Let her go to him

At our high school reunion, my wife, Sarah’s, first love, Josh, asked her, "If you could do it all over again, would you marry me?"

Sarah, without hesitation, replied, "Yes."

The room fell silent. Everyone waited for my reaction. I, however, started clapping, a broad smile spreading across my face.

“Well then, it’s not too late! Don’t miss your chance this time!”

1

It was our annual high school reunion. Josh, looking directly at Sarah, asked, "If you could do it all over again, would you marry me?"

Sarah, her eyes locked on his, firmly replied, "Yes."

Dead silence. Our former classmates exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with a mixture of shock and fascination. All eyes turned to me, anticipating my explosion. Instead, I calmly took a sip of my beer, as if the woman who'd just confessed her undying love for another man wasn't my wife of seven years.

Setting down my drink, I stood up and started clapping. “Well then, it’s not too late! Don’t miss your chance this time!” The silence deepened. No one seemed to understand how a man could so willingly volunteer to be cuckolded. Even Sarah stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief and suspicion.

Yeah, she probably thought I was up to something. She’d gotten used to that.

Trying to smooth things over, our class president, Chris, interjected, “Josh and Sarah are just kidding, right, Mark?”

Ignoring Chris, I turned to Sarah and our classmates. "I'm not drunk," I said, my voice steady. "I'm already planning on divorcing Sarah. Don't screw it up this time, Josh." I gave Josh a playful smirk. "Don't run off like you did seven years ago, claiming you weren't good enough for her."

Sarah's face hardened. "Mark, what the hell is wrong with you? We were joking! You don’t have to be such a jerk about it."

I was speechless. Sarah had treated me like a doormat for seven years, and now I was supposed to play along with her flirtations with her ex? Not a chance. This metaphorical hat, whoever wanted it, could have it.

It was my own fault, really. I'd loved her so much, I’d spoiled her rotten. But Sarah was like a stone that could never be warmed, and after seven years, it was clear that the only person she'd ever truly cared for was Josh.

If I hadn't stumbled upon Sarah's secret, I might still be playing the fool, blindly devoted to a woman who didn't want me.

2

Three months ago, I’d found a post Sarah had written on an online forum.

"I've been married for seven years. We got together because our parents wanted it. Seven years of marriage have drained all the passion. Life is so predictable, I can see the end from here. I can't live like this anymore. My first love came back recently. I want a divorce, but our lives and careers are so entangled. What should I do?"

The post was a month old, right around the time Josh had returned to town. So, Sarah had been planning her exit for a while. I hadn’t been completely oblivious. Sarah had been, if not loving, at least tolerant of me. After Josh’s retu...