1

528words2026-01-26 09:14

In the passenger seat of Nathan Spencer’s luxury car,I found torn stockings and a woman’s perfume.He brushed it off:“New assistant at the company,she’s clueless.”
I demanded a divorce.He looked stunned as he asked,“Over this?”
“Yes,because of this!”

…
I’m not as petty as you think.
But when I sat in his Porsche and spritzed perfume,he snatched it,tossed it out the window,and sneered,
“How many times have I told you?No perfume in my car!”
At that moment,I gave a bitter smile.
So when I saw the torn stockings and perfume in his car,I knew it wasn’t about hating scents—it was about who was allowed to have them.

Clearly,I wasn’t the one for whom he’d break his rules for.
After three years of marriage,Nathan went from entry-level to corporate elite.Everyone called him Mr.Spencer.
Me?Just the wife trailing behind, allegedly a freeloader.
No one knew that I co-founded his company.When he nearly drank himself to kidney failure wining and dining clients,I begged him to rest, but he refused.

Heartbroken,I stepped back and handled logistics so that he could shine.
But Nathan seemed to have forgotten that I was once a star in the business world as well.
I stepped down out of love,yet now he saw me as a leech.
At the office,I sent him divorce papers.He froze and asked,“What’s this?”
“Emily Harper,are you cheating on me?”
I gave a bitter laugh and said“You’d know if I was,wouldn’t you?”
He took a deep breath and asked“So it’s because we haven’t had kids in three years?”
“I’ve said I don’t want them!Can’t you and your parents stop pushing?”
“By your parents”, you mean my mom and dad.
Last Memorial Day,at a family dinner,my mom hinted at having kids.
Nathan got upset because he hated her pressure.
He claimed poor health at first,but after I quit to cook and care for him,he turned out to be fine.
“No,”I said,pulling out a cigarette.
Before I could light it,Nathan slapped it away and shouted,
“Emily!Since when do you smoke?I can’t stand perfume,and you want me to choke on smoke?”
I stared at the red mark on my hand.Fury rising,I demanded,
“Can’t stand perfume?Then what’s with the perfume in your car?And those torn stockings?”
“Your standards only apply to me!If you want to know why I want a divorce,figure it out!”
It was the first time I had yelled at him.Nathan froze and then fell silent.
“Sign the papers.Let’s part amicably.”
Seeing that I was serious,he got angry and shouted,“She’s a new hire with connections.Why else would I tolerate her?”
“Emily,if you weren’t sitting at home doing nothing,would I be this stressed?”
Nathan didn’t realize that his complaints were filled with disdain.
Not anger—just pure contempt.
I scoffed and said,“If I’m such a burden,why not divorce me?”
“Sign!”
He refused,shouting and kicking me out.
As I left,the office fell silent.I spotted a young woman smirking at me.
“So you’re Emily.Mr.Spencer’s been so stressed.Don’t take it personally.”
Her badge read“Executive Assistant.”She was the woman from his car.
No wonder Nathan preferred her delicate charm to mine.
I ignored her and walked out.She followed and said,
“Emily,if I were you,I’d leave.Freeloading isn’t easy,especially when you’re useless to him!”