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“I’ll hide in a room then!”
“No. I mean it. No fucking way.” He groans, “I didn’t lock the door.”
It swings open and in walks his ex-wife. Soon to be? The wall separating us isn't big enough to hide that I'm here. She freaks out and the biggest fight I’ve ever been a part of, begins. “What the fuck is she doing here?!”
“Shelby, what are you doing here?”
“I have a right to be in my own house!”
They go back and forth and I start to make my way to the door, but Ben stops me. “No, Willow, stay.”
“Ben, you two have to work this out.”
“No way are you walking back alone.”
“It’s safe in the country, remember?”
“I said no!”
“Oh, so you’re protective of her?” Shelby demands. “No, you go Willow! Go! You aren’t welcome here!”
“Look,” I begin as Ben starts telling her she’s the one who’s not welcome. “I’m so sorry for everything. I'm going to go.”
She walks up and slaps me. Ben roars, “What the fuck?!” He grabs Shelby and hauls her over his head, carrying her outside. “You okay? Stay there!” he commands me.
“I’m okay!” I shout as she thrashes all the way outside, cursing like crazy. I hear them shouting on the porch and my heart aches so bad. This is such a mess! Is there anything I can do?
I run to a window in the living room — easier to listen through — and stay out of eyesight of where the battles is playing out.
“I knew she was a problem! I knew it!”
“You don’t want this life, and you don’t want me, Shelby! You just want a free fucking ride!”
“How dare you!”
“Just admit it!”
“You already found someone?!”
“That’s not the point!”
“I can’t believe you have her in our house!”
“It’s my house. You left months ago when I ended it. Now if you’d just sign the divorce papers?—”
“—Fat chance!”
“—we could both move on with our lives!” I’m expecting her to start crying but she doesn’t. I would be. I’d be bawling my eyes out if I found a woman in the house where I built a life I thought I’d keep.
Instead she starts calling him a bunch of names, the final one — loser.
I’m shocked, and furious. I start to shout, He’s not a loser!
But he says something that stops Shelby and I cold. “You wanna be married to a rich man living back in the city so go do that!”
Silence.
My heart is pounding as I wait for a reaction, a shout, more cursing, anything. What I don’t expect is to crane my head to hear her whisper, “I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know where to begin.”
