Now<\/p>\n
I went to the store that morning for milk, chicken, and raspberries. An odd combination, but it was what I needed. The milk for coffee and cereal, the chicken for tonight’s dinner, and the raspberries for the raspberry and white chocolate muffins my husband loved.<\/p>\n
I went into the store hoping to get my groceries, but I left with a truth that I didn’t know needed to be revealed.<\/p>\n
She was standing in the dairy aisle, our neighbor. Young, blonde, and recently divorced. She was looking at the various yogurt options, smiling like she didn’t have a care in the world. And if I’m being honest, she probably didn’t have any cares.<\/p>\n
And hanging from her ears were my mother’s earrings.<\/p>\n
My breath caught in my throat. A sick feeling curled in my stomach. My hands clenched around the shopping basket so tightly that I was sure they were white.<\/p>\n
No. No bloody way.<\/p>\n
I forced my voice to stay light and breezy as I approached her.<\/p>\n
“Mel, hi! Lovely earrings!”<\/p>\n
She beamed, touching them delicately as if they were the most priceless things in the world. They were.<\/p>\n
“Oh, thank you, Rachel! They’re a gift from someone special, you know.”<\/p>\n
A gift. From someone special. Someone married?<\/p>\n
The world tilted slightly. I swallowed the burning rage rising in my throat. Mel looked at me for a moment, and I wondered if the guilt was eating at her. She didn’t act like it, but something had dimmed her shine in that moment.<\/p>\n
“Oh, they’re simply beautiful,” I said, smiling through my gritted teeth. “But didn’t it come with a pendant and a bracelet? What a stunning set that would be…”<\/p>\n
She blinked at me, confusion all over her face.<\/p>\n
“I definitely would if I had those pieces. But I don’t. It’s just the earrings. But maybe my special someone can gift me the whole set.”<\/p>\n
The ground steadied beneath me.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Derek hadn’t just pawned my mother’s jewelry. He had gifted part of it to his mistress.<\/p>\n
It was a selfish, well-thought-out plan.<\/p>\n
Except he hadn’t planned on one thing.<\/p>\n
Me.<\/p>\n
Then<\/p>\n
I had been vacuuming under the bed, lost in the monotony of housework and a nagging nursery rhyme that was stuck in my head, when I spotted the box.<\/p>\n
Something made me pause. Maybe it was instinct. Or maybe grief had sharpened my senses.<\/p>\n
I bent down, picked it up, and opened the lid.<\/p>\n
Empty. The box with my most prized possessions was empty.<\/p>\n
The air left my lungs. The annoying nursery rhyme flew out of my head. And just like that, the shock hit me across my face.<\/p>\n
My hands trembled as I stood up, my knees weak. I scanned my bedroom like the earrings, pendant, and bracelet might miraculously reappear before my eyes.<\/p>\n
But they didn’t. Of course, they didn’t. Wishful thinking didn’t work like that.<\/p>\n
There was only one person who I had shown the box and the priceless things inside. But would Derek… Was he actually capable of taking my things? Maybe he had put them away, knowing the importance that they held.<\/p>\n
Maybe he had put them into our safe deposit box at the bank. But even if he did, why on earth wouldn’t he tell me?<\/p>\n
“Derek!” I stormed into the living room, where he was lounging with his laptop.<\/p>\n
He barely glanced up.<\/p>\n
“What, Rachel? It’s too early for this noise.”<\/p>\n
“My mother’s jewelry. Did you take it?”<\/p>\n
His brow furrowed like he was truly thinking.<\/p>\n
“No, maybe the kids took it. You know they’re into dressing up now.”<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted again. Why would my children take something from my room? They probably didn’t even know about the box. And I was planning on passing down the jewelry to the girls anyway.<\/p>\n
But still, kids have keen eyes. Maybe one of them saw something.<\/p>\n
I turned and marched straight to the playroom, where my three kids were sprawled on the floor, lost in their toys.<\/p>\n
“Nora, Eli, Ava,” I said, almost breathless. “Did any of you take the box from under my bed?”<\/p>\n
Three pairs of wide, innocent eyes blinked up at me.<\/p>\n
“No, Mommy.”<\/p>\n
But Nora hesitated. My eight-year-old, my oldest baby. The most sensitive and honest of the three, and the one most likely to give you a snuggle when you needed it.<\/p>\n
She would tell me what she knew.<\/p>\n
“I saw Daddy with it,” she said. “He said it was a secret. And that he would buy me a new dollhouse if I didn’t say anything.”<\/p>\n
A sharp rage sliced through me.<\/p>\n
Someone had stolen from me.<\/p>\n
And that someone was my husband.<\/p>\n
I spent a long time with the kids, trying to figure out my thoughts and feelings while they played. Eventually, I had no choice but to confront him.<\/p>\n
“Derek, I know you took it. Where is it?” I asked.<\/p>\n
He let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples like I was the problem here.<\/p>\n
“Fine, Rachel. I took them.”<\/p>\n
I blinked slowly.<\/p>\n
“Why?” I asked simply.<\/p>\n
His voice took on that tone of his that I absolutely hated. The slow, condescending tone that had always made my skin crawl.<\/p>\n
“You were so sad after your mom died. I thought that a vacation would cheer you up, Rachel.” He picked up his beer can and took a long gulp. “So, I pawned them and bought us a trip.”<\/p>\n
My fists curled. My vision blurred. I was… beyond shocked.<\/p>\n
“You pawned my mother’s jewelry?! My dead mother’s things!”<\/p>\n
“Rachel, we’re struggling! How can you not see it? Or do you choose to ignore it? The mortgage, the bills… I wanted to do something nice for you and the kids.”<\/p>\n
White-hot rage filled me. I was ready to burst.<\/p>\n
“Where. Are. They?” I spat out. “You had no right to do that without asking me, Derek! Return them. Now!”<\/p>\n
He sighed dramatically.<\/p>\n
“Okay, I’ll return the tickets. I’ll fix it if you want everyone to be as miserable as you are. Seriously, Rachel, the kids see it. It sucks.”<\/p>\n
I turned away before I did something I’d regret.<\/p>\n
Miserable? Of course, I was miserable. I was in pain. I was hurting. My heart felt shattered and stamped upon, and my mind was a cemetery of memories.<\/p>\n
My mother had died. And with that, my best friend, my biggest supporter, and the person who had loved me most in this world.<\/p>\n
It had only been two months without her. And this man was putting a timeline to my grief?<\/p>\n
What the hell? Who had I married?<\/p>\n
I missed her so much. Which was why Derek’s actions had hurt me so deeply. My mother’s jewelry was like a lifeline she had left behind for me. It was something physical, something that I could hold or put on when I needed her touch…<\/p>\n
“Darling,” she had said, buttering a slice of homemade bread. “You have so much potential. As rewarding as being a stay-at-home mom is, are you sure it’s for you?”<\/p>\n
“I don’t know, Mom,” I confessed. “But Derek said that we can’t afford a nanny, so it was either I become the nanny or I pay for one.”<\/p>\n
“Promise me one thing, Rachel,” she said. “Keep writing your poetry, darling. Keep that side of you alive.”<\/p>\n
My heart ached thinking about her.<\/p>\n
But do you know what?<\/p>\n
The next day, while shopping, I found out that the truth was even worse.<\/p>\n
Now<\/p>\n
I smiled at Mel in the grocery store, pretending to listen to her rave about Greek yogurt and chia seeds for breakfast.<\/p>\n
“It really is the best breakfast, Rachel. It cleans out the gut and gives you more protein than eggs. Add some honey or chocolate chips, girl. Trust me,” she spoke fast, as if trying not to think or say anything that would give her away.<\/p>\n
I smiled like I wasn’t seconds away from ripping those earrings off her ears.<\/p>\n
She had no idea. She had absolutely no clue she had been part of my husband’s betrayal. Or did she? From the way she acted, I didn’t think she knew the value of it. In her eyes, she was standing in front of her boyfriend’s wife and using the expensive gift he had bought her.<\/p>\n
So, I made a decision.<\/p>\n
I was going to take back what was mine.<\/p>\n
And I was going to make Derek pay.<\/p>\n
Big time.<\/p>\n
The next morning, I played the part of the forgiving wife.<\/p>\n
I was quiet, reciting Shakespearean sonnets in my head. I made pancakes for the kids. I made French toast for Derek. But I couldn’t get my encounter with Mel out of my head.<\/p>\n
He was relieved, smug even. I’m sure he thought that I had slept on it and had finally let it go.<\/p>\n
“It’s good to see you so chipper, Rach,” he said. “You know I love that smile.”<\/p>\n
I wanted to slap him.<\/p>\n
Focus on Shakespeare, Rach, I thought to myself.<\/p>\n
“Derek, can I see the pawnshop receipt?” I asked, pretending that I just wanted to make sure everything could be bought back.<\/p>\n
He rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically but eventually handed it over.<\/p>\n
“Nora,” I called, watching her pick at her pancakes. “Do you want to come with Mommy today? We’re going to look for Grandma’s jewelry.”<\/p>\n
“Yes!” she said excitedly.<\/p>\n
I wasn’t sure about taking my child to a pawnshop, but if I’m being honest, that little girl was the only thing that would keep me calm.<\/p>\n
We got ourselves dressed and found ourselves standing outside the pawnshop.<\/p>\n
“We’re buying the jewelry, Mom?” Nora asked.<\/p>\n
“Indeed we are, baby girl,” I said.<\/p>\n
And just like that, I went in and tracked down my mother’s jewelry. It wasn’t difficult, but I had to convince the owner that it was mine.<\/p>\n
“It would make a good anniversary present for my wife,” he said. “But you look like you’re going to cry your little heart out.”<\/p>\n
“It’s my mom’s, sir,” I said. “Please.”<\/p>\n
I think he was more floored by being called sir that he just gave it over, not even trying to exploit me with the price.<\/p>\n
I kept the receipt. For later.<\/p>\n
There was only one piece left.<\/p>\n
The earrings.<\/p>\n
The ones that Derek’s mistress had been flaunting.<\/p>\n
I knocked on her door, and when she opened it, I held up my mother’s will, specifically reading out that the jewelry was mine. I also had a picture of her wearing the set at her wedding.<\/p>\n
Then, I showed her the necklace and bracelet I had reclaimed.<\/p>\n
“These are part of a set,” I said. “They’re family heirlooms, and I need the earrings back. They were not Derek’s to give.”<\/p>\n
Her face paled, and her jaw dropped.<\/p>\n
“Rachel… I had no idea,” she stammered. “I thought it was a gift from Derek. I didn’t know that it was yours! I had no idea that it was your… mother’s.”<\/p>\n
She looked down, something shifting in her expression. Disappointment. Then realization.<\/p>\n
“I should have known,” she muttered. “I thought he was being sweet and romantic… but,” she trailed off, shaking her head.<\/p>\n
Then, without another word, she ran into her house, returned with the earrings, and placed them in my outstretched hand.<\/p>\n
“Here,” she said. “These don’t belong to me. And honestly, neither does Derek. But he doesn’t belong to you either. Rachel, if it was this easy for him to get with me…”<\/p>\n
I knew what she was saying. I understood it loud and clear.<\/p>\n
“Hell hath no fury…” I said. “I know. I’ll deal with him.”<\/p>\n
“Rachel, I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. It was just that Derek gave me the attention that I craved. This divorce… it took a part of me when it ended. I don’t know who I am without my husband. Ex-husband, I mean. Derek swept me off my feet and made me feel normal again. I’m so sorry.”<\/p>\n
I looked at her and smiled. I knew what it felt like to have a part of me missing, but mine was due to death and grief, not cheating.<\/p>\n
“Thank you for saying that, Mel,” I said, turning away.<\/p>\n
Later
\nI waited until he was back at work and the paperwork was finalized.<\/p>\n
And then I took the divorce papers to his office and handed them to him in front of his boss and coworkers.<\/p>\n
“You shouldn’t have given away my things, Derek. I mean, really. You gave my mother’s earrings to your mistress?” My voice was louder than I expected. “You stole from me. You betrayed me. And that’s your final mistake in our marriage. This cannot be fixed. I don’t want you.”<\/p>\n
Then, I turned and walked away.<\/p>\n
He begged, of course.<\/p>\n
But I was done.<\/p>\n
He had taken the last piece of my mother I had left. He had lied. He had brushed off my pain. And he had betrayed our family.<\/p>\n
And now? That man has nothing. Between alimony and child support, he had little to nothing left to his name.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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