Page 35 of How We End

Julian:

Because I won

Cassidy:

No bc you said I could tie you up

Julian:

This is going to be a long plane ride from Seattle

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

JULIAN

November 11

I should’ve expected her to show up since I had hired an attorney to officially end this marriage.I hadn’t had a reason to push it before.But now I was seeing Cassidy two, sometimes three times a week, and she deserved better than being the other woman.My agent also reminded me I needed to get something on the record before contract negotiations started, or she’d get half.

But if I had to guess, it was the photos of Cassidy, aka my mystery woman, and I from Halloween that brought my soon-to-be ex-wife Emily here today.The photos had been splashed all over social media.Thankfully, the photos had been pretty grainy.Not that I cared, but Cassidy did.

I met Emily at the door.I thought I’d still feel something for the woman who walked up to the house.The house she’d wanted and I was now stuck paying for.

But I felt nothing as I opened the door.The anger I had felt this summer was gone.

“Make it quick.I got a game,” I said, walking away from the door.

“Can I come in or…”

“It’s still legally your house.”

“You hired an attorney?”she asked, closing the door.

“You fucked another man,” I reminded her, walking into the kitchen.It was the reason she wanted this house.She had said it was perfect for hosting parties.I thought it was too big since she didn’t cook.But she’d started crying, saying she didn’t want to leave LA and the least I could do was give her the kitchen she wanted.

“I guess I deserve that.”She walked into the kitchen, looking around.“The place looks good.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”Nothing had changed since she left.The cleaning lady still came and dusted the photos and fluffed the stupid pillows on the couch.

“I’m surprised, that’s all.”She turned her gaze back to me.“I watched your game last night.You looked good out there.”

Everything in me wanted to say it was because of Cassidy.Because for the first time in five years, I felt like I didn’t have to play some role.Emily had this idea of what being married to a professional player looked like.This perfectly curated life of couples’ Halloween costumes and matching ugly Christmas sweaters.That didn’t fit in with game schedules, the sore joints, and overused muscles.It competed with the hours spent going back and forth to the arena, practice, therapy, and the gym.The demands of being Quinton Silver’s son.

“Say something, please,” Emily said.

“I want to sell the house.My contract is up this year, and I’m not sure where I’ll end up.”Though with the games I’d been having, my agent believed Vegas would want to hold on to me.I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hold on to them.Or this game.Both had taken too much.

“Oh.”She bit her bottom lip, blinking back the tears I could see.“I thought maybe we?—"

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?I made a mistake.I’m sorry.I’m going to therapy, and I want you to come with me.We both have some things we could work on.”

“There is no ‘we.’I want a divorce.”There, I said it.The thing I had been too afraid to say.It would mean I failed at something.Something that should be easy.

“I don’t.I want us back.The us before all the shit and…”

“Before you slept around.Before that?”