The Last Supper

Chapter 1

The day my husband, Jake, brought his 20-year-old self home, I, at 30, watched him burst from the bedroom and punch himself square in the jaw, tears streaming down his face.

“No wonder she wants a divorce! You’re treating my future wife like crap!”

1.

Jake’s unexpected return meant I had to shove 20-year-old Jake into the closet.

Thirty-year-old Jake was in the entryway, setting down a plastic bag of meat and veggies, loosening his tie as he kicked off his shoes.

Spotting the pair of men’s sneakers by the door, Jake’s face hardened, and he tightened his tie again.

“Annie, is this why you want a divorce?”

Did he really not know why I wanted a divorce?

I couldn’t be bothered to look at him, just leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

“Back to get your stuff? Grab it and go.”

Jake’s jaw clenched.

He was pissed.

“I feel the need to remind you, we’re not divorced yet, and this is still my house! Can you try to be a little less blatant?”

House?

Was it really a home anymore?

Ever since he took on that pretty assistant, he’d been living at the office.

Our marriage had been dead for ages.

Facing my silence, he turned to leave, and I barely caught his mumbled words.

“And I was even planning to come home for your birthday.”

I stared at the bag of groceries, and a watery smile stretched across my face.

For his assistant’s birthday, he showered her with Chanel and Hermes.

For my birthday, I didn’t even merit a single rose.

2.

Jake and I got together right after high school, giving each other our most precious years.

Back then, we weren’t rich, but we were deeply in love.

But people change, and two months ago, I asked him for a divorce.

That was the day I found out I was pregnant.

Filled with hope, I called him, but his assistant, Bethany, answered.

“Can I help you? Jake’s unavailable.”

I’m Jake’s wife! What could possibly make him unavailable to me?

And besides, I called his cell.

Didn’t Jake have some kind of cleanliness obsession?

How could he let someone else answer his phone?

“I need to talk to him. He’s not in a meeting right now, so tell him to pick up.”

“I already told you, he’s unavailable!”

I could hear the dismissiveness and impatience dripping from her voice.

Before I could respond, a heavy, breathless “Who is it?” cut through the line.

Jake was right there with her.

I could practically hear the rustle of clothes.

Were they wrapped in each other’s arms?

My brain went numb, and I hung up.

I guess I was somewhat prepared.

When I went to his office, there was a pair of women’s shoes in his break room.

Even a woman’s hair tie in the break room bathroom.

But for so long, I’d been numbing myself, telling myself he must have gotten them for me.

But hearing it for myself completely broke me, and I stood in the hallway, sobbing uncontrollably.

I lost the baby.

Right before they gave me the anesthesia, I sent him a weary text.

“Let’s get a divorce.”

He wasn’t “unavailable” then, was he?

He called me back instantly, panting.

“Is this really what you want?”

“Yeah. It’s long overdue.”

3.

That’s when 20-year-old Jake showed up.

As I dragged myself home, exhausted.

Young Jake, full of youthful innocence and burning love, appeared in that cold, empty house.

I opened the door to find him staring at our wedding photo.

I didn’t have time to be shocked.

He noticed me and rushed to hug me, his embrace as warm and familiar as I remembered.

“Annie! So we really did get married! I kept my promise! I didn’t let you suffer, and I moved you into a big house!”

Seeing my confused expression, he explained that he’d come from ten years in the past.

It was all so unbelievable, but his gaze was so full of love, unlike the mature but cold Jake I knew now.

It was a feeling I’d missed for so long, so wonderful that I was afraid of losing it.

Especially after secretly undergoing a medical procedure, I needed that comfort more than ever.

So I didn’t tell him that I just had an abortion, or that we were facing a broken, messy marriage.

Twenty-year-old Jake only had eyes for me.

He cupped my face, gently wiping away my tears with genuine concern.

“Baby, why are you crying? And your face is so pale! Are you not feeling well?”

His eyes were full of concern, self-blame, and regret.

“How could future me be so useless, taking such poor care of my precious Annie!”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Laugh so hard that the tears wouldn’t stop.

I buried myself in his chest, telling him to stop talking.

If he said any more, I really wouldn’t be able to hold it together.

Even though they were both Jake, why were they so different?

4.

I lied to young Jake, telling him that older Jake was on a business trip overseas and that the time difference made it hard to get in touch.

So naturally, he moved in with me as my boyfriend.

He didn’t know why he was here.

He said, “I guess I was wondering if I’d be with you in ten years, and if we’d have a baby. I really wanted to see if I lived up to my promises. And then, when I woke up, I was here.”

His eyes held the hope of a young man looking toward the future.

His love was sincere and pure, and I couldn’t bring myself to burst his bubble.

Until 30-year-old Jake suddenly showed up.

Twenty-year-old Jake overheard it.

“Annie, we’re getting… divorced?”

He stumbled out of the closet, dumbfounded.

Even though I told him that our relationship had grown stale, and we were splitting up amicably, young Jake clearly couldn’t accept it.

The blow was too much for him.

“Divorce? Why would you divorce me? I don’t want a divorce! And our relationship isn’t stale at all!”

“I can still feel how much you love me!”

He cried, then suddenly stopped, stunned.

“Wait, did I change?”

…

Jake had always been smart.

It was normal for him to figure it out so quickly.

But he couldn’t believe it and frantically searched the house for evidence that he still loved me.

But 30-year-old Jake rarely came home, and there was hardly any trace of him left in the house.

Young Jake searched from the bedroom to the study, and he even guessed the combination to the safe, finding the divorce papers and medical record.

“You… You had an abortion? Have I made you that desperate?”

Young Jake was devastated, tears in his eyes, looking up at me with a hurt expression.

It broke my heart, and I rushed over to hug him.

“It was because I wasn’t healthy, that’s why I had an abortion. Don’t cry. I won’t get a divorce, okay?”

“Really?” he asked, wiping away his tears.

“Promise! I’ll go and cook your meals for you. It’s your birthday today!”

Of course, it was a lie.

If promises meant anything, there wouldn’t be so many heartless people in the world.

5.

Young Jake stayed with me for three months.

Clinging to me every day, afraid that I would go and get a divorce.

“Baby, I’ll treat you well.”

He lived up to his word, acting as a proper husband, as the thirty-year-old version of himself should.

He spent every day researching how to make nourishing soup for me.

He even wrote a “Pamper Your Wife Handbook.”

“After I leave, I’ll leave this manual for thirty-year-old me to study!”

…

On Jake’s birthday, I bought young Jake his favorite chocolate cake.

Back when we were struggling financially, we couldn’t afford it, but now, I let him eat all he wanted.

But he wasn’t satisfied.

“Wife, more than eating cake, I want…”

He raised his eyebrows.

I instantly understood, and my face flushed red.

“What are you thinking!”

Before I could say anything, he picked me up and carried me into the bedroom.

“Baby, have some sympathy.”

He really knew what he was doing!

Young Jake licked his lips and slipped under the covers.

Just as my heart began to race, we heard the sound of a key in the front door, followed by the lights switching on.

I sat up in shock.

Only Jake could open the door!

Oh, God!

Why did he have to come back now!