Abandoned By My Husband On The Elevator

The moment I found out Elias had rushed out to bring his little assistant flu medicine, completely ignoring metrapped in a broken elevator, my claustrophobia spiralingI filed for divorce.

Elias signed the papers without a second thought, a smug smile playing on his lips. I overheard him telling his friend, "It's just a little tantrum. Her parents are gone, she has no one else. Shes not actually going to leave me."

"Besides," he added, sipping his scotch. "Theres that thirty-day cooling-off period, right? When she regrets it, Ill be magnanimous, forgive her little outburst, and she'll come crawling back."

The very next day, he posted a photo of himself and the assistant, Piper, wearing matching sweaters. The caption: "Capturing all your sweet, shy moments."

I started counting the days.

Calmly, methodically, I packed my things. Then, I dialed a number.

"Uncle Robert, can you book me a flight to New York?"

1

"That's wonderful, Audrey! After all these years, Im so happy youre finally willing to come home." My uncles voice on the other end of the line was bright, soaring with genuine joy.

The moment I hung up, the bedroom door opened. Elias walked in, trailing a sweet, unfamiliar cloud of cheap, cloying perfume. It was overpowering.

"Who was that on the phone?" he asked, though he didn't care. His eyes were glued to his phone screen, not sparing me a glance.

Before I could answer, his phone rang. Pipers excessively saccharine voice chirped from the speaker: "Mr. Thorne, thank you so much for bringing me those meds the other day! If it wasnt for you, my cold would have gotten so much worse. I dont know what Id do without you!"

Elias shot me a look, self-consciously lowering the volume.

I clamped my mouth shut, feeling a profound sense of futility. We were getting divorced anyway, weren't we?

I went back to silently sorting through my belongings and warming a glass of milk.

Elias finished his little moment of tender banter and settled onto the sofa to skim the Wall Street Journal. Out of habit, he reached for the ceramic mug where I usually placed his herbal tea, only to find the spot empty. Finally, he looked at me, his face tight with impatience.

"So I didnt come rescue you when the elevator stalled," he began, his voice flat. "Piper's cousin, who's in med school, said your claustrophobia is just anxiety. Its not a big deal, Audrey. Stop being so dramatic."

"Besides," he added, tossing the paper aside. "You filed for divorce, and I agreed. Do you really need to keep that storm cloud hanging over the house twenty-four seven?"

That night, I had worked late. When the elevator jolted to a stop and the lights flickered out, my phone was almost dead. The familiar, sickening surge of panic hit me. My hands trembling, I managed to call Elias.

His response: "Can't you figure it out yourself? I'm busy."

Then my phone died, and I blacked out.

It was only later I learned he had given his assistant, Piper, a few days offbecause hed been busy delivering flu medicine to her apartment that night.

I filed for divorce.

"Don't worry," I said now, without looking up. "Once the divorce is finalized, you won't have to look at my face at all."

I didnt pause my packing. I thought hed be relieved, but instead, Eliass voice ratcheted up in volume. "Youd better not regret this, Audrey!"

Seeing that I was only focused on my task, he slammed the door and was gone.

I couldnt summon the energy to dissect his emotions. I finished what I was doing, drank my milk, and took a long, hot shower before heading to bed.

A text message from Elias buzzed on my nightstand: "Drunk. Come pick me up. Bring a sports drink."

I didn't want to go. A second text followed immediately: "We haven't gotten the certificate yet. You still have to fulfill your duties as a wife."

Exhausted, I gathered my things and drove out.

When I reached the club entrance, the sound of Elias and Piper giggling was painfully clear, leaking through the heavy mahogany doors.

I thought back to the night I first filed for divorce. He was drunk, and his friend had asked, "Elias, are you really going to let Audrey leave?"

He had scoffed. "Its just a fit of pique. Her parents are gone. She has no one. She'll never actually divorce me."

"Theres a thirty-day cooling-off period. If Audrey backs out, Ill be gracious and shell come straight home."

He thought my being an orphan was a reason for my dependency, never a reason for him to treat me with care and loyalty.

I pushed the door open. Elias looked up, genuinely startled, his brow furrowed in annoyance.

"What are you doing here? Are you tracking me?" he demanded.

I held up my phone. "You texted me to come."

Piper pouted, tugging on his arm. "Mr. Thorne, I just made a little joke about having Audrey come bring the drink. You aren't mad at me, are you?"

Eliass tightly drawn eyebrows immediately softened.

Strangely, I felt no surge of anger, no familiar urge to be hysterical over Piper's taunt or Eliass immediate deference to her. I merely nodded, indicating I understood.

Elias, surprisingly, felt the need to explain. "Audrey, Piper was just here for a business dinner, it's nothing"

I cut him off, reaching out and handing him the sports drink.

He had been drinking and couldn't drive. He settled Piper into a cab, then joined me.

Our ride was waiting across the street.

As I started to walk, Elias suddenly grabbed my arm, pulling me back hard. I only then noticed the car that had whizzed past, barely missing me.

If it hadn't been for him, I would have been hit.

"Watch where youre going," he scolded, his voice sharp with alarm. He didn't let go, his hand gripping mine tightly.

For a moment, I flashed back to every crosswalk wed ever shared, his hand always finding mine. It felt like a lifetime agoso long ago that the touch felt strange and foreign.

Once we crossed, I subtly pulled my hand free.

The next morning, I was getting ready for work. Elias offered to drive me.

"Ill take you."

His business the night before had kept me up late. Taking the subway would make me late now, so I didn't argue.

But as I opened the passenger door, I was assaulted by that same cloying, sweet perfume. The seat cushion was bright pink, with a plush Hello Kitty pillow wedged against the window. A small, glittery decal stuck to the dash read: "Pipers Spot, Hands Off."

Elias, a man renowned for his rigid, uncompromising cleanliness and meticulous order, a man who received industry awards for his disciplined severity, was allowing this childish clutter in his car. It was utterly ridiculous.

A flicker of discomfort crossed his face. He quickly explained: "Piper is just a kid, Audrey. Dont read too much into it."

A "kid" he takes couples photos with? I didn't voice the thought. The day after we filed for divorce, hed posted those pictures with the caption: "Capturing all your sweet, shy moments." Whether it was to punish me for leaving or something else entirely, his heart had moved on long ago. I was just catching up.

I walked around the car. "Ill sit in the back."

"You havent had breakfast." Sensing the uncomfortable silence, Elias passed me a small bottle of chilled milk.

I looked up. There was a clear plastic snack bin wedged into the center console, filled with an array of cookies, dried fruit, and gelatin cups. I remembered his severe germophobia, his steadfast rule: absolutely no eating in his car.

Years ago, Id had a sudden bout of low blood sugar in his car. My lips were white, my vision swimming. I had barely been able to whisper for a sip of my half-finished coffee, and he hadnt allowed it.

Now, Piper had easy access to an entire snack bar and his indulgence.

Love and indifference are never subtle.

I shook my head, declining the milk, and turned to watch the streaming traffic outside the window.

We arrived quickly. I rushed to my desk.

Logically, with the divorce pending, I should have submitted my resignation. But I was tied to two major projects, and my professional sense of responsibility dictated I finish them first.

I worked furiously through the morning and into the afternoon. Lack of sleep made me feel foggy and slow. I reached for my mug to make coffee.

Just then, a delivery guy brought in a massive haul of iced lattes and mini red velvet cakes.

My coworkers immediately cheered.

"Our boss is treating us to afternoon tea! Hes so generous!"

"Are you kidding? It's because Pipers trying to diet and the boss felt sorry for her, so he bought her a treat and just included us as a bonus!"

"Wait, isn't Mr. Thorne married to Audrey?"

"Keep it down, Audrey is right there!"

"Audrey, were just kidding. Don't take it personally."

I looked at the selectionevery single coffee order was a specific iced latte, and every cake was Red Velvet. It was clearly for her. He worried about Piper's diet, so he bought the whole company a treat. A testament to their love.

I, however, was allergic to the kind of syrup in those lattes and hated red velvet.

I remembered when Elias was courting me. It had been just as grand. He'd worried about me skipping meals, so he would invent reasons to keep me late and share dinner with him. Once, when I was sick but insisted on working, hed secretly hidden my medicine in a small chocolate tart, tricking me into taking it just so he could watch my face scrunch up in surprise. Our relationship had made the dull office vibrant.

Now, all that energy and sentiment had been transferred.

I didn't have time to dwell. The project was complex. Id pulled several all-nighters for this. Tonight, it looked like Id be staying late again.

The outside world faded to black. I didn't even notice Elias standing beside my desk until he spoke.

"Audrey, still working?"

I wasn't sure what he wanted. "Mr. Thorne, do you need something?"

He seemed thrown by my formal tone but ignored it, getting straight to the point. "I think we should hand this project over to Piper."

I had prepared myself for anything, but the request still felt like a physical blow.

"Piper has been subjected to too much gossip lately. If this project is credited to her, it will silence the critics who question her ability."

He knew how hard I had fought for this accountthe late nights, the marathon pitch meetings, the sheer exhaustion. And now he was casually suggesting I hand it over to shield her reputation.

Every syllable was about protecting Piper from "gossip," with zero regard for how profoundly unfair this was to me.

I laughed, a dry, humorless sound. The irony was suffocating.

"Fine," I said. "Give it to her. Tell her to come see me tomorrow to transition the files."

I was done. Id done my duty to the company. After tomorrow, I could resign, and she could deal with the messy follow-up.

Elias was clearly surprised by my immediate acceptance.

He pulled a small, velvet box from his pocket. "You always wanted a necklace from this designer, didn't you? I havent been my best self lately. Girls like pretty things. I'll make it up to you, slowly."

It was a brand I loved. Id mentioned wanting one of their pieces months ago. But he hadn't given it to me when I wanted it most, and now the gesture felt hollow. I disliked the pattern of being slapped, then offered a sweet reward.

Once I agreed to the project handover, Elias's voice became noticeably warmer. He draped his tailored suit jacket over my shoulders. "Stop being so difficult. What happened the other day was my fault. Lets go cancel the divorce application this week. And you wanted to go to Napa Valley, right? Ill take you."

I stayed silent. Elias took my quiet as assent and continued to ramble on about their plans.

On the ride home, I checked my social feed. Piper had posted an hour ago. The exact same jewelry brand. The exact same box.

But her necklace was the expensive, limited-edition piece. Mine was the complimentary gift included with the purchase.

How pathetic. He knew exactly what I liked, yet couldn't even be bothered to pick out a unique one for me.

Tomorrow was the last day of the cooling-off period. After tomorrow, Elias and I would be finally, irrevocably finished.

I stood on the balcony, watering the small herb garden Id started. The wedding band on my middle finger suddenly slipped and clattered over the railing.

Instinctively, I leaned over the edge to see where it had fallen.

"What are you doing!" Eliass voice was a roar. He yanked my arm, pulling me back violently.

"Are you insane?! Do you know how dangerous that is?" His eyes were wide with genuine terror and concern.

He still cared about me, after all.

"My ring fell," I murmured.

It was a piece hed custom-designed and helped make with his own hands years ago. I loved the sentiment, which was why I still wore it, why Id been so reckless trying to find it.

Elias let out a ragged breath. "Its just a ring, Audrey. Ill buy you a new one. Dont risk your life over it."

"Just a ring." I glanced at his middle finger. It was bare. Hed taken his off long ago.

"Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary," he said softly. "Ill pick you up. Lets spend it together."

How long had it been since wed properly celebrated an anniversary? I considered it for a moment. I decided to view it as a final, quiet period to our marriage.

The next day, our anniversary, I sat at the upscale downtown restaurant wed reserved.

I waited and waited. I was starving, but he never showed.

I picked up my phone to text him. If he truly wasn't going to come, he should have just said so instead of letting me waste my time. I tried calling several timesno answer.

I unlocked my phone again and saw a flurry of activity in the company chat. An anonymous account had posted a long message.

"Piper is a whore who seduced a married CEO! She uses her looks and body to climb the corporate ladder. Disgusting!"

The post was quickly followed by evidence that I had handed the project over to Piper. While the message condemned Piper, every single line subtly pointed fingers at me.

Minutes later, the restaurant door burst open. Elias stormed in, kicking the doorstop aside.

"I thought you were mature enough to hand over the project gracefully," he raged, his face blotched with fury. "I never imagined you were this venomous! You agreed to the handover just so you could stab Piper in the back and smear her reputation!"

"Audrey, how can you be so disgusting?"

Piper was hiding behind him, weeping inconsolably, as if she were the victim of a brutal assault.

"It's okay, Mr. Thorne," she wailed, her voice thick with fake emotion. "I dont need the project! I dont care what people say about me, but Audrey! I thought we were friends! Why would you do this?"

"It wasnt me," I stated calmly, the noise washing over me.

"I agreed to give her the project. I have no need for these kinds of petty games."

"Who else would have a reason to target Piper?"

"You are a phony, manipulative woman, Audrey!"

"And after all the trouble Piper went to, finding this place and booking this table for us! You dont deserve her kindness!"

He was absolutely incandescent with rage on Piper's behalf, and he picked up a nearby plate and threw it at the floor. Ceramic shards sprayed across the room.

Twelve years of shared life, and he still didn't trust my character.

I took the signed divorce agreement from my purse.

"In that case," I said, sliding the papers across the table. "The thirty-day cooling-off period is up. You might as well sign this, too."

I placed my letter of resignation underneath the papers.

He let out a cold laugh, snatched the pen, and signed with three furious, slashing strokes.

"As you wish!"

Then, he wrapped his arm around the sobbing Piper and hurried out.

I remained seated, watching his back disappear. I suppose we wouldn't be having that final anniversary dinner after all.

I looked down at the cold pasta dish, picked up my fork, and ate it, bite by bite.

When I was finished, I retrieved the small suitcase Id hidden in the corner, hailed a ride-share, and headed to the airport.

On the way, I sent one last text to Elias: "The keys are on the living room table. We are done. Dont ever contact me again."

I switched off my phone and boarded the plane to New York.

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