, Wendy stayed away, only sending me a message after a couple of days.

She said she didn’t care what I did, she wasn’t going to break up with me.

I was on the balcony enjoying the sun when my Mom gave me a cup of tea.

“What are you looking at? Are you smiling or angry?”

“Did you argue with Wendy?”

I took the cup and put my arm around her shoulder and walked inside.

“Yeah, we broke up, Mom, what do you want for dinner?”

My mother looked me and smirked.

Seemed like I was happy so she laughed and grabbed a pot to cook.

“Okay, what do you want, Son? What do you want to drink?”

“Here, here, haha, I should buy a bottle of wine.”

I couldn’t help laughing when my Mom started hitting my Dad.

We were sitting at the table, but they said,

“How’s Mike doing lately? It’s not easy being alone.”

I always answered.

“It’s okay, Mom, I will.”

But it was hard for me to do the same thing.

I thought about a few things.

Should I cared about him?

Am I doing something wrong?

If I didn’t meet Wendy, can things would be ok?

I thought about it for a long time that night.

I was asleep, and I saw Wendy sent a messege

“Danny, I will always love you.”

Soon I heard another sound.

I touched the sentence and wore the headphone.

Mike said to Wendy, he said I had relationship with Sarah.

“Wendy, I need to say, Danny…”

“He has an affair with Sarah!”

I was so angry that night.

6.

I didn’t know Mike said the thing so quick.

But he was in a hurry to break us.

But she didn’t believe.

“No!”

Wendy didn’t believe what he said.

“It’s impossible!

“I don’t wanna believe it, but…”

Mike showed her some messege.

Wendy was angry and didn’t believe me.

“Wendy, you should believe me.”

I save the the voice on file.

To create the situation, he came to me.

He invite me to talk to him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Danny, we don’t talk for a long time, right?”

Mike was good, he was smiling,

I drank the coffee and he also did it and showed the watch.

It was a gift for him.

It’s been 20 years.

He was happy and shake the coffee.

“Yes, it’s changed, but the relationship is the same.”

“I only regret it, because I was blind.”

“It’s over.”

I said what I thought.

“No, I need to say it!”

“I am so regret, I don’t wanna do that to you.”

“Can you forgive me?”

7.

“I promise you.”

“What?”

Mike was surprised.

I didn’t want to see him sad.

“I promise you, we don’t need to go to the court.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I can talk to Sarah to help you to get a divorce.”

Mike started thinking.

Then he stood up.

“NO! We need to get money!”

“Then I will talk to her.”

I didn’t listen what he said.

From law to money, I knew he was stupid.

“Okay, I can’t hurt my best friend!”

“But…”

Mike agreed.

I laugh, he likes to say, “Best friend?”

It was funny.

I called Sarah.

Location was a tea shop.

She opened the door.

“Why you come to see me?”

“I don’t need to lie.”

I put a file.

“Sarah wants to get a divorce, see it, if you want, you can sign it.”

“Danny you are so good.”

She throw the file.

“If you want to get money, I have a offer?”

“What do you want?”

I answered.

She raise her head.

“Sleep with me, you need to sign it.”

“Danny, if you wanna save Mike…”

“Okay.”

“What do you say?”

She was surprised, then I drink the tea.

And I said, “Okay.”