Chapter 103

• Haven sat on the worn leather couch, his hands holding the edge of the seat. He gazed vacantly at the wall, trying to comprehend the destruction that had just been emptied on him. His wife, Alexis, had left him for another man. Not just any man, Matthew, a mutual friend.
• He had continuously detected something was off between the two, but to hear the words, the irrevocability in her voice when she said, “I’m leaving you,” was terrible. “I never loved you the way I ought to have, Haven,” she had said, standing within the door of their room with her bag. “Matthew makes me feel lively in a way you never did.” Her voice had been calm, nearly emotionless. Like she had practiced it in her mind so many times, it was basically a script at this point. She didn’t cry, didn’t look back when she walked out. There was no statement of regret for the broken promises, no explanation for the months of lies.
• Now, Haven sat, his mind turning. The purge house was choking. Everything he had worked for, everything he thought he had with Alexis, had been a lie. The doorbell rang, snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts. He scowled, not anticipating anybody. Reluctantly, he dragged himself to the door. When he opened it, standing there was his ex, Vanessa, with a concerned look on her face.