I knew you were going to leave me eventually. I know you want another baby, but I don’t think I’ll ever be ready again after losing Aurora. I watched you pull away, and I just waited for the moment when you realized you deserved more. I won’t fight with you. I want you to have the life you deserve, while giving Caleb the best childhood possible. I’m sorry for all your pain. I truly am.

Love,

Gretchen

Her stomach rolled as she slid her finger beneath the thick flap of the manila envelope. She pulled out the papers, unmistakably divorce papers. She knew they existed, so why was she filled with so much horror as she read them? Irreconcilable differences caught her eye immediately. She scanned the rest of the legal mumbo jumbo and felt the color drain from her face. Gretchen wanted full custody of Caleb. She knew Gretchen was fucked up for even saying it once, but to go and actually file for it? Jax felt sick. She crumpled the papers into a ball and put the truck in drive. She sped the entire way home and pulled into her driveway at an angle. She slammed the truck door and marched into the house. Gretchen was on the couch reading.

“Hey,” Gretchen said. “Why—what are you doing home?” She looked frightened.

Jax threw the balled-up papers at Gretchen. “I found the divorce papers,” she said, struggling to keep her voice even. “You were going to take Caleb from me.”

“What?” Gretchen smoothed out the papers and read them. “There must be a mistake.”

“It’s all spelled out right there. You wanted full custody. I know we were both hurting, but Jesus, Gretchen, what kind of monster are you?” She wanted to cry, but she was so angry her body couldn’t work properly. Like she was experiencing a traffic jam of emotion.

“I don’t understand why I would do this.”

“Try!”

Gretchen looked at her with tear-filled eyes. “I don’t know,” she said, her voice shaking.

“You’re going to pretend you had no idea about this?”

“I didn’t.”

“You knew we were going to fuck but had no idea that was in your nightstand drawer? You expect me to believe this magical power you woke up with only predicts things that are beneficial for you, but everything else was just plucked from your memory?”

“Jax, please believe me when I say I didn’t know.” Gretchen stood and took cautious steps toward her. “I don’t want any of what’s in these papers.”

“We’ve done some fucked-up things to each other,” she said, her fury dissipating to unrestrained sadness. This was their story, and it was destined to end unhappily. “And I do believe you now, but if you were capable of doing this once, I can’t trust that you wouldn’t do it again.”

“I won’t.”