A man who frequently ridiculed his jobless wife found himself reevaluating everything when he returned home to find her absent, her departure marked only by a note indicating her intent to divorce. Can he mend their fractured relationship before it’s too late?
On a crisp October morning, Harry was buzzing with anticipation for his upcoming gaming app presentation, a project he had dedicated the last six months to perfecting.
As the clock struck eight, Harry entered the dining room, glued to his phone, barely noticing his wife, Sara, and their sons, Cody and Sonny.
“Morning, honey,” Sara called out.
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“Good morning, Daddy,” the boys said together.
Harry, distracted, grabbed a piece of toast and hurried back to his room.
“Sara, where’s my white shirt?” Harry yelled from his room.
“It’s in the laundry with the whites,” Sara responded.
Harry burst into the dining room, visibly upset. “That’s my lucky shirt! I needed it for today!”
“I didn’t have enough whites for a full load until today. You have other white shirts!”
“This is a big day for me, and you’re making excuses?” Harry snapped back.
“You’re overreacting, Harry. Your presentation matters, not the shirt. Stop making a fuss,” Sara replied calmly.
“Oh really? I’m making a fuss? You want to do this now?”
“Do what, Harry? You’re causing a scene over nothing. No one cares about your shirt color; they’ll be focused on your presentation.”
“A goddamn presentation? Did you just say that? Do you know how hard I’ve been working on this?”
“Watch your language. The kids…”
“You sit at home all day doing nothing,” Harry blurted. “Is it too hard to remember one simple thing? All you do is complain and do NOTHING.”
“Harry, stop. The kids are watching. You’re scaring them.”
“Oh really? And no one notices you on the phone all day gossiping? You could never be a good wife if you can’t even handle one simple task for me!”
Harry dressed in another suit and stormed out, briefcase in hand.
After a successful presentation and securing a promotion, Harry expected an apologetic call from Sara—a usual outcome after their arguments. However, this time, no calls came.
Assuming he’d win an apology anyway, he returned home with white roses, only to find the apartment empty. A note from Sara on the table read, “I want a divorce.”
Confused and concerned, Harry called Sara’s sister, Zara, who informed him that Sara was hospitalized. At the hospital, an irate Zara confronted him. “You told her she wasn’t ‘wife’ enough for you?”
“We’ll talk about this later,” Harry deflected.
Harry met with the doctor. “Doctor, how is my wife? Can I see her?”
“She had a mild attack. She’s stable now but needs rest. Go ahead, but only ten minutes,” the doctor instructed.
Harry entered Sara’s hospital room, trying to smile. “Honey, I’m sorry. Let me explain. I—”
“I don’t want to hear it. I’m done. The only thing I want is a divorce.”
“What? Why…You’re taking this too far.”
“I had dreams, Harry… I chose you over every opportunity, and it ruined me,” she stated. “It’s too late for apologies.”
“Honey, please. We can fix this together,” he pleaded.
“No, I can’t do this anymore. I can’t lie to myself, to you, or to the kids. I’m 32, but I feel ancient. I just despise you, Harry.”
“What about the kids, Sara?”
“I’m in no position to support them… So they’re staying with you.”
Harry left without another word and went to pick up his kids from Zara’s.
That night, after a simple dinner of pizza and ice cream, Harry tucked the kids into bed and called his friend Alex, who suggested Sara might return soon.
The next morning was chaotic. Harry burned the toast and his shirt while preparing the kids for school.
“Daddy…Daddy, what’s happening?” the kids asked amid the commotion.
“It’s just the smoke alarm. Don’t worry,” Harry reassured them, but his day only got more hectic.
He dropped the kids off at school and arrived late at a crucial meeting. “Sorry! Traffic, you know…”
That evening, Harry returned home to a stark reminder of Sara’s absence. Her belongings were missing. “Did she really leave me?” he wondered aloud.
“Daddy, what happened to Mommy’s pictures and her things?” the boys asked.
Stumped, Harry called Zara.
“Is this some kind of joke, Zara? Your sister came here, took all her stuff, and left me? With the kids?”
Zara coldly replied, “She warned you, Harry. You took her for granted.” Then she hung up.
Months passed, and Harry struggled to balance work and fatherhood, leading to a dip in his job performance.
One evening, his boss, Mr. Adams, broached the subject over a beer. “Harry, your performance has slipped. We’ve noticed you’re missing deadlines and arriving late. We’re a business, after all,” Mr. Adams said.
Trying to lighten the mood, Harry joked, “So, you’re firing your best game developer?”
Mr. Adams, serious, replied, “I’m afraid so. It’s out of my hands, but I’ll give you good references.”
“What? Please, don’t do this! My kids depend on this job.”
Mr. Adams remained silent, prompting Harry to leave in frustration. As he walked away, his phone rang—it was Sara.
“Sara?” Harry answered, surprised.
“Harry, can we meet for a quick chat at five? At the café where we first…?” Sara requested.
At the café, Sara and Harry discussed their children. Sara revealed she was in therapy and now sought custody.
“Custody?? How dare you? After you left us?” Harry fumed.
“Harry, I’m their mother. I have rights,” Sara insisted.
“You abandoned them, and now you want to take them away? They’re used to me now,” Harry argued.
Sara stood firm. “I deserve to have them back. I’ll see you in court.”
Days later, as Harry became adept at managing home and a new freelance job, he prepared breakfast for his sons.
“Daddy loves you,” he kissed them goodbye, dropping them off at school before heading to the custody trial.
“Mr. Wills, can you please tell us about your attention to your family while you lived together with my client, Miss Sara?” Sara’s lawyer questioned Harry during the trial.
“I did my best to provide for them. I worked long hours, sometimes overtime. I was busy because I wanted them to have everything they needed,” Harry explained.
“And what about your wife’s ambitions? Did she have career goals?”
“Before the kids…Yes, she wanted to work. But then she stayed home to care for them and the household,” Harry replied.
“So essentially, your wife was your cook, your children’s nanny, your supporter. Did you ever tell her she did nothing at home?”
“I did, yes. It was a moment of frustration. I was late, and—”
“Mr. Wills, were you fired from your job? Why exactly were you fired?”
“Objection, Your Honor. This is irrelevant,” Harry’s lawyer interjected.
“Objection overruled,” the judge decided.
“Thank you, Your Honor,” Sara’s lawyer continued. “Mr. Wills, why were you fired?”
After a heavy pause, Harry looked into Sara’s tearful eyes and confessed. “Because I couldn’t balance work and family. It was too much. But I didn’t give up. I love my kids.”
“Mr. Wills, how are you managing now? How will you support your children?”
“I have a job. I’m a freelance video editor. I can support them well.”
“And what’s the salary of this job? Is it enough?”
“It’s a part-time freelance job. It pays less than before, but I’m managing,” Harry admitted, as the lawyer sarcastically noted his career downgrade. “A freelance job with a low salary, raising two kids in a recession…That’s all, Your Honor.”
Sara was then questioned. “Ms. Sara, can you tell us about your life with your husband?”
“He was always generous with money. We had no financial issues,” Sara stated.
“Did he ever harm you or the kids? Has he ever come home drunk?”
“No, he never hurt us. He’s never come home drunk,” Sara affirmed.
“Your husband has supported you. He’s never been violent. Then why did you leave him and the kids?”
“I had a breakdown. He was always busy. He didn’t notice if I was happy or sad. I couldn’t handle it anymore and left because I wasn’t emotionally stable,” Sara explained.
“And where were you these six months? What were you doing?”
“I was in Chicago, then moved back to Boston and got a job as an interior designer,” Sara replied.
“What’s the guarantee you won’t have another breakdown and abandon the kids again?”
“Objection, Your Honor. This is baseless,” Sara’s lawyer objected.
“Order, order,” the judge commanded.
“I won’t leave them again. My children are my world. I’ll be there for them,” Sara promised.
Two hours later, the verdict was announced. Sara was granted custody of the kids.
“Mr. Wills, you’ll have visitation rights and are required to pay $860 monthly in child support. This case is closed,” the judge declared.
When the day came for the kids to go with Sara, they expressed their desire to stay with both parents.
“You’re just tearing us apart,” Cody said, running to Harry.
“We want both Mommy and Daddy!” Sonny added.
Overwhelmed, Sara hugged them tightly, rethinking her decision.
