Chapter 2: Everything She Forgot
I barely slept that night.
Clara’s message stayed on my mind until sunrise.
“Choosing them over me.””
Those words felt strange because, in my entire marriage, I had never made Clara feel like second place.
At least, I believed I hadn’t.
The next morning, I found her sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee untouched in front of her. She had a folder beside her, and the sight of it immediately made my stomach tighten.
“Is that divorce paperwork?”” I asked.
She looked up calmly.
“No.””
“Then what is it?””
She placed her hand over the folder.
“Proof that we need to start making different decisions.””
I sat across from her.
“Clara, I don’t understand what you want from me.””
She took a deep breath.
“I want a husband who prioritizes our future.””
“Our future?””
“Yes. Our family. Our lifestyle.””
I stared at her.
“Your lifestyle?””
She looked uncomfortable for a moment, but then she continued.
“You don’t realize how expensive everything has become. The house, the cars, the property. We need to think about ourselves.””
I almost smiled because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Clara, when have I not thought about us?””
She opened the folder.
Inside were printed statements, expenses, and notes she had made.
“I’m saying we need boundaries.””
I leaned forward.
“Boundaries with my parents?””
She avoided my eyes.
“They have their own life.””
“My parents are seventy years old.””
“And we have our own responsibilities.””
I stood up slowly.
“Do you hear yourself?””
Her voice became sharper.
“Yes, I hear myself. I’m finally saying what I should have said years ago.””
That sentence hurt more than I expected.
“Years ago?””
“Yes.””
I looked at her.
“What have I done wrong?””
For a moment, she was quiet.
Then she said something I never expected.
“You make me feel like I have to compete with them.””
The kitchen suddenly felt smaller.
“Compete?”” I repeated.
“Yes.””
I thought about my father working before sunrise his entire life. I thought about my mother saving coins in a jar so I could buy school books. I thought about everything they had given me before I ever had anything to give back.
“Clara,” I said, “my parents are not your competition.””
She looked away.
“Maybe not to you.””
I walked toward the window.
Outside, the Toyota Yaris sat quietly in the driveway.
A simple car.
A simple act of kindness.
Yet somehow, it had exposed something much bigger.
I turned back to her.
“Do you remember the Mercedes?””
She frowned.
“What about it?””
“I bought that because you told me you always dreamed of owning a beautiful car.””
She said nothing.
“Do you remember the plantation?””
Her expression changed.
“I remember.””
“I put three hectares under your management because I wanted you to feel like you had something of your own.””
“I know.””
“Do you remember when you needed money to start your business?””
She looked down.
“Yes.””
“I never questioned you.””
Her eyes lifted.
“And now you’re counting what you gave me?””
“No,” I said quietly.
“I’m reminding you because you seem to have forgotten.””
The room went silent.
I continued.
“I gave you comfort. I gave you trust. I gave you everything I could. But when my parents needed one small thing, suddenly I became selfish?””
Clara’s jaw tightened.
“You’re making me the villain.””
“I’m telling you how I feel.””
“No. You’re making me feel guilty.””
I looked at her.
“Because you feel guilty?””
She pushed the folder away.
“You don’t understand.””
“Then help me understand.””
She stood up.
“I’m tired of feeling like your family can always ask for something and you’ll say yes.””
“My parents rarely ask me for anything.””
“That’s not the point.””
Again.
Those words.
The same words from yesterday.
I realized she had no argument about the car.
She had an argument about the fact that I still had love left for people who existed before her.
Before I could respond, her phone buzzed on the table.
She looked at the screen.
The color drained from her face.
I noticed immediately.
“Who is it?””
She quickly turned the phone over.
“Nobody.””
But I had already seen enough.
A name.
A name I didn’t recognize.
“Clara,” I said slowly, “who just texted you?””
She didn’t answer.
“Who is Daniel?””
May you like
Her eyes widened.
And in that moment, I knew the Toyota Yaris was not the biggest problem in our marriage.
