Page 3 of One Last Kiss
“Okay,” Sam said, when she didn’t reply immediately. “Hind sight is twenty-twenty. I could have come home earlier, especially on our anniversary. Maybe brought her flowers even…Look, we’ve discussed all this a half dozen times. It’s not going to change the fact that she’s gone, and she’s not coming back.”He pulled an envelope out of his pocket. “I got this yesterday.”
Dr. Dumont’s eyes crinkled at the corners as she frowned. “Do I need to ask what that is?”
He shook his head. “I’m guessing you’ve seen quite a few of these in your time.”
Divorce papers. His insides roiled just like they had when he’d opened the envelope last night. After all this time, Abby had made her decision. She was officially done with him.
“What are you going to do?” Dr. Dumont asked.
He shook his head and shrugged. “If this is what she wants, I’ll sign.”
“Is that what you want?” The therapist’s eyes searched his.
He blew out a breath. All he knew was he was tired. “I just want her to be happy. Obviously, I never did that for her.” He glanced down at the papers.“If signing these is what she needs…” He pulled a pen out of his chest pocket. He and Abby hadn’t even lived together for two years now. This wouldn’t really change anything, he tried and failed to convince himself.
Because it would. It would change everything.
Dr. Dumont held up a hand. “You haven’t done the work I assigned you yet.”
His brow furrowed as he looked at her. “What work? I’ve been coming here for months.”
“You’ve worked on yourself as a partner, yes. But you haven’t spoken to Abby. You haven’t told her how you feel.”
How he felt? He felt rejected, broken, lonely, like a failure. He missed her, loved her, and was pissed at her for giving up on him. Pissed at himself.
“She won’t speak to me, remember? And it’s too late.” His gaze fell on the divorce papers once more. He pinched the pen in his hand tighter, working up the nerve to sign them.
Their wedding day flashed in his memory. Abby had been beautiful, and yeah, she’d been happy that day. They’d had a lifetime ahead of them. A bright future full of all the possibilities that couples looked forward to. Some of those possibilities that they’d been hoping for, however, had never come to fruition. Was that why she left? Did she blame him?
“I would hold off on signing those papers. It’s not fair to either of you to end things until you’ve talked about what went wrong in your marriage. And remind each other of what was right. Only then can you make this very important decision.”
“Abby’s already made her decision, Doc. But okay.”
Sam carried a heavy weight in his back pocket as he walked out of the therapist’s office. He hadn’t signed the papers—yet. Talking to Abby wouldn’t change the result. They’d still be living separately. But maybe if they talked things through, they could at least be friends when all of this was over. Was that even possible?
She was alone at the restaurant this weekend. He’d talk to her first and lay his heart on the line.
What do I have to lose?
Afterward, he’d go back to the house he’d once shared with Abby, and he’d sign the papers. And that would be the end of their marriage. Not every love story lasted forever, no matter how much you wanted it to.
