Then I picked up my purse.
“I just didn’t need to change for you.”
Hannah and I exchanged a glance.
Then we both walked away.
I didn’t look back at Ryan sitting there with the black box, divorce papers, and two dinner bills spread across the table.
Before I reached the hotel lobby, my phone buzzed.
The babysitter had sent me a picture of my daughter asleep in her crib, one tiny hand curled beside her face.
She went down without a fuss. Sleep well.
I stared at the photo for a moment.
A year earlier, the thought of Ryan leaving had terrified me. I’d imagined myself exhausted and alone with a baby, wondering how I could possibly manage without him.
Now I finally understood what I hadn’t been able to see then.
Being alone was never the frightening part.
Living beside someone who convinced me I was never enough was.
