JustinTheClipper

My Husband Attended His Ex-Wife’s Funeral, But When He Returned Home, He Asked Me to Pack My Things After twelve years of marriage, I had never seen my husband cry. Not when his father died. Not when he lost his job and spent four months wondering how we would pay our bills. Not even when our youngest child was rushed to the hospital. But when his ex-wife died, he broke down like he had lost the love of his life. I watched him stand in our bedroom, holding the funeral invitation, his hands trembling. “Are you okay?” I asked. He nodded, but tears were already running down his face. Her name was Rebecca. They had been married for five years before their divorce, long before I came into his life. According to my husband, their marriage had ended because they were too young, wanted different things, and eventually grew apart. I had never considered her a threat. Rebecca had remarried, moved to another state, and built a life of her own. My husband occasionally mentioned her when discussing old friends, but he never spoke about her with affection. At least, not that I noticed. He left for the funeral on Friday morning. I expected him to return that evening, but he called to say he would stay overnight because some of Rebecca’s relatives wanted to see him. He came home on Sunday afternoon. His eyes were swollen, his beard unshaven, and his wedding ring was missing. I noticed it immediately. “Where’s your ring?” I asked. He looked down at his hand as though he had forgotten it was gone. “I need to talk to you.” Something in his voice made me put down the laundry basket I was carrying. He sat on the edge of the sofa and stared at the floor. “Rebecca and I never really stopped being married,” he said. I thought I had misunderstood him. “What does that mean?” He rubbed his face and took a long breath. “Before we divorced, something happened between us. Something I never told you about. After the divorce, we agreed to keep it secret because we thought it was the best thing for everyone involved.” My mind raced through the possibilities. An affair? A child? Some financial arrangement that had followed him into our marriage?