As I stood in my empty house, staring at the mess my husband, Max, had left behind, I felt a wave of anger wash over me. He had taken my car, abandoned our kids, and lied to me, all to attend a wedding he had initially refused to go to.
I had been looking forward to attending our friend Emily’s wedding all week. Max, on the other hand, had been adamant about not going. He claimed he had no interest in attending a wedding with people from our past. But it seemed he had changed his mind, and in the most hurtful way possible.
I called my mom, frantic, and asked her to come over and watch the kids. As I waited for her to arrive, I tried to process what was happening. Why had Max lied to me? Why had he abandoned our children?
When my mom arrived, I filled her in on the situation, and she listened with a concerned expression. “Kate, be careful,” she warned. “Think about the kids.”
But I was already thinking about the kids. I was thinking about how their father had just abandoned them, and how I needed to protect them from his selfish actions.
I grabbed my mom’s car keys and set off to confront Max. As I drove, I couldn’t help but wonder what I would find when I arrived at the wedding venue.
When I got there, I saw Max standing outside, pacing back and forth. He was on the phone, and from the look on his face, I could tell he was arguing with someone.
I watched him for a moment, feeling a mix of emotions: anger, hurt, and betrayal. How could he do this to me? To our children?
As I stepped out of the car, Max caught sight of me and ended his call. “Kate, please,” he said, walking towards me. “You don’t understand.”
But I did understand. I understood that he had made a choice, and that choice was to put his own desires above our family’s needs.
The conversation that followed was tense and emotional. Max tried to explain himself, but I wasn’t having it. I told him that he had broken my trust, and that I didn’t know if I could ever forgive him.
As we stood there, arguing, Emily appeared at the entrance of the venue. She looked confused and concerned, and I could tell she had no idea what was going on.
“Max, what are you doing here?” she asked, her voice uncertain.
Max tried to explain, but I cut him off. “He’s here because he’s still in love with you,” I said, my voice cold.
The look on Emily’s face was one of shock and embarrassment. “Kate, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I had no idea.”
But I wasn’t interested in her apologies. I was interested in getting to the bottom of Max’s betrayal.
As the confrontation continued, it became clear that Max had been trying to relive his past, to recapture a feeling he had lost. But in doing so, he had hurt the people he was supposed to love and protect.
I left the wedding venue that night feeling broken and betrayed. I didn’t know what the future held for Max and me, but I knew one thing – I deserved better.
