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<\/p>\nThe house seemed unbearably silent that morning. It showed me just how hollow twenty years of memories could sound. I brushed my fingertips across the kitchen counter where Jordan once left his coffee cup. Four children. One marriage. One life I believed I knew. How hollow twenty years of memories could sound. I lifted the framed photograph from the shelf. I looked at the woman I used to be, the one who still believed in her husband. \u201cMom, are you crying again?\u201d My oldest daughter appeared in the doorway, her hair tied back, concerned about softening her eyes. \u201cI\u2019m okay, sweetheart. Just thinking.\u201d \u201cYou always say that.\u201d \u201cMom, are you crying again?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I placed the photograph back down. I managed a smile that felt much heavier than it should have. \u201cBecause it\u2019s always true. Now, come here. Your brother wants to discuss this pool party of his, and I could use some backup.\u201d She walked across the kitchen and wrapped her arms around me. For a moment, I allowed myself to lean against her. \u201cI could use some backup.\u201d My son rushed in only a second later. He was already carrying a wrinkled list filled with names and party plans. \u201cMom, I want everybody there. The whole family, my school friends, the neighbors. Everyone.\u201d \u201cEveryone?\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s my fifteenth birthday. It matters.\u201d \u201cI want everybody there.\u201d I watched his face brighten the way it once had before our divorce. \u201cThen everybody it is.\u201d \u201cEven Dad?\u201d The question dropped like a weight against my chest. \u201cHe\u2019s still your father. Of course.\u201d My son gave a slow nod. \u201cHe\u2019s still your father.\u201d \u201cOkay. Thanks, Mom\u2026 Do you think he\u2019ll really come?\u201d I didn\u2019t have an answer to give him. Jordan had missed plenty since leaving us to be with his mistress.<\/p>\n
My son nodded.<\/p>\n
He hurried away carrying his list, but my daughter remained beside the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think he\u2019ll really come?\u201d<\/p>\n
She watched me the same way she watched storms gathering over the coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know he could bring her. If he comes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you\u2019re okay with that?\u201d<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t truly been okay since that afternoon when I stood inside our bedroom, holding our six-month-old baby, and listened as Jordan spoke the words that destroyed everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know he could bring her. If he comes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m with Percy now. We\u2019ve been together for more than a year. I don\u2019t want to spend any more time with a woman who\u2019s no longer attractive to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered our baby moving softly against my shoulder.<\/p>\n
I remembered locking my knees because I was afraid I might collapse.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
I blinked and found myself back inside the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cA woman who\u2019s no longer attractive to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m okay, honey. Really. Your brother deserves an amazing day, and I\u2019m going to make sure he gets one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPromise?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPromise.\u201d<\/p>\n
She kissed me gently on the cheek and walked away.<\/p>\n
I stood by myself again, mentally listing everything I still needed to purchase, organize, decorate, and somehow pretend I could manage without falling apart.<\/p>\n
But first things first.<\/p>\n
I sent Jordan a text inviting him to the party.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan wants the whole family there,\u201d I wrote.<\/p>\n
Not long afterward, my phone buzzed against the counter.<\/p>\n
Jordan\u2019s name appeared brightly across the screen.<\/p>\n
Something inside my stomach tightened before I\u2019d even managed to read one word of his reply.<\/p>\n
I sent Jordan a text inviting him to the party.<\/p>\n
Jordan\u2019s response was brief and cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll bring Percy. She\u2019s part of my family too.\u201d<\/p>\n
I read the message three times before its meaning completely registered.<\/p>\n
My chest became tight.<\/p>\n
I lowered the phone and stared toward the pool skimmer floating in the shallow end, struggling to breathe normally.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
I read the message three times.<\/p>\n
My son appeared in the doorway, his wet hair flattened across his forehead.<\/p>\n
I made myself smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine, sweetheart. Just finishing the details for your big day.\u201d<\/p>\n
He watched me for a little longer than I wanted him to.<\/p>\n
Then he v@nished outside into the yard again.<\/p>\n
I made myself smile.<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t allow Jordan to arrive beside Percy and turn me into a miserable, a.ban.don.ed wife.<\/p>\n
Not in front of my children.<\/p>\n
Not in front of neighbors who had watched our family together for twenty years.<\/p>\n
I opened my laptop and searched for words I\u2019d never once imagined myself typing.<\/p>\n
\u201cActors for hire, private events, discreet.\u201d<\/p>\n
An agency located near downtown answered me within an hour.<\/p>\n
Words I\u2019d never once imagined myself typing.<\/p>\n
The woman who answered the phone sounded calm and professional.<\/p>\n
As though hiring someone to pretend to be my boyfriend was just as normal as booking a catering service.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have someone free Saturday. His name is Clark. Very professional.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly for a few hours,\u201d I explained quickly. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t need to do much. Just stay beside me. Maybe smile.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course. He\u2019ll perform whatever role you describe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t need to do much.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hung up and pressed my palms flat against the counter.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I\u2019d become the kind of woman who paid strangers to pretend she was loved.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
We agreed to meet at a caf\u00e9 one day before the party.<\/p>\n
I arrived early, ordered nothing, and tore at a paper napkin until only scraps remained.<\/p>\n
When Clark entered, I honestly glanced behind me to check whether someone else was the person he planned to meet.<\/p>\n
We agreed to meet<\/p>\n
He was tall.<\/p>\n
Dark hair, gentle brown eyes.<\/p>\n
The kind of polished, handsome face you\u2019d expect to see in a magazine advertisement.<\/p>\n
He slipped into the chair opposite me and extended his hand as though we\u2019d known each other for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must be my client,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He tipped his head slightly, waiting.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must be my client,\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust look at you,\u201d I murmured. \u201cNobody will believe you\u2019d be with somebody like me. My ex-husband is going to laugh at me. He\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you do for a living?\u201d Clark asked.<\/p>\n
The question took me completely by surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cI raised four children while he focused on his career. I managed our home. I held everything together while he was cheating on me for an entire year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody will believe you\u2019d be with somebody like me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clark nodded thoughtfully.<\/p>\n
Then he leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you held an entire family together while a grown man deceived you every single day. That\u2019s not a weakness. That\u2019s exactly the kind of person anyone would be proud to stand beside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warmth rushed across my face.<\/p>\n
I lowered my eyes toward the destroyed napkin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not a weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re getting paid to say things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m getting paid to pretend I\u2019m your boyfriend for one afternoon,\u201d he answered. \u201cI\u2019m telling you that right now, on my own time.\u201d<\/p>\n
A quiet, disbelieving laugh escaped me, the first I\u2019d managed in weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s bringing his mistress, Clark. Percy. She\u2019s ten years younger than I am and looks like she belongs on a runway. And he texted me saying she\u2019s part of his family now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd how did you feel when you read that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re getting paid to say things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike he wanted to erase me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clark placed his coffee back on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don\u2019t allow him to. Don\u2019t you want him to realize how happy you can be without him?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked directly at him.<\/p>\n
There was no arrogance in his voice, nothing that sounded scripted or practiced.<\/p>\n
Only a calm, patient question.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don\u2019t allow him to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need to do anything,\u201d he said. \u201cJust stay beside me. Smile at your children. Enjoy your son\u2019s birthday. I\u2019ll take care of everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered my son\u2019s expression from the doorway that morning.<\/p>\n
I thought about our baby.<\/p>\n
I thought about twenty years spent believing that my life was secure.<\/p>\n
Then I drew a slow, trembling breath and nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how I\u2019m supposed to do this,\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay. Saturday. Two o\u2019clock.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clark smiled.<\/p>\n
For the first time in months, I felt something that came dangerously close to hope.<\/p>\n
I had no idea yet that my children were making plans of their own.<\/p>\n
Or that one small, wrapped box was about to change everything.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Music from the speakers mixed with laughter and splashing water while I moved among groups of guests.<\/p>\n
My children had made plans of their own.<\/p>\n
Clark remained beside me, relaxed and composed.<\/p>\n
He played his role with a kindness that almost seemed genuine.<\/p>\n
I kept watching the gate, waiting.<\/p>\n
My son, Ethan, came over with a wrapped gift box tucked beneath his arm.<\/p>\n
He looked up at Clark with unusual seriousness.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Dad gets here, can you hand this to him? It\u2019s from all of us kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
I kept watching the gate, waiting.<\/p>\n
Clark looked toward me, then accepted the box.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure, Ethan. Whatever you need.\u201d<\/p>\n
I started to ask what was inside.<\/p>\n
But Ethan had already disappeared.<\/p>\n
Jordan walked in as though the place still belonged to him, one hand resting against the small of Percy\u2019s back.<\/p>\n
I started to ask what was inside.<\/p>\n
She wore a dress that probably cost more than my monthly grocery budget.<\/p>\n
Her smile looked polished, distant.<\/p>\n
Every conversation around us seemed to drop slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere she is,\u201d Jordan called, waving as though we were old college buddies. \u201cThe birthday boy\u2019s mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
I drew in a slow breath and felt Clark\u2019s hand settle against the small of my back.<\/p>\n
Every conversation around us seemed to drop slightly.<\/p>\n
The gesture grounded me more than I wanted to acknowledge.<\/p>\n
\u201cJordan,\u201d I said calmly. \u201cPercy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Percy tipped her head with a brief nod.<\/p>\n
She was already surveying the yard as though she were evaluating the furniture.<\/p>\n
Then Jordan\u2019s gaze settled on Clark.<\/p>\n
He studied him from head to toe.<\/p>\n
Once. Twice.<\/p>\n
And then he started laughing.<\/p>\n
Then Jordan\u2019s gaze settled on Clark.<\/p>\n
Loud, cruel.<\/p>\n
The sort of laugh that made guests nearby turn to look.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have got to be kidding me,\u201d Jordan said, wiping the corner of his eye. \u201cHim? With you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJordan, please,\u201d I said softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no, I\u2019m serious.\u201d He motioned toward Clark as though displaying a car. \u201cA guy like this. Have you even looked at yourself in the mirror recently? Come on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHim? With you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Heat climbed along my neck.<\/p>\n
Percy pressed her lips together, concealing a smile behind her wineglass.<\/p>\n
Clark never flinched.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t even glance toward me.<\/p>\n
Instead, he calmly reached down, picked up the small wrapped box he\u2019d placed on the patio table, and offered it to Jordan with a relaxed, unaffected smile.<\/p>\n
Clark never flinched.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunny,\u201d he said. \u201cYou spent years measuring people by their appearance. Your children measured you by something much harder to pretend.\u201d<\/p>\n
He extended the wrapped box.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey asked me to make certain you received this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jordan stopped laughing in the middle of a breath.<\/p>\n
He stared at the box.<\/p>\n
He extended the wrapped box.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo ahead,\u201d Clark added softly. \u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Percy leaned closer, interested now.<\/p>\n
Several guests standing nearby became quieter, sensing something was happening.<\/p>\n
Jordan accepted the box with a smirk.<\/p>\n
He ripped away the ribbon and opened the lid.<\/p>\n
His expression shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo ahead. Open it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t make out what was inside from where I was standing.<\/p>\n
But I saw the color disappear from his face as though someone had suddenly pulled a plug.<\/p>\n
His mouth fell open.<\/p>\n
His fingers tightened around the cardboard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
He pulled out a photograph.<\/p>\n
I saw the color disappear from his face.<\/p>\n
Ethan, perhaps seven years old, sitting on Jordan\u2019s shoulders at some long-forgotten summer fair.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
Then a pile of handmade Father\u2019s Day cards, their crayon colors still vivid.<\/p>\n
Then came the printed screenshots.<\/p>\n
Message after message.<\/p>\n
Then came the printed screenshots.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, please answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dates marked in the corners.<\/p>\n
Months without responses.<\/p>\n
At the bottom sat a folded note written in Ethan\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n
Jordan read it.<\/p>\n
Then he erupted.<\/p>\n
A folded note written in Ethan\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made him do this?\u201d Jordan turned toward me, eyes blazing. \u201cYou. You did this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t,\u201d I said. \u201cThis wasn\u2019t my doing, Jordan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLiar!\u201d<\/p>\n
Percy pulled gently at Jordan\u2019s sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cJordan, just leave it alone. Everyone is watching.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShut up, Percy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words came out before he could stop himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou. You did this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression went blank, then hardened.<\/p>\n
I noticed something small and sharp flash behind her eyes.<\/p>\n
She lowered her gaze toward the screenshots still gripped tightly in Jordan\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n
Then she took the note from him and began reading it aloud.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince Percy is your real family now,\u201d she murmured, \u201cwe thought you\u2019d want these memories back.\u201d<\/p>\n
The entire yard became silent except for the pool filter humming nearby.<\/p>\n
She took the note from him and began reading it aloud.<\/p>\n
She studied it for several long moments before lifting her eyes toward him.<\/p>\n
Jordan parted his lips.<\/p>\n
No words came out.<\/p>\n
Percy slowly shook her head.<\/p>\n
She looked around at the dozens of guests watching them.<\/p>\n
Percy slowly shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to be the woman standing beside a father who neglects his own children.\u201d<\/p>\n
She removed the bracelet he\u2019d given her from her wrist and set it on the discarded gift box.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she walked out through the gate without once looking back.<\/p>\n
I stared at my ex-husband, the man I\u2019d loved for twenty years, and felt something inside me finally loosen for the first time since the day he\u2019d left.<\/p>\n
But Jordan wasn\u2019t finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan,\u201d he shouted, his voice slicing across the yard. \u201cEthan, come over here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan didn\u2019t budge from the diving board.<\/p>\n
He simply stood there, arms folded, watching his father with a calmness that broke my heart while making me proud at the same time.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will listen to me!\u201d Jordan yelled. \u201cOr else, I\u2019ll\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you dare,\u201d I said, moving between them. \u201cYou don\u2019t get to yell at these children. Not after everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will listen to me!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re my children too!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen start acting like it. Or leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced around the yard and finally noticed what I had already understood.<\/p>\n
Every guest had fallen silent.<\/p>\n
Every neighbor was staring.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re my children too!\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened his mouth, then shut it again.<\/p>\n
I watched him walk away, shoulders slumped, leaving the box behind on the patio table.<\/p>\n
Someone standing near the grill murmured,<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another neighbor silently shook his head.<\/p>\n
And for the first time in months, I managed to take a complete breath.<\/p>\n
I suddenly noticed Clark was still standing right beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although his job was technically finished, he hadn\u2019t moved even one step away.<\/p>\n
His hand lightly touched mine.<\/p>\n
Neither of us moved away.<\/p>\n
Ethan rushed over once Jordan had disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay, Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m more than okay, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither of us moved away.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Clark waited until the final guests wandered back toward the pool before stepping closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like my contract officially expired five minutes ago,\u201d he said with a crooked grin.<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes that mean you\u2019re going home?\u201d<\/p>\n
He studied me for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly if you want me to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like my contract officially expired five minutes ago,\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt warmth spread across my cheeks.<\/p>\n
Clark smiled gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the funny thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t acting nearly as much as you believe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t acting nearly as much as you believe.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a moment, I simply stared at him.<\/p>\n
He rubbed the back of his neck.<\/p>\n
Suddenly appearing much less confident than the actor I\u2019d hired.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould you let me take you out to dinner next weekend?\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced toward the gate where Jordan had vanished, then back at the man who remained beside me.<\/p>\n
For a moment, I simply stared at him.<\/p>\n
One had spent years making me feel unseen.<\/p>\n
The other had spent one afternoon reminding me I wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d love that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clark held out his arm with an exaggerated flourish.<\/p>\n
Laughing, I slipped my arm through his.<\/p>\n
For the first time in a very long while, I no longer had to pretend I was happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d love that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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