“All right, Kiki, are you filing for divorce?”
“Of course. I’ll go to the county clerk’s office next week to find out what I need.”
“And he won’t fight it?”
Kiana shook her head, although Shauna couldn’t see her.
“He won’t. He’s probably relieved I didn’t file a report on his mother. So we’ll settle everything quickly and quietly.”
“Listen, how are you feeling right now? You’re there all alone. You must be sad.”
Kiana thought about it.
“You know, surprisingly, I’m not sad. I feel relief—more like a weight lifted off my shoulders. For five years, I lived with the feeling that something was wrong. And now I realize it wasn’t me who was wrong. It was him and his mother.”
Shauna was silent for a moment, then said gently,
“Come over tonight. We’ll have tea and talk. It’s lonely sitting there by yourself.”
“Thanks. I’ll come.”
After the call, Kiana got dressed and went out.
She needed to walk, clear her head, and distract herself from her thoughts.
She wandered through familiar streets, looking at store windows and watching people.
Everything seemed new, as if she were looking at the world with fresh eyes.
She lingered in the bookstore for about twenty minutes, flipping through new releases, and bought a mystery novel and a collection of short stories.
She had been wanting to read something light and unstressful for a long time.
As she stepped outside, she bumped into her neighbor, Ms. Mabel.
Ms. Mabel lived one floor up and was known throughout the building for her love of gossip.
“Kiki, hello.”
Ms. Mabel beamed, pressing her hand to her chest.
“Haven’t seen you in a while. How are you? How’s your husband?”
Kiana smiled politely.
“Hello, Ms. Mabel. Everything’s fine, thank you.”
“Well, I saw Darius leaving with bags yesterday. Did you two have a fight?”
There it is, Kiana thought, holding back a sigh.
The gossip would spread through the building at the speed of light.
“We’re getting divorced,” she said calmly. “We just didn’t work out.”
Ms. Mabel gasped.
“Oh my goodness, and I thought you two were such a strong couple. Young and attractive.”
“It happens,” Kiana shrugged. “It’s nothing terrible. Life goes on.”
She said goodbye and walked on, feeling the neighbor’s curious gaze on her back.
By evening, the entire apartment building would know that the Jenkinses were divorcing.
Let them.
She didn’t care.
That evening, she did go to Shauna’s place.
Her friend greeted her with open arms, sat her down in the cozy kitchen of her small ranch house, and brewed aromatic thyme tea.
“Tell me everything from the beginning,” Shauna demanded, settling down opposite her. “And don’t even think about holding anything back.”
Kiana told the story, detailing every event without rushing.
Shauna listened, mouth agape, and at the end simply shook her head.
“Wow, you’re such a star, Kiki. I would have screamed and called the police immediately. And you calculated everything so calmly and outmaneuvered them.”
“I didn’t outmaneuver them. I just took precautions.”
“You’re a genius,” Shauna laughed.
“Three dollars on the card. That’s classic. I can just imagine how your mother‑in‑law reacted when they cornered her at the bank.”
Kiana smirked.
It was funny to picture.
