Shawn widened his eyes at my words.
“A divorce?” he asked shakily. “You want to divorce me, Jolene?”
I waved the divorce agreement, indicating that I’d already signed it. He grabbed it and ripped it to shreds, roaring, “I’m not divorcing you! We’ll have our own children in the future… I won’t agree to a divorce!”
Jill suddenly fell to her knees before me. “I’m sorry, Jolene. This is all my fault… Shawnie only changed Neil’s name because he pitied Neil. You can be mad at me if it’ll make you feel better. I
I dragged her to her feet and slapped her hard. She cupped her face and looked at me, her gaze indignant and resentful. She couldn’t do anything, though.
“Did you think I wouldn’t do anything to you because that’s how things have always been?” I asked. She lowered her head and backed down, perhaps because the intention in my eyes was too clear.
!
Shawn shielded her with his body and snarled, “This is between you and me, Jolene. Don’t drag someone else into this. It’s a decision I made, so don’t blame her for this. I just didn’t want to see Neil end up insecure because he didn’t have a father.”
His “selfless” words made me want to laugh. I couldn’t help asking, “Have you ever considered how I would feel, Shawn?”
A trace of guilt flickered in his eyes, but he soon regained his composure. “We don’t have any children, so we can just change Neil’s name back once he’s grown up! I can’t be so selfish when it comes to facing a child like him. Why can’t you understand and accommodate me?”
His twisted logic made me realize it was good that we didn’t have children. They wouldn’t be happy growing up in a family like this, anyway.
