I stood there holding the papers, barely able to process what he’d just done.
Eventually, I started walking too, even though I had no idea where I was going.
I hadn’t gotten far when one of Nathan’s classmates stepped in front of me.
He looked genuinely concerned.
Then he lowered his voice and said,
“Before you leave…
there’s something you should know.”
Part 2 ⬇️
His name was Daniel.
He’d been in Nathan’s program since the beginning, and the look on his face told me this wasn’t easy for him to say.
“How long have you known?” I asked.
He hesitated.
“Long enough that I should have told you sooner.
I’m sorry.”
My hands were still shaking, the envelope pressed against my chest.
“Just tell me.”
Daniel glanced over his shoulder, then back at me.
“Nathan didn’t just pass his finals, he passed them with someone else’s help.
Someone who’s been by his side for the last two years.”
I stared at him.
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a woman, she’s a resident at Mercy General.
They’ve been together since his third year.” He paused.
“She helped him study.
She helped him with more than that.”
The ground felt unsteady beneath me.
“He planned this,” Daniel said quietly.
“The papers were ready before the ceremony even started.”
I looked back across the courtyard.
Nathan was standing near the steps with a group of people, laughing, his graduation gown still on.
And then I saw her.
She was standing just behind him, her hand resting lightly on his arm.
She was wearing a white dress.
When she looked up and met my eyes, she didn’t look away.
She smiled.
—
What happened when she walked toward them — and what was inside the second envelope Daniel was holding?
I couldn’t move.
She was still looking at me from across the courtyard, that small smile on her face, Nathan’s arm within easy reach of her hand.
The divorce papers were still in mine.
Daniel touched my elbow.
“Come away from here.
