Part 2The Price of a Midlife Crisis

I didn't call him out on his lie. I planned to quietly hire my own real estate agent to monitor the situation behind his back.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

It was my alarm.

"It's time to pick up Leo from school."

"Let's go get him together, and then we'll drop him off at my mom's place. Since we're going through with the divorce, it's better if he isn't in the house while we pack and handle the logistics."

Ethan grabbed his keys and walked out the door with me.

But after we picked Leo up and he was strapped into his booster seat, I suddenly 'remembered' something and turned to Ethan.

"Actually, let's swing by your mom's house first today."

"We need to tell her about the divorce. Plus, since Leo is going to be staying with my mom for a while, it might be hard for your parents to see him if they want to."

I was genuinely just trying to be considerate.

But knowing Ethan, his guilty conscience immediately twisted my words.

"Maya, don't even think about trying to use my mother to manipulate me into staying."

"It won't work. I already told her about the divorce, and she completely supports my decision."

I reached back and gently covered Leo's ears, not wanting him to hear the toxicity.

"You're overthinking it."

"I know your mother has never liked me. I just wanted Leo to see his grandmother."

When we got out of the car, my mother-in-law gave me her usual cold, dismissive glare, but she quickly took Leo by the hand and led him to the backyard to play.

I wasn't angry.

We were getting divorced anyway. There was absolutely no point in picking a fight with my soon-to-be ex-mother-in-law over a dirty look.

As long as they treated Leo well, I didn't care about anything else.

Around dinnertime, the smell of roasting chicken drifted from the kitchen where his mom was cooking. His dad was in the living room, showing Leo a new Lego set, making the kid laugh uncontrollably.

Ethan and I sat on the sofa, quietly watching them.

It was an incredibly ordinary, mundane scene.

The kind of thing that happened almost every single weekend.

But when I glanced over at Ethan, he was staring off into space.

A faint, genuine smile played on his lips as he muttered to himself:

"This is actually pretty nice..."

"What did you say?"

Ethan instinctively snapped his head toward me, instantly wiping the smile off his face.

"Nothing."

Right on cue, his phone rang.

The exact second he answered it, a flush of color rose in his cheeks.

He stood up and started walking toward the backyard patio while whispering into the receiver.

"I'll come over tonight, don't worry. This won't take long..."

I didn't need to guess. The voice on the other end was his so-called "true love."

I took a deep breath, forcing my emotions down, and texted my high school friend.

[Hey Sarah, did upper management mention an exact date for the layoffs?]

I immediately sent her a $500 Venmo transfer for the trouble.

Sarah accepted the transfer and replied almost instantly.

[You really didn't have to send money!]

[The whisper network says late next month, but I don't have an exact date yet. You need to finalize this divorce ASAP. If he gets laid off before the ink is dry, he is going to fight you tooth and nail for every single penny.]

Just as I was processing her warning, Ethan walked back inside.

He was grinning, clearly riding high off whatever conversation he just had.

The second dinner was over, he started aggressively rushing me and Leo out the door.

"Alright, let's go. It's getting late."

"I have some business to take care of tonight. I'll drop you and Leo at your mom's place on the way."

His mother looked like she wanted to complain about us leaving so early.

But Ethan shot her a loaded look, and she immediately shut her mouth and walked Leo to the car.

She was a woman who spoiled her son rotten. The only reason she would be this compliant...

I guessed his "true love" was pregnant.

If she wasn't, Ethan wouldn't have diverted his direct deposits in January, and he wouldn't have waited until September to finally demand a divorce.

He used to crave the stability of the family I built for him.

But now that the other woman was carrying his child, he had a complete "second family" waiting in the wings, and he was desperate to give her a legitimate title. With Leo getting older, I was entirely expendable.

I let out a bitter, silent laugh. Just as I put the pieces together, Ethan spoke up from the driver's seat:

"The house is sold. We agreed on a price. The market is crashing right now, so we really aren't going to get much for it."

"Tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM, the realtor is bringing the buyer over to sign the closing paperwork."