At my daughter’s graduation, my husband suddenly announced, “I’ve decided to begin a new life without you.” His girlfriend was sitting among our friends. The room fell silent. I smiled calmly and replied, “Congratulations on finally being honest.” Before I walked away, I handed him an envelope. The moment he opened it, he began screaming…

“I thought it aligned nicely with your schedule,” I replied, crossing my legs. “You wanted to start your new life. I’m simply facilitating the transition. Efficiency has always been my strong suit.”

“You had no right to humiliate me like that!”

“I had every right,” I interrupted, my voice dropping an octave, becoming hard as flint. “Just as you had every right to choose Natalie. We all make choices, Michael. Some are just more expensive than others.”

He paced the room, running a hand through his thinning hair. “The prenup expired years ago,” he scoffed, trying to regain the upper hand. “Any lawyer will tell you that. It’s been nearly thirty years.”

I allowed myself a small, pitying smile.

“Actually, it didn’t. Section 12, Paragraph 4. It specifically states that the fidelity clause remains in effect for the duration of the marriage, regardless of tenure. Your lawyer should have explained that to you.” I paused for effect. “Oh, wait. You didn’t consult one, did you? You were too busy looking at condos on Zillow.”

The color drained from his face as the reality of his negligence sank in. The agreement he had insisted upon to protect his imaginary empire would now cost him his actual one. The house. The vacation property in Savannah. His portion of our joint retirement accounts.

“You can’t do this to me,” he whispered, collapsing onto the armchair opposite me. “We built this life together.”

“And you chose to end it,” I countered. “Just not in the way you planned.”

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it.

“Natalie is wondering where you are,” I guessed. “She’s probably wondering why the credit card you gave her was declined an hour ago.”

His head snapped up. “What?”

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