C1

Jane's eyes fluttered open, her body still aching from the fitful sleep she'd managed to snatch throughout the night. The room was dim, the sunlight barely peeking through the drawn curtains. She reached over to her side, expecting to find the warmth of her husband's body nestled against hers. But the bed was cold, empty. A chill ran down her spine.

She sat up slowly, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. Alex had been gone for hours. He'd left without a word, as he had so many times before. But this time, something felt different. Something in the pit of her stomach told her that this time, he might not be coming back.

Jane threw back the covers and climbed out of bed, her feet padding across the wooden floor. She stopped in front of the mirror, taking in her reflection. Her usually neatly styled hair was a mess, her eyes red and puffy from tears. She looked like she'd been through the wringer. And she had. She'd been married to Alex for five years, and in that time, she'd never felt so alone.

She walked down the hall, the familiar creak of the floorboards underfoot somehow amplifying the emptiness that seemed to surround her. She paused outside the door to their bedroom, her hand hovering over the knob for a moment before she turned it slowly. The room was just as she'd left it, the sheets still rumpled from their restless night.

Her heart pounding, Jane made her way to Alex's dresser, her fingers trembling as she searched through the drawers. She knew she wouldn't find anything incriminating, but the need to understand, to know what he'd been thinking, was overwhelming. And then, buried beneath a stack of clean laundry, she spotted it. A crumpled piece of hotel stationery.

Her heart stopped. She knew immediately what it was. Alex had been having an affair. The thought made her want to retch and made the room spin around her. She forced herself to breathe slowly, to steady her shaking hands as she unfolded the note. The words were cold, and cruel, like they'd been ripped from her own heart:

"I'm sorry, Jane. I never wanted this. I never wanted you."

Her vision blurred with tears, and she felt a hot, stinging pain behind her eyes. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. She sank onto the edge of the bed, her head in her hands, as the weight of the truth settled heavily upon her shoulders.

Finally, she mustered the courage to confront him. She took a deep breath, smoothed her hair, and marched downstairs, her steps echoing through the empty house. She found Alex in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked up when she entered, his face a mask of surprise and guilt.

"Where have you been?" she demanded, her voice trembling with anger and hurt. "You left me a note. Do you have any idea how that made me feel?"

Alex set his coffee down, his expression unreadable. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "I didn't know what else to do."

Jane glared at him, her eyes burning with fury. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? Did you think I was stupid?"

He winced at her words but said nothing.

"Well, let me tell you something, Alex," Jane continued, her voice growing stronger with every word. "I did find out. And I am not stupid. And I will not be made a fool of anymore."

Alex looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "I never touched you, Jane," he said, his voice barely audible. "I never wanted that. I never wanted you."

The words cut through Jane like a knife. She felt as if he'd punched her in the gut. "So what was it then?" she asked, her voice breaking. "What did you want?"

He looked at her, his eyes filled with pain. "I wanted to be free," he said simply. "I wanted to be with someone who made me happy."

The air in the room seemed to crackle with tension. Jane felt as if she might explode with anger and hurt. "So you just decided to leave?" she asked, her voice shaking. "You just decided that it was easier to walk away than to deal with me?"

Alex winced, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed hard. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "I never meant for it to happen. I never meant for you to find out."

Jane took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside her. She wanted to scream, to break something, to make him hurt the way he'd hurt her. But she knew that wouldn't change anything. This was the end.

"Then it seems we have nothing left to say," she said, her voice cold and distant. "You should go. Get your things. And leave."

Alex's face crumpled, and he opened his mouth to speak. But Jane didn't give him the chance. She turned on her heel and walked out of the room, her shoulders slumped in defeat. As she climbed the stairs, she could hear the soft sobbing coming from their bedroom. She knew that it was her crying, but somehow it didn't seem real. It was as if she were watching someone else's life unfold before her eyes.

She crawled back into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. The bed was still empty, but she didn't care. She knew that she would never be able to sleep in it again. The room grew dark, and eventually, she drifted off to sleep. But even in her dreams, she was alone.

The next day, she awoke to the harsh glare of the morning sun streaming through the window. Her eyes felt gritty and heavy as if she hadn't slept at all. She forced herself to get out of bed, knowing that she had to face the day. As she made her way downstairs, she could still smell Alex's presence in the house, like a ghost haunting her every move.

She sat at the kitchen table, staring out the window, feeling hollow and empty. Her mind raced with a million thoughts and emotions, but she couldn't seem to focus on any one of them. She tried to eat something, but her appetite had deserted her. She didn't know what to do with herself.

She thought about calling her friends, but she didn't want to talk to anyone. She thought about going to work, but she didn't want to face anyone either. In the end, she decided to take the day off. She needed time to process what had happened, to try and understand how everything had gone so wrong.

The hours dragged on, and she found herself wandering around the house. She went to Alex's study, where she found a letter he'd written her it was a divorce letter. She sat down at his desk, the scent of his cologne filling her nose, and read the words he'd written, feeling a sharp pang of disappointment and pain. But even as she read them, she knew that the man who'd written those words no longer existed. He'd left her, and taken a part of her with him.

Late in the afternoon, there was a knock at the door. She hesitated, her heart racing, before finally forcing herself to go and answer it. It was her neighbor, Mrs. Wilson. The old woman's kind eyes studied her face, and she knew that she'd already guessed what had happened. Without saying a word, Mrs. Wilson wrapped her in a warm embrace, letting Jane cry onto her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, dear," she whispered. "I'm here for you if you need someone to talk to."

Jane pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thank you," she managed to choke out. "I appreciate it."

Mrs. Wilson nodded understandingly. "Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?" she suggested. "I've got plenty to eat, and it's the least I can do."

No, I would like to be alone, Mrs. Wilson," Jane replied softly, her voice barely audible above the sound of her heart breaking. "But thank you."

Jane watched as her neighbor's face fell, and she felt a stab of guilt. Mrs. Wilson had only been trying to help, but Jane couldn't bring herself to accept anyone's kindness right now. She didn't deserve it.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I'll be okay. Really. I just need some time alone."

Mrs. Wilson nodded understandingly, her wrinkled hand patting Jane's arm. "All right, dear. I'll check on you tomorrow, and if you change your mind, you know where I live."

Jane managed a small, sad smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Wilson."

As the door closed behind her neighbor, Jane was once again alone. She went back upstairs to her bedroom, flopping down on the bed, her whole body feeling heavy and numb. She stared at the ceiling, watching the shadows dance across the wall, and wondered what she was supposed to do now. One part of her wanted to scream and rage and tear the world apart, while another part just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry herself to sleep. But neither of those options seemed possible anymore.

She jumped out of bed and walked into her luxurious walk-in closet, she used to love to walk in there just to enjoy the view of luxury brands but they were no longer pleasing to the eyes. She retched at the view of them, as they reminded her of this god-forsaken marriage. She picked up her favorite dress which she never wore, a knee-length tight-fitting red dress. She placed it on the bed and entered the bathroom, she cut her long shining ebony black hair to shoulder length. And shaved all her unwanted hair clean before taking a quick shower to feel fresh and new.

She looked at herself in the mirror, at her new haircut, her bare shoulders, and the short dress that she wore adding to it a dark red lip gloss. It was a whole new Jane, a Jane who was not afraid to be herself anymore. She felt a sense of freedom wash over her as she realized that she could finally start over.

She decided to enjoy a single night of new Jane, she picked up her phone and some cash before going out into the night. With a mind of enjoying a night of passion and not coming back a virgin.

She went to the club, the music was loud and the atmosphere was electric. People were dancing and laughing, their bodies moving in rhythm to the beat. Jane scanned the crowd, she spotted two familiar figures she could never forget. Her husband or should we say ex-husband and her beloved younger sister in a passionate kiss not caring about the masses. She felt her heart shatter into a million pieces all over again.