A week later, I strutted out of the hospital in a
sparkly little dress. Chad, cigarette dangling from his lips, tossed a jacket at me. “Put this on. You look ridiculous.” I rolled my eyes. “You wouldn’t understand. Today’s a special day.”
He ignored me and turned to leave, bumping
straight into Jason. Jason’s gaze lingered on
the jacket draped over my shoulders, his eyes cold. “Hey, you’re here!” I chirped, walking
towards him. “Where’s your car?” His
<
expression softened slightly. “In the parking lot.
Let’s go.” Chad scoffed. “Ashley, you’re not
riding with me?” I waved him off. “Duh, Jason
and I have to go to the courthouse first. His
car’s more convenient.” I nudged Jason, who’d
suddenly frozen. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go!”
Chad grinned. “Right, priorities. Don’t want to delay the important stuff.” Jason’s voice
dripped with sarcasm. “Ashley, you’re that
eager to be rid of me?” Huh? Wasn’t this
divorce his idea? What was his problem? I answered honestly. “Mostly because I have other plans tonight. Figured I’d get this over with quickly and save you some time, too.” Jason was always busy, rarely even coming home. I knew he couldn’t stand the sight of me, and frankly, the feeling was mutual. Live and let live, right? He spun on his heel and walked
away.
The courthouse wasn’t busy, and we were
12:37
<
called in quickly. Just as we were about to go
inside, Jason’s phone rang. I caught a glimpse
of the caller ID: Melissa. He stepped aside to
answer, and I overheard him say, in at
surprisingly gentle tone, “Yeah, I’m still out.
Dealing with something.” He’d never spoken to
the original Ashley that way. Our marriage had
been a disaster from the start. Five years of
constant fighting, barely even able to share a
meal, let alone a kind word. The clerk called out
impatiently. “Are you two getting divorced or
not?” I shook my head, a pang of sympathy for
the original Ashley hitting me. She really didn’t
mean anything to him, did she? “Jason,” I called
out. “Can we take care of my business first?”
Jason always prioritized Melissa. The original
Ashley had cried and begged, but he’d never
wavered. She was such a fool, thinking she
could ever compete with Melissa. It was a
losing battle from the start. And honestly,
wouldn’t he rather get this over with so he
could finally be with his true love? Jason looked
startled, then said into the phone, “I’ll be there
<
12:37
32
soon. Ask Dr. Roberts to take a look at you for
now.”
Twenty minutes later, I clutched my brand–new
divorce certificate, tears welling up tears of
joy! I had it! The giant check was mine! From
this day forward, it was shopping sprees,
vacations, and cocktails galore! I turned to
Jason with all the sincerity I could muster.
“Jason, thank you. Goodbye.” Thanks for the
money, and good riddance! I walked out and
spotted Chad immediately. He was leaning.
against a ridiculously flashy red Ferrari,
impossible to miss. I practically skipped.
towards him I had money to burn! “Jason,”
his voice stopped me. I turned back.
“Something else?” He hesitated, his expression.
unreadable. The original Ashley would’ve
interrogated him, demanding to know what was
wrong. But I was done pretending. “Nope. Gotta
run!” I picked up the pace. As a certified
cannon fodder character, staying far, far away
from the hero and heroine was the key to
<
survival. As we drove away in Chad’s Ferrari, I
glanced in the rearview mirror. Jason stood there alone, surrounded by the bustling crowd, looking oddly… lonely. Aww, poor guy. Finally free of his annoying, high–maintenance ex- wife. Chad glanced at me. “Having second thoughts?” Huh? I was practically buzzing with excitement. “Did you save all those cute bartenders for me?”
Chad rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I worried about you. I thought you were so in love with him, and now you’re practically glowing with happiness.” Was it that obvious? I checked my reflection in the visor. The original Ashley was twenty–eight, ten years older than me, but she had great genes
beautiful, and now, rich! I
–
shrugged. “He didn’t love me, so I stopped loving him back.” At a red light, Chad turned to
study me. It was starting to creep me out. Finally, he said, “You’re like a different person after that car crash.” My heart skipped a beat. I paused, then shrugged again. “I guess near-
<
12:37
death experiences can change a person’s perspective.” Chad chuckled. “True. Alright,
tonight’s on me!”
£2
Two hours later, Chad was regretting that offer.
He glared at me. “Are you done yet?” He wasn’t
talking about the drinks. He was talking about.
the bartenders or rather, the barbacks, since
most of them were barely legal. I raised my
glass. “Come on, have a drink with me.” Chad
just sighed. I patted his shoulder, gesturing to
the circle of attractive young men surrounding
- us. “Look at them, all cute and charming. So
much better than my ex.” Honestly, there were
so many other fish in the sea. Why did the
original Ashley waste her time and money.
obsessing over Jason? People could be so
stubborn. Chad scoffed. “Glad you finally saw
the light.” A lean, handsome barback came to refill my glass. “Try this, ma’am?” I reached for the drink, but Chad snatched it away. “No mixing drinks for you. You just got out of the hospital. I don’t want to be calling 911 later.” He
<
gave the barback a look, and the kid paled,
apologizing profusely. “Sorry, ma’am, I didn’t.
know…” I waved him off. “No worries! I’m
celebrating!” I grinned at Chad. “And you, Mr.
Double Standard. You can have your little.
girlfriends feed you drinks all night, but I can’t
have one?” Chad just laughed. “That’s
different.” How was it different? I was a newly
minted rich woman, free to do whatever I
wanted! Chad suddenly asked, “By the way,
does your family know about this?” I froze.
Crap. I’d completely forgotten about them.
