After Leaving My Ex-husband, I Rose to the Skies

It was Christmas, a time for families to reunite.

But I was here, asking Isaac for a divorce.

In front of Lucy, he dropped his previous pretense and agreed without hesitation, even declaring he wanted to grow old with Lucy.

I used to think that one day I could replace Lucy in his heart.

But now, I was finally ready to let go.

Because the name engraved on his snowboard was never mine.

——

I found out Lucy was back in the country while I was wiping down the snowboard.

The board suddenly felt like a thousand pounds in my hands, crashing to the floor.

Engraved on the bottom were the words, "Love Lucy for a hundred years."

Lucy was Isaac's childhood sweetheart. When we got married, he would call me "Lucy."

Lucy?

I thought I just wasn't good enough, that I hadn't managed to make Isaac forget her.

For three years, I'd centered everything around him, always putting his happiness first, not wanting him to feel any discomfort in our marriage.

Even my mother-in-law, Ellie Nelson, would remind Isaac to be more attentive to me.

He'd smile and nod, saying all the right things, but never following through.

Until the day I discovered this snowboard.

Isaac had always refused to let me touch it, saying it was too heavy for me and he didn't want me to strain myself. I'd secretly felt happy, thinking he was finally caring for me.

Now, I understood the real reason. His love for Lucy was so deep that even a snowboard dedicated to her was something I wasn't allowed to touch.

All my fantasies were shattered, and I couldn't stop the tears from falling.

Regret began to gnaw at me. Why had I ever met Isaac?

Maybe then I wouldn't be in such a pitiful state.

Isaac worked at the hospital during the day and only practiced snowboarding at night, coming home in the early hours of the morning.

I used to wait up for him, falling asleep curled up on the sofa.

But now, I no longer had the heart to wait. I buried myself in the warmth of the bed, trying to sleep.

The noise of Isaac coming home woke me. I swallowed my bitterness and pretended to be asleep.

I felt him approach, my heart betraying me as it sped up.

Peeking through half-closed eyes, I saw Isaac, reeking of alcohol, taking his pillow and leaving the room. He didn't hesitate, leaving me alone in the darkness.

No wonder the other side of the bed was always cold in the morning.

Isaac never wanted to get close to me.

Saving himself for Lucy, of course. How fitting.

I couldn't take it anymore and flung open the door to the guest room.

Isaac stopped, mid-movement, holding his pillow. He looked at me gently. "Did I wake you? You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to disturb you."

"Let's get a divorce."

Isaac's expression didn't change. "Why?"

"Lucy's back."

His hands paused as he made the bed. "Are you overthinking this? It's not unusual for an athlete to return home."

"Then how do you explain what's written on the snowboard?"

I studied his face, searching for cracks in his calm exterior.

"How dare you touch that?"

Seeing how protective he was of everything connected to Lucy, I couldn't help but feel my nose sting with emotion.

I had given up my passion for snowboarding, dedicated years to being his personal doctor, and this was what I got in return.

And all I got was blame.

"I didn't want to touch it. It's filthy."

Isaac's grip tightened on the bedspread, his lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw tense.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Isaac dropped the bedding and rushed to the door.

I beat him to it, opening the door to find Lucy Parker standing there.

Of course, who else would show up at this hour?

Lucy looked surprised to see me, instinctively trying to hide the snowboard in her hands.

But I had already seen it. The other snowboard, just like Isaac's, is a matching pair.

"Lilian, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be here."

I scoffed, inviting her in coldly. "Why wouldn't I be? Your dear Isaac is getting a divorce, not mourning a widow. But... this house will be yours soon enough. Come on in."

Isaac scolded me softly for being rude, while Lucy put on her innocent face.

"Perfect," I said, my voice sharp. "Let's settle this now. Do you love me?"

"You're exhausted. Don't say things you don't mean."

His response was just as I expected. I handed him the divorce papers I'd prepared.

Isaac took the papers, his fingertips turning white from the pressure. "Stop it. It's late. I'll take Lucy home."

I thought, "It's late, but she had no problem coming over at this hour."

"Don't bother taking her home. Why don't you two just share a room?"

"Lilian, Isaac, and I just had dinner. We didn't do anything wrong. Besides, Isaac's such a great guy. Can you bear to divorce him?"

Sure, they didn't do anything wrong. Just posted on social media with the caption, "There's something about married men."

The setting was romantic, roses in full bloom. Anyone would have thought it was a married couple on a date.

Isaac kept his head down in silence, then after a few seconds, picked up the pen and signed the papers.

Lucy tugged on Isaac's sleeve. "Isaac, don't be so impulsive!"

I averted my gaze, tired of watching their intimate exchange.

Isaac had known Lucy was back. He'd met with her earlier tonight and pretended he hadn't.

As I held the signed divorce papers, I managed a smile. "Ms. Parker, I'll be moving out tomorrow. You can move in after that."

I'd been deluding myself, thinking I could challenge Lucy's place in Isaac's heart.

From now on, I wouldn't entertain such foolish dreams.