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I’m nervous as I drive over to my parents’ house.

I shouldn’t be nervous. They’re my parents. We’re close and they’ll support me no matter what.

But I hate disappointing them, and they seemed to fall for Travis and his daughter much like I did. Now I’m on my way with the truth.

I hate disappointing anybody , but most of all my mom and dad. Add Harper to that list, too. I feel awful that she’s upset about our impending divorce, and maybe that’s a big part of why I’m pushing it along. It’s new. We’ve barely celebrated our two-month anniversary at this point, and the longer we stay married, the harder it’ll be on Harper.

My sister and her family have moved back into their own house, so they won’t be here. She still isn’t talking to me, but I’m sure I’ll get the latest update about her life, her home renovations, and the level of her current anger at me from my mother.

I take a deep breath after I pull into the driveway and cut the engine. Part of me wonders if this would’ve been easier with Travis by my side, and a little voice in the back of my head tells me of course it would. Everything is easier with him by my side.

But that’s the whole problem. We haven’t been by each other’s side in the literal or metaphorical sense in far too long to support the foundation of us long-term.

I ring the bell, and my mom opens the door. Her brows crinkle together, and I can’t help it.

I burst into tears.

“Oh, honey,” she says, reaching out to give me the sort of comforting hug only a mom can give. I let her hold onto me a few extra beats as I try to draw in some strength, but it’s harder than I thought it would be.

“What’s going on?” she asks as she pulls back and I draw in a deep enough breath that I’m able to get the tears to subside. I brush them away.

We walk into the kitchen, and my dad is in there stealing cucumbers off the plate my mom has them sitting on. She swats playfully at his hand, and he grins at her innocently, and that’s what I want out of a marriage. I want it to be playful and fun. I want to be with someone who is still my best friend even when the kids are grown and moved out and adults all on their own.

I want my kids to come by for dinner and I want to maintain a close relationship with them.

I want the sort of marriage my parents have modeled for me. They’re far from perfect, but they’ve made it last, and they still have fun together even after nearly thirty years of marriage.

“Why do you look sad?” my dad asks me, giving me a hug, too.

“Travis and I are getting a divorce,” I blurt.

My mom gasps and my dad’s eyes widen, but neither of them says a word for a beat.

And then my mom asks, “Why?”

“You may have seen the recent headlines regarding my husband,” I say dryly as my face heats with embarrassment over the sex club headlines. “It’s just too many hits, and we rushed into things.”

“Don’t you think he needs your support now more than ever?” my dad asks, and I’m frankly shocked that he’d ask that. “I mean, he did get the ball back…” He trails off as if to say that what he did was heroic and deserves celebration when I’ve started to view that moment as the vehicle that drove this entire thing right into the ground.

“Are you sure it’s what’s best?” my mom asks.

“Yes. I’m doing the right thing, and sometimes the right thing is the harder thing.” I nod my head resolutely.

“Do you want to talk about why?” she presses.

I blow out a breath. “We started growing apart, and then he left for training camp, and I found out about all his offenses from the media instead of from him. He basically cut off communication with me, but it’s not just that. I’ve got paparazzi following me around, and it’s terrifying. It’s not the sort of life I ever wanted. I just want my quiet existence, maybe a couple of kids…”

“What does this mean for his little girl?” my dad asks quietly.

I glance down at the counter as a heavy sadness blankets me. “Travis technically hired me to be her nanny, and I’m still in that role until Travis can find a replacement. Harper and I are close, and I will always be there for her in whatever way she needs me to be. If she needs to let me go because it’s what’s best, then that’s what we’ll do.”

The thought alone breaks my heart, but I will forever do whatever is right by her. And maybe getting out of a marriage that’s turned toxic is showing her the right example, too. It’s showing her there’s a way out when things are at their worst.

“There’s something else, too,” I say. I run a finger along the countertop and keep my eyes there as I talk. “There’s a family trying to prove Travis is unfit to raise his daughter. He has a hearing later this month, so I’m not officially filing the paperwork until after we’re sure Harper is staying with him. I mean, that’s sort of why we rushed into this in the first place.”

My dad’s brows pinch together. “What can we do to help?”

I shrug. “I’m not sure. He’s a good father, and this man is just after Trav’s money I think.”

My mom grabs my hand sympathetically. “That’s awful.”

“You said that’s why you rushed things…” my dad says.

“We never intended to get married in the Bahamas, but we knew Owen was going to have Travis arrested as soon as we got back. We both just wanted to ensure Harper was taken care of.” I say the words matter-of-factly, pushing down the rush of emotions I feel over it.

I’m doing the right thing…right?

If I am, why is it so hard? Shouldn’t it be easier?

“Do you think…” my mom trails off.

“What?” I ask.

She clears her throat and glances at my dad. “Do you think you would have gone down that path eventually anyway?”

“Marriage?” I pick up a cucumber, too, and I shrug when she nods. “It felt like we were heading that direction, yes. But we would’ve waited, and the season would have started, and then I’d be here telling you I’m breaking up with him instead of divorcing him. It was all inevitable, I guess.”

“I guess,” my dad repeats. “If you’re guessing…are you really sure about it?”

“Yeah, honey,” my mom says. “Have you thought about giving it a little more time? There are growing pains in any relationship, and maybe this isn’t how it has to happen.”

“I can’t change the way things happened, so I just have to deal with where we are now. And yes, I’m sure.”

I nod resolutely again, though to be honest…I’m starting to wonder whether I’m doing the right thing. And it only gets worse with my dad’s next words.

“We didn’t teach you to give up without a fight.” He says it quietly, like that’ll lessen the blow. It doesn’t.

“I’m all out of fight,” I whisper.

I can’t stay with someone that isn’t willing to give me the type of future I’ve always wanted. Or maybe he is willing, but I wouldn’t know since he can’t be bothered to tell me.

“If you’re sure,” my mom says, but she looks doubtful.

I shift to safer subjects—my sister, for one, who I discover is still angry with me.

It seems like just about everyone is lately, but I have to do what’s right for me even if other people don’t agree with it.