Dear Ex-husband, I Don't Love You Anymore

BEGINNING It was cold and Neah understood that she shouldn't have snuck out of the school. But it was her birthday and she was tired of waiting in the empty school, knowing that her dad wouldn't show up to pick her as he promised. He had forgotten her birthday. He had forgotten her, even after he promised to bring a gift to her, and it was not the first time it was happening. She looked up at the dark sky and noticed that the wind was picking up, in a second a cold droplet of water landed on her head and the sky broke down. She turned back but it was too late, she was far from the school already. *** DIANA I let the panicked words of Neah's teacher float around my mind like ghosts searching for a place to rest. “Mrs Diana, you need to come quickly, Neah is missing.” My heart was hammering against my chest so violently that I feared that it would punch a hole through my ribs. My entire body was shaking, not from the coldness of the merciless rain, but from fe

I sat in the lawyer's office, trying to distract myself from the fact that it was too cold and stark. Even the waste bin that stood at the corner was white. There were no colours, just emptiness. Nathan sat opposite me, with a frown on his face and his hands clamped together on the table. I tried to pull my eyes away from him, but they were the same shade of blue as Neah's. It was a bittersweet feeling, for her to be so close and yet so far away. “Why are you doing this? Is it because I forgot Neah's birthday? You followed me to the hospital yesterday simply because I was ignoring your calls and you made up a stupid story that Neah was in the ICU, so I'm not the only one that is petty. Something came up yesterday so I couldn't make it to Neah on time, Camille fell and knocked up the vase with her leg, she was bleeding and I couldn't ignore her.” That was the first time he spoke to me this morning. “Look, your eyes are puffy and red from crying, you don't really want this, do you?

DIANA Strong and familiar hands rocked me while soft lips pressed against the corner of my mouth. My eyes opened and I heard Nathan whispering some comforting words. My cheeks were wet with tears and I wondered if this was another kind of dream. I was so confused. But it was not a dream…He was really cuddling me. “You're safe now…You're okay” He whispered and brought his lips to mine. I felt the wetness of his tongue at first and then he slipped into my mouth gently. I froze… and his kiss deepened too fast. Before I knew it, his hands were underneath my top, rubbing against my skin. “Nathan…” I said, trying to get his hands away but he was not understanding that I needed him off me. His fingers stroked my bra and the moment I felt them rolling around my nipple, I was repulsed. I pushed him away from me but he won't let go. “Diana please, let me love you.” Was he drunk? Had he gone mad? “Get off me!” I yelled and turned my face to the side becaus

Jaylen held the door of his car open. “I'll drive you myself, you can bring the urn and I'll carry the boxes.” He looked deeply concerned. “Don't worry I'll be fine.” “Diana please,” Jaylen said softly “I think it's safer if I drive you.” “Didn't you hear me?!” Nathan shouted “She's not going anywhere with you.” Jaylen said to Nathan“You're not going anywhere until you show me where Neah is.” “Remember when I told you she's in the ICU, and you laughed and then I took you there but the room was empty, that was because her condition had turned critical and they moved her to the emergency room. She actually wanted to see you Nathan. Remember the calls you ignored? Everytime you ignored the call, you disappointed her and broke her heart.”I can see him fighting the truth, that's all he does. Fight the truth and accept whatever lie that suits him. His phone buzzed and he answered the call, after a second or two, he smiled at me and put it on the loudspeaker. “She's definitely lyi

He pulled away from the hug and cupped my face in his hands. “She would want you to be happy and safe, she would want you alive.”“The guilt eats me everytime, not just the pain. I had trusted Nathan with her life. I shouldn't have.” After a while, I went back to eating and the formerly delicious meal had turned into dry bark once it touched my tongue.***I sat opposite Jaylen and we were both going through the list of universities that would be the best for me. “What about this one?” he asked, handing me his phone. “It's too expensive, I can't afford it right now.”I decided that I was going back to school to pursue my career as an architect. I had to forsake my dreams many years ago and I had dropped out, but Jaylen convinced me that it wasn't too late to go back and get a degree. I didn't realize how expensive it would be. I ran my fingers through my hair and let out a frustrated sigh. “I think I'm going to give up and just find a job somewhere.” “I'm sure they offer schola