I Just Divorced and Left the Country. My Ex Married His Mistress Right Away.

I felt light, as if a weight I had been carrying for too long had been lifted from my shoulders.

Freedom. I was finally free.

The Courthouse

The day at the courthouse, the sky over New York was neither rainy nor sunny. The air was humid and dense, like my mood months ago. But today, my heart was strangely calm. I wore a simple beige dress and light makeup. I didn’t want to look like a victim on my last day as a wife.

Ethan was there, too. He wore a suit and his hair was slicked back with gel, but the dark circles under his eyes betrayed his fatigue. Maybe he was exhausted from the legal proceedings, or maybe from pleasing his pregnant lover.

An older judge wearing glasses looked at us with compassion.

“Have you thought this through? Marriage is for a lifetime.”

“Yes, Your Honor, we have,” we replied in unison.

Everything was quick. Signatures, stamps. The judge declared us divorced. Eight years of life together ended with a thin sheet of paper.

I received my divorce decree. A certificate of my single status that felt both heavy and light.

Just as we left the courtroom, Ethan’s phone rang. He answered hastily, and his tone changed from cold to sickeningly sweet.

“I’m coming out now, my love. Don’t move. Wait for me.”

He hung up and walked past me as if I were a stranger, rushing out. He was in such a hurry, he almost collided with a woman walking in the opposite direction. He didn’t say a single word of goodbye. I stood there watching his back disappear down the hall.

I smiled. An ending like that was fine, too.

I was in a hurry as well. I had left my suitcases at Jessica’s place the day before. Now I just had to pick them up and head to Penn Station.

Jessica, my best friend, was already waiting for me. As soon as she saw me, she ran to hug me.

“Sarah, are you okay?” Her voice was filled with concern.

“I’m fine,” I said, patting her back. “Better than ever.”

Jessica looked me up and down and frowned.

“You look it. Your face is paler than a ghost. Are you going to be all right on your own out there?”

She pressed a heavy cloth bag into my hand.

“Here’s a bottle of good Oregon Pinot Noir, some cheese from the local creamery, and a loaf of artisanal sourdough. I know you might feel a little out of place at first. When you miss home, have some of this so you don’t feel so alone.”

I started to laugh with a lump in my throat. In my worst moment, I still had someone who truly cared about me.

“Thanks, Jessica. Only you get me.”

“What’s to get?” she grumbled. “Now that you’re leaving, you have to live well. Make yourself gorgeous. Get rich and make that bastard die of envy. And don’t you ever dare cry over an idiot again.”

We sat in a coffee shop at the station talking about everything and nothing. Jessica gave me a thousand pieces of advice, from how to find a house to how to be careful with small-town men. She talked so much that I could only nod and smile. I knew she was trying to cheer me up, to fill the void of our last moments together.

It was time to board. We hugged tightly at the platform entrance.

“Take care of yourself,” she whispered. “If anything happens, let me know.”

“You, too. Call me as soon as you get there.”

She let go, but her expression turned hesitant.

“Hey, Sarah, there’s something I don’t know if I should tell you.”

“What is it?” I frowned. At this point, what else can I handle? “Tell me.”

Jessica took a deep breath and leaned closer to my ear.

“Ashley is pregnant.”

I froze for a second. Not from shock, but from the irony. So that was it. That’s why he was in such a hurry to get divorced. That’s why he didn’t want any of our assets, just for me to sign the papers quickly.

“Ah,” I managed to smile. “Well, double the happiness for them.”

“That’s not all,” Jessica continued, her face full of contempt. “They’re planning an incredibly lavish wedding. My husband heard it’s going to be at the Crescent Manor. They’ve booked the entire main ballroom. Bet Ashley wants the wedding of the century to show off to everyone. Typical of a shameless social climber.”

“Let them do what they want,” I said, shaking my head. “It doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

And it truly didn’t. The pain had turned into a scar. Now hearing news about them just seemed ridiculous. A greedy man and a materialistic woman. They were made for each other.

“But I’m worried about you,” Jessica insisted.

“I have to go,” I interrupted her. “The train won’t wait.”

I gave her one last quick hug and turned away decisively. I walked through the ticket gate without looking back. I could feel Jessica’s eyes following me.

Once in my seat, I turned off my phone. As the train left New York City, leaving the gray city behind for the green landscapes of the West, I knew a new life was waiting for me. And in that life, there would be no room for Ethan or Ashley.

I took out my phone, broke the old SIM card, and threw it in the trash. I blocked any possible contact with him.

A clean break.

Goodbye, past.

Willow Creek

The train ride lasted for hours. I barely slept, reading a novel by a favorite author, trying to reconnect with the parts of myself I had set aside. When the train began to slow down and the announcer called out the station, my heart sped up.