Everett eventually agreed to repay the money I’d contributed to the renovations through a written repayment plan.
It wouldn’t give me back the job I’d refused or the time I’d spent planning a family.
But I wasn’t leaving without acknowledging what I’d contributed.
On my final afternoon in the house, I opened the closet where I’d hidden our wedding photographs.
Everett had asked me to put them away for one day.
They’d remained hidden while everything we’d built fell apart.
I picked up our largest wedding photograph.
Everett was smiling at me, and I remembered how certain I’d been that we would grow old together.
For weeks, I’d felt embarrassed by how completely I’d trusted him.
But looking at the picture, I realized something.
My promises had been sincere.
I hadn’t done anything wrong by believing his were too.
