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At my ex’s baby shower for his new wife, everyone watched the grand ultrasound reveal. Then my son suddenly shouted, “Mom, that’s the picture from when I was in your belly!” I zoomed in… and saw a detail I could never forget. The invitation had arrived on a piece of cardstock so thick it felt like a board.
Gold foil decorated the edges, and the cursive writing seemed created to display money and show-off luxury: A Baby Shower for Tiffany & Mark. A Fresh Start. I stood at the edge of the long driveway, staring at the enormous lawn of the coastal mansion that, not long ago, used to be mine too.
Mark—my ex-husband—was in his element near a sparkling three-level champagne fountain. He looked sun-kissed, toned, and impossibly pleased with himself. His linen suit probably cost more than my entire monthly rent.
At his side stood Tiffany, his new wife. She was twenty-five, blonde, glowing with entitlement, and wrapped in the confidence of someone who believed she had stepped into the perfect life. “Mom, my tie itches,” Leo whispered.
My seven-year-old son tugged at my hand, fighting the silk bowtie Mark had delivered in a fancy box the day before. “I know, sweetheart,” I said softly, kneeling to fix his collar. “We’ll just say hello, drop off the gift, smile for one photo… then pizza.
Extra cheese. I swear.”
“Switch time too?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “Unlimited games tonight.”
Mark had demanded we attend.
“This is for Leo,” he had insisted over the phone, using that calm tone he used in our mediation meetings. “He needs to understand this new chapter. It’s about bringing the whole family together, Sarah.
I wasn’t bitter. I was simply worn out.
I was sick of being the discarded first wife while Tiffany got the “improved” version of Mark’s life. But for Leo, I would do anything—even face a crowd of people who used to smile at me before choosing Tiffany’s side. We moved through the ocean of pastel outfits.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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