I gave everything to my family, but my husband’s betrayal shattered me, and my kids sided with him. At one of his parties, I stepped outside for some air and ran into someone unexpected—my first love. Then came an offer to fly to Florida with him. And I took it.
Read Part 1 here.
I was sitting on the plane, leaning against the window, watching as the world below slowly disappeared under a blanket of clouds. Daniel sat next to me, quiet as always.
“Are you okay?” he finally broke the silence, glancing over at me.
“I don’t know. I guess I will be… eventually.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
My mind drifted back to the note I had left on the kitchen table, the one Jack and the kids would find soon enough.
For the kids, I had written:
“I’m going away for a while. Just a month. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine with Dad. You always have been. I need some time to figure out what I want from life. Please understand. I love you both very much.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
I had to pause before writing Jack’s note. I had no idea how he would react, but I knew it had to be said.
Finally, I wrote:
“Jack, I know about Claire. I’ve known for a while. I can’t stay in a house where I don’t feel valued, where I’m invisible. I need time to think, so please don’t contact me. Let me have this time to decide what’s next for me… for us.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
Daniel’s voice brought me back to the present.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not yet. It’s just… I left everything behind. The kids, the house. Jack.”
“Hey,” he said gently. You need to breathe. You’ve been suffocating for so long.”
I was grateful for his presence. He didn’t push, didn’t try to fix things.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
***
As the plane touched down, we stepped out into the warm Florida night. Daniel grabbed my bag and led me to the car.
“Welcome to Florida,” he said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
“Feels different already.”
When we pulled up to his house, I stared in awe.
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“Daniel… this place is… it’s huge.”
The estate was like something out of a dream, with a pool glistening in the moonlight and the ocean just beyond the terrace.
“Yeah, it’s been my refuge,” Daniel replied, unlocking the front door. “I bought it a few years ago. Thought maybe it could be the fresh start I needed.”
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We stepped onto the terrace, and he gestured toward the horizon.
“The ocean… It helps me think.”
I leaned on the railing, taking in the peaceful sound of the waves crashing in the distance.
“It’s beautiful here…”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
“We’ll take it one step at a time,” he reassured me.
We sat down on the terrace with lemonade, talking about our past.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney