That night in Seattle, it was pouring rain—the kind of chilly, unrelenting drizzle that gets into your bones.
With her three-year-old son, Ethan, in her arms, Grace Miller stood outside her home, which she had constructed over the course of 10 years of love, perseverance, and sacrifice.
Daniel, her husband, was leaning against the doorframe behind her, one arm wrapped around a young woman wearing a crimson trench coat, beneath the porch light. Like he was bidding farewell to a stranger, his countenance was icy and his eyes were far away.
He stated bluntly, “I told you to pack your things.” “You are the one who is making this more difficult than it has to be.”
Grace didn’t weep. With a wordless nod, she simply tightened her hold on her child and began to walk into the rain.
However, the mistress, Tiffany, rushed after her, her heels splattering on the damp pavement, before she could make it to the end of the driveway.
Tiffany thrust a packet of cash into Grace’s shaking fingers.
Tiffany scoffed, “Here are five hundred dollars.” Look for a motel or accommodations. She only intended to stay for a few days. It’s only three days. Then return.
Grace scowled.
“Why?”
With a sarcastic tone, Tiffany leaned closer and whispered in her ear.
“You’ll
Then, laughing as if she had won, she pivoted on her heel and marched back toward the house with Daniel at her side.
Grace gazed down at the damp bills she was holding. Her pride begged her to discard them.
But she had to keep them because of her circumstances, which included having a little child and nowhere to go.
Three Prolonged Days
For the next three nights, Grace and young Ethan stayed at her old friend’s Tacoma apartment.
She
For years, she had thought her marriage could withstand any hardship.
But the rain that night had destroyed that illusion.
She made an effort to pray.
She made an effort to avoid hatred.
However, she could still hear Tiffany’s final words: “Come back in three days.”
By the fourth day’s dawn, Grace was unable to suppress her interest.
Something about that odd vow bothered her, but not because she wanted Daniel back.
The Fourth Morning
Grace was in disbelief when she got to the house.
Its front door was ajar. The living room was a complete mess, with boxes all over the place, broken glass on the floor, and overturned furniture.
Daniel was sitting in the corner with his head in his hands.
His face was empty and colorless, his shirt was crumpled, and his once-tidy hair was a tangled mess.
There was no sign of Tiffany.
In the doorway, Grace froze.
Daniel slowly raised his head, his eyes puffy and red.
His voice was scratchy as he said, “She’s gone.”” Tiffany took everything with her. My car, my wallet, and my phone. The savings account was completely depleted. She never lived up to her claims.
He gave a shattered laugh.
Next week, the bank will foreclose on the residence. She was a fool for playing me. claimed that her only goal was to “see if I’d really leave you.” As it happens, she was trying to see how foolish I was.
Grace remained silent.
As though she had never left, she simply entered, laid Ethan, who had dozed off in her arms, gently on the couch, and then poured herself a drink of water.
Desperate now, Daniel continued to speak.
“I’ve been such a fool, Grace. You were the reason for everything we constructed. Now I see that. I destroyed happiness, even though I believed I was pursuing it.
He gave her a beseeching look.
“Grace, three days… and it seemed to go on forever. Give me another chance, please.
For a long time, Grace gazed at him—the man who had once been everything to her, now reduced to a stranger by his own decisions.
She then spoke in a stern yet calm voice.
“Don’t say you’re sorry. Express regret to your son for prioritizing himself over his family. You believed that happiness entailed something novel, something thrilling. However, you failed to recognize that the most valuable items are often right in front of you.
With tears streaming down his cheeks, Daniel lowered his head.
Lifting Ethan back into her arms, Grace got up and moved toward the door.
She turned to him one last time before she left.
“Daniel, I don’t hate you. I can’t go back, though. I’ve changed since you tossed me out that evening. I’m going to start over, both for myself and my son. You should learn to safeguard what little civility you still possess.
Then she left, this time on her initiative rather than his.
The dismal clouds were starting to give way to brightness, and the rain had ceased.
Neighbors murmured about the scandal in the weeks that followed, about the wife who found strength in leaving and the once-proud husband who lost everything.
Tiffany, however, was never seen again.
She was allegedly a member of a scam ring that preyed on affluent businesspeople.
Others thought she was just seeking retribution, which is a perverse lesson for men like Daniel.
However, it no longer mattered to Grace.
One night, while rocking Ethan to sleep in their tiny apartment, she whispered as she watched the sunset outside the window:
“I couldn’t provide you the ideal family, sweetie.
However, I will grant you a tranquil existence in which no one ever tells us that we are insufficient.
Grace smiled for the first time in years as the breeze gently rustled through the curtains, removing the final remnant of her former existence.
