Ellie's hands shook violently, her stomach churning as if she might be sick. When she saw the torn condom wrapper in her palm, she flung it away like it had burned her. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks, and the crushing weight in her chest made it hard to breathe.
Eric hadn’t touched her in months. She’d told herself it was the stress of work—that it had killed his desire. But this... this proved it wasn’t work stealing his attention. It was another woman.
The betrayal cut deeper than she could put into words.
They’d met in college, fallen in love over late-night study sessions and shared coffee cups. After four years, they married, building a life together for twelve. The fiery passion of those early days had faded, sure, but Ellie had assumed that was normal. Even when their intimacy dwindled to nothing, she’d blamed age, exhaustion, the grind of daily life. Middle age wasn’t kind to stamina, and stress could smother desire—she got that. She’d made excuses for him.
But this? A used condom wrapper, tucked beneath the driver’s seat?
It shattered every illusion she’d clung to.
Eric usually drove the car, but this morning, she’d taken him to the airport. On the way back, she’d spotted the crumpled foil packet wedged in the crevice under the seat. When she pulled it free, her stomach dropped. The condom was gone. Used.
There was no denying it.
She’d found it by accident—braking hard at a stoplight, her purse had tumbled to the floor. As she reached down, the glint of plastic caught her eye. The wrapper had been shoved carelessly into the gap, hidden just enough that no one would notice unless they were looking. That was the worst part. They’d been in such a hurry, so lost in each other, they hadn’t even bothered to dispose of the evidence properly.
The world spun. Ellie slumped over the steering wheel, sobs wracking her body.
"Hey, lady! Move it!"
A horn blared behind her. Some jerk leaned out his window, shouting, "You gonna sit there all day?"
She swiped at her tears and hit the gas.
By the time she got home, the numbness had settled in. She parked in the garage, then dialed Eric’s number with trembling fingers. Even now, some stupid, hopeful part of her wanted to believe there was an explanation. Maybe a friend had borrowed the car. Maybe...
But she knew.
The call didn’t go through. "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."
Of course. He was already on the plane.
Ellie dropped the phone. The grief swallowed her whole, pulling her under until she stopped fighting. There was no point.
