I Saw You

Who would’ve thought that a cracked door would lead someone on a brighter path. Jolene certainly hadn’t.

She was twenty-six and engaged to her high-school sweetheart, Lewis. If she wasn’t working hard at her job, she was managing the preparations for their upcoming wedding; happiness was a great motivator. Thinking back, his lack of input should’ve been a red flag.

She came home earlier than usual one afternoon. She didn’t text him to let him know; she figured it’d just be a happy surprise. She remembered feeling excited, ready to get back into planning and spend a little extra time with him. She remembered doing a little happy dance when she got onto the porch, keys jingling with her movement; the wedding was only a few months away.

The door was unlocked; she remembered this because, usually, it wasn’t. Lewis always made a fuss about it, always saying “the door should always be locked unless you’re expecting someone or you’re stepping out”. So, instead of registering it as the second red flag it was, she assumed he was expecting a late package or maybe one of her future in-laws was coming over to visit.

She’d gone inside. She remembered the faint sound of romantic music, coming from upstairs. She followed the sound, out of curiosity; it led to their bedroom, the door cracked open, melodies flowing out from within.

She heard them before she saw them, barely but still, she heard them; their moans of ecstasy, the groans of passion. She remembered denying it, thinking he was just getting his rocks off as he watched porn. But, then, she peeked inside and saw them; bare, his body between her open legs, the headboard hitting the wall but the sound was masked by the loud music, barely heard like she barely heard their pleasure.

She remembered freezing, staring in shock. Her thoughts roamed.

He has another woman in our bed.

He’s fucking another woman in our bed.

How many times has he done this in our bed?

How many times has he done this with our neighbor’s wife?

Was it only with her or was there others, too?

Her body shook, her legs trembled. She backed away, as silent as when she arrived, and left the house, leaving the door unlocked.

She went to her best-friend’s house, cried and spilled everything she’d seen. Miley was angry for her, held her and cursed Lewis’ name. She invited their other friends over, the ones who would’ve been bridesmaids like Miley would’ve been the maid of honor.

Only Tatiana showed up.

More of the truth came out that night; the other “friends”, Christine and Diana, had slept with Lewis. In fact, they were still sleeping with him, just on certain days; Christine had revealed it all, all the texts and everything from the group chat between the three of them and the neighbor’s wife. It was absolutely disgusting.

Even with the evidence, Diana kept denying it and was calling Jolene a bridezilla, even though it didn’t make any sense in that context.

In the end, Christine and Diana were blocked, and Jolene scheduled an appointment to get tested. She also texted Lewis, just a simple “I know”; he didn’t reply until the morning, when he realized she wasn’t home.

Know what?

Ten minutes later…

It was a mistake. She was the only one.

Thirty minutes later…

I’m sorry. They just reminded me so much of you and I was so lonely when you were working.

Excuse after excuse. No real apology.

She never answered him. Instead, she called sick from work and started cancelling the wedding. A lot of money couldn’t be refunded; it sucked. She told her would’ve been in-laws everything; they took Lewis’ side, of course, saying “it was a mistake”, “everyone does this before they’re married”, “we know you sleep with your coworkers so it’s only fair”, and so on, an endless amount of excuses for why he cheated on her.

Her own family reacted like how Miley did; angry for her.

For the weeks that followed, Lewis texted and called until he was blocked by everyone, and he kept showing up at Miley, Tatiana, and Jolene’s parents’ houses with roses and half-assed non-apologies until restraining orders were threatened.

Then, there was just silence on his end; his family, on the other hand, also harassed everyone endlessly, even when restraining orders were put in place for them.

Avril Lavigne’s “My Happy Ending” became Jolene’s song for months, alongside “Broken; Healing” by Anna Grey. With a lot of time, Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” became her theme song.

Nearly a year after their breakup, Lewis showed up again while Jolene and her friends were celebrating Miley’s birthday. A lot of yelling happened; her friends screeching at him. In the end, Jolene decided she needed a proper close to it all, so they talked privately at his car.

He looked wrecked; tired, messy, dirty. She was happy to learn she didn’t care about the man’s wellbeing, a sure sign she was completely over him.

“I made a mistake,” he started. “It didn’t mean anything. I just—”

“Had sex with three different women, on different days, for months in our bed,” she said, cutting him off. “That’s not a mistake; it’s a conscious decision. You’re only sorry I caught you in the act.”

He flinched. “…I was drunk.”

She stared blankly. “Every single day for months?”

He looked sheepish. “…Yes?”

“You’re terrible at lying,” she stated.

He tried again. “I miss you. Nothing has been the same without you around.”

She just shrugged. “You’ll get used to it eventually. I did.” She walked away and went inside. It took forty minutes for him to leave.

Now, it’s been six years since she’d gotten her closure. And life couldn’t be any greater.

She owns a café with her best-friend and it’s doing very well. When she isn’t busy with that, she’s busy living life; she packs her son’s lunch, has laundry “fights” with her husband, and gets the nursery ready for the little girl they’ll be meeting soon.

She’d met her husband, Steve, six months after she’d last seen her ex. Miley and herself had just opened their café three days prior. He was one of their customers; he came for coffee and sweets, but stayed for the company. He was kind, funny, patient, engaging, always interested in hearing anything she talked about.

They started dating within a month. And got married within a year. Their son, Dustin, is a toddler and their daughter, Zelda, will be born in three months. It’s the happy ending she always wished for.

But even happy endings get disturbed.

While she’s grocery shopping one day, she sees Lewis again. He tries to make small talk. She accepts, remaining civilized as long as he doesn’t do anything stupid. Or say anything stupid.

She learns he married and divorced Diana; she cheated, no real surprise there. She learns he’s dating Christine; automatically, she knows it’ll end the same exact way. He asks about Tatiana and Miley; they’re married now, to each other, and it’s Tyrone, not Tatiana. He asks about her, looking hopeful; she tells the truth, she’s happily married and expecting a second child. He deflates and wishes her well before walking away.

She feels absolutely nothing. No hatred. No sadness. No pain. Just…nothing. He's just another stranger in a store full of strangers.

He’ll probably always think about her; she’s the one that got away. She hasn’t thought about him in years, not in the way he wants her to. Even now, after seeing him again, he’s just a fleeting thought.

After all, all he ever would’ve been was her unhappy ending.

~~~~~~~~~~

I watch a lot of Charlotte Dobre (especially recently), who reads reddit posts that center on bad boyfriends/girlfriends, in-laws, family, and/or friends. I decided to take inspiration from that. It's crazy how often this shit happens to people. I hope it doesn't happen to me and I hope it doesn't happen to you.