The Divorce Interlude

Corey: Kids are gone, right?

Delaney: Yup. Left 10 minutes ago. Coast is clear.

Corey: *thumbs up emoji*

This is what my life has become. Sneaking around behind my teenage children’s backs to file for divorce from their father on National Divorce Day to save lawyer fees, the hassle of the courts, the embarrassment of the whole thing, and most importantly, our kids.
Liam and Addison split sides when Corey and I told them he was moving out, and we were separating. Liam wanted to protect me, and Addie is a daddy’s girl. When she found out while we were apart Corey slept with another woman, Addie returned to team Mom.
I didn’t encourage them to take sides, and I’ve never spoken one bad word about their father in front of them, but Ivy was another thing.
I knew when I met her at Corey’s company Halloween party, dressed as Poison Ivy, that she was the office flirt. But never in a million years did I think the man I’d been in love with since college would fall under her spell.
“Knock, knock,” Corey says as he opens the back door leading into the kitchen. “What smells so good?”
I shrug. “I started a crock pot meal for tonight. Liam has practice and Addie has her vocal lesson, so it’s easiest if dinner is already cooked and a quick self-serve.”
“Mmm.” He hums. “I miss your cooking.”
A part of me, a very big part of me wants to make a snarky comment about Poison Ivy—that’s what I call her because she earned the moniker—not being good in the kitchen, but with the body she has, I’m pretty sure she’s giving it to him good not only in the bedroom, but on every surface of his new condo…kitchen included.
Yeah, he cheated on me with her, got caught, and stayed with her. Like Rachel, I don’t care if we were on a break.
It happened over a year ago, and Corey and I have been amicable, friends even…you know, for the sake of our kids.
That’s what this morning is all about.
A friendly divorce.
No lawyers, even though Corey’s friend, Dylan Gentile, is one of the top divorce attorneys in New York City. We don’t want the drama from either side of our families or to put the kids through it. They’ve dealt with enough where we’re concerned.
A little internet research was all it took to learn that today is National Divorce Day and filing for one online is super easy and less complicated than spending months tied up in the court system.
So here we are. Getting ready to absolve a fifteen-year marriage with just the click of a few buttons.
“You know you can call me to drive them to shit, right?”
I shrug. It’s not like he did that when we were together, so why start now? Plus, Liam is only now looking at Corey again, and since Addison found out about Ivy, she barely speaks to him.
“They just need a little more time to adjust. I think once we tell them about the divorce and they understand it’s over and there is no chance of us ever getting back together, they’ll be able to move on and…not hate you.”
The problem is, will I?
I fell in love with the sandy-haired boy with those wild curls freshman year, as he was kicking around a hacky sack in the quad near my dorm. He didn’t notice me until two years later, but I fell in love with him at first sight.