“Second chances still exist.”
---
— Cecile —
Audra McDonald had been married for years without a child. Her husband’s love for her waned with each passing year of empty cradles and silent halls, until it finally shattered. The decline was slow, subtle at first—a missed kiss, a glance that lingered too long at another woman—but when it came to light, it tore her apart.
“Why should I feel guilty or remorseful?” Michael had shot back when she confronted him about his affair. His tone was sharp, unforgiving. “You’ve never given me a child and don’t have enough libido to match my energy, so why should I feel guilty for cheating?”
The words stung. His eyes, bloody red with anger and resentment, bored into her.
“But you promised, Michael,” she whispered, her voice trembling with indignation and exhaustion. “You made a vow to me before man and God to remain faithful. But you broke it.”
“I did,” he admitted, unflinching. “But didn’t you also vow to be the woman of my dreams? The mother of my kids? It’s been five years, Audra. Five years of nothing—absolutely nothing.” He swallowed hard, his words sharp as arrows aimed straight at her heart. “We’ve tried everything—IVF, embryo planting, consultations with specialists—and still, nothing.”
“Mic, don’t—” she tried to stop him, to shield herself from the onslaught of his cruel words.
“I’ve wondered, Audra,” he continued, cutting through her weak protest, “if you’re even a real woman. Let’s be honest—you’re no different from a man.”
That was the final straw. Audra’s palm flew across his face before she even realized it.
“You... slapped me?” Michael’s hand flew to his cheek as he stared at her, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief. For a moment, he didn’t recognize the woman standing before him. Where was the docile, kind woman he had married?
“I did,” Audra replied, her voice steady, her arms crossed defiantly over her chest. “And so what?”
“You vowed to respect me,” Michael hissed, his voice dripping with condescension. “To show me reverence, to let me lead and follow alongside me. And now?”
Audra’s heart burned with fury, but she met his gaze with unwavering strength. “You broke the vow the day you called me barren,” she said, her voice heavy with pain. The memory was fresh, the wound still raw. How could the man she loved with every fiber of her being reduce her to such cruel words?
Michael stepped closer, his voice cold and final. “And you broke yours when you hit me today. It’s over.”
Audra felt the world crumble around her as the words sealed the wreckage of her five-year marriage.
Michael wasted no time burning the remnants of their union—the marriage certificate, wedding photos, even their wedding outfits. He wanted to erase every trace of their life together, and he succeeded. Their shotgun wedding in Las Vegas had left little behind to hold onto.
“You’ll hear from my lawyer on Monday,” he said before walking out of the house and out of her life forever.
“God... is this your will?” Audra collapsed on the couch, her body trembling as the tears came in relentless waves. Days turned to weeks, her grief pouring out in the quiet hours of loneliness. It was her best friend, Preye, who finally pulled her back from the edge.
“Are you writing already, Cec?” I glanced back at the bed, where she was sprawled out, her eyes fluttering open lazily.
“Yes,” I replied, a smile tugging at my lips. Writing always made me feel alive, as if I were creating worlds out of nothing.
“But it’s late,” she said, her voice groggy.
“I know. I’m more creative at night, remember?”
She chuckled softly, her eyes closing again. “Yeah, and I’m always half-asleep by now.”
I turned back to my laptop, my fingers flying across the keyboard as the story unfolded, unplotted and unplanned. I couldn’t wait to see where it would lead me.
---
Life without Michael was tough, but it brought a strange sense of relief. No one was there to remind her of her “barrenness,” to hurl cruel words in her direction. Yet the echoes of his voice lingered, haunting her in the quiet moments.
Had she truly accepted the doctor’s reports as her reality? Was that what all this was about?
Barely two weeks after Michael walked out, the divorce was finalized. He moved to New York City—the city of his dreams.
Not bad, I guess.
---
Audra stood outside the grocery store, the journey there feeling longer than usual. She had struggled with her energy lately, but today was different. Today, she felt lighter.
At the ice cream counter, a woman argued with the salesman. “Can I have an extra ice cream for my daughter, please?”
“But she’s already had two,” the man replied kindly.
“That’s my business, not yours,” the woman snapped.
Audra shook her head, the memory of Michael’s biting words rising unbidden. “That’s a real woman over there... unlike you.”
The pain was still fresh, but she had grown stronger. She was learning to carry the scars without letting them define her.
“Momma?”
Audra turned, startled to find a little girl staring up at her with wide, innocent eyes.
“Hey,” she said softly, kneeling to meet her gaze. “I’m not your—”
“Audra?”
The voice stopped her cold. Familiar, yet distant.
She looked up to see a man she hadn’t seen in years. “Simeon Crowder?”
Her head spun as memories of the past collided with the present. Before she could process it, darkness closed in.
The last thing she heard was his panicked voice. “Audra, love... no!”
---
A/N: What do you think, guys?