30 Days Till I Divorce My Husband

Chapter 13

For some reason, Jason felt like those words were aimed at him, like she was telegraphing her own feelings in a roundabout way. She was trying to say that she’d put in the effort, she’d been committed, and if he was even considering a divorce, he better be ready for Estrella to take the gloves off and fight tooth and nail for what she deserved.

“Ms. Estrella, I get the logic, but I just can’t swallow it. He just dusts off his hands after the divorce and marries some young thing in the blink of an eye. And me? What about all my years of youth, and everything I’ve done for this family, and for him?” she raged over the phone. “Am I supposed to go find myself some young stud now?”

Estrella replied with a chuckle, “Why not? Jo, you can snag a young one too.”

The woman on the other end of the line burst into laughter, “Ms. Estrella, you’re a breath of fresh air, a real comfort. I love talking to you.”

Estrella quipped back, “I’m just picking up tips from your experiences, Jo.”

Jason’s expression darkened. It seemed Estrella was using these divorce cases as

-practice, hustling to build an empire for some young gun in her future.

“Ms. Estrella, you’re young, and you don’t understand. Me and my husband, we met in our twenties, back when he was…”

The woman on the phone was ready to pour her heart out, and Estrella listened intently, feeling a crick in her neck, so she sprawled on the bed with the phone clutched to her ear. Lying down, she covered the mouthpiece and whispered to Jason, “Client’s going through a tough divorce. I need to comfort her.”

Jason gave her a nonchalant look and went back to his book.

The client talked and talked, from how she met her husband thirty years ago, to how she supported him through their struggles, their children, and everything.

This went on from early evening until nearly midnight, and Estrella dozed off unknowingly on the bed while the middle-aged woman kept on about her hardships.

At that moment, he profoundly appreciated Estrella’s stoicism and brevity. Otherwise, he felt he might

deep breath, “Ms. Estrella, thank you for listening all night. It’s late, and you have work

phone and responded with a

15:21

woman, too caught up in her own emotions, didn’t realize she was speaking to a man and after a few more words with Jason, finally ended the call.

asleep on the bed. He remembered how she came

soured at the thought. Every time she dangled the possibility in front of him, and just when he showed

against him, he kicked her away without thinking.

off the lights and laid down silently beside her. Estrella, like a kitten, snuggled into

time she got to the crux, Jason couldn’t make out the words, but he knew they weren’t

“Jason.”

“Here.”

and pulled

night was serene. The glow from the bedside lamp was a rare warmth in the room as Jason’s thoughts

you’re worse than me.

the Nelson family, would we have

and only time he ever raised his hand to a

switched

morning, as Estrella woke up, Jason was already dressed by the

groggy, muttered, “Jason, we need to make up for last week.” She had intended to get down to business the previous night but somehow had fallen asleep without realizing