Desperate Paths by E C Diskin

Author:E C Diskin [Diskin, E C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781542040334
Published: 2019-03-18T22:00:00+00:00

After Ginny left the hospital, she drove home, her only game plan being to do the next right thing. If her life was going to blow up, maybe she could control the damage by coming clean. She wanted to get home to her kids, make her family dinner, brew some coffee, and maybe even find a meeting. She’d go to one tonight if Simon was home. If not, first thing tomorrow. She’d gone thirteen years without a drink, but after falling last Saturday night, every sunrise since had brought unbearable pain, stress, and anxiety, leaving her powerless to fight that demon. There had now been five days of failures. She was not going to let there be a sixth. No matter what came next, she couldn’t escape it in a bottle. Her kids needed her.

She made a meat loaf with hash browns and a chopped salad with ranch, the kids’ favorite, and when Simon still hadn’t appeared or called by seven, she fed them and sipped her coffee while they entertained her with stories from their school day. Miraculously, they seemed oblivious to her struggle and absenteeism of the last week. They were gloriously self-absorbed, exactly what she’d needed. They knew their grandpa was in the hospital and that their mom needed to visit him a lot, so neither had complained about the after-school playdates she’d arranged every day. She gazed at their sunny, freckled faces, amazed that out of such horror could come so much light.

Simon finally got home at nine thirty. The kids had already gone to bed, and she watched from the doorway as he roused each child with a good-night kiss. Mikey and Lyla both responded with closed-eye smiles and whispered hellos before returning to their blissful sleep.

“You hungry?” Ginny asked as he came out of Lyla’s room. “I made meat loaf. I can heat you a piece.”

“Sure,” he said. “That would be great. It’s been a long day.”

She prepared his food and placed the plate in front of him, wondering, as she took a seat across from him at the table, if now was the time. It was late, and he was tired, but it felt like the next right thing. Maybe, once she’d confessed, he would understand why she’d done what she did. If he could forgive her, they could get through it and maybe even have a fresh start.

She opened her mouth—pulling the pin from a grenade—and froze, willing the words to come that would cause the blast.

“Ginny,” he said, beating her to the punch, “I want a divorce.”

It was like a slap, stinging her cheek, shocking her entire body. It was a word he’d never used without disdain. In that way he was like her father, who spoke of those who considered divorce as lesser than, godless souls. Marriage was a sacred endeavor, and even though she’d known Simon only three months when he proposed, he’d made clear that his beliefs dictated a lifelong commitment. She’d jumped at the chance. Just twenty-one

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