Her New Lover Made Me Sign the Divorce Papers

The year I loved her most, my mother forced me to break up.

The year I hated her most, I crippled her father and made her sign a letter of apology.

And in that same year, a man I’d never seen before barged into my house, slammed a divorce agreement on the table, and sneered:

“God has punished her by marrying someone she doesn’t love. Now she’s carrying my child. If you know what’s good for you, sign it.”

I turned to Aveline.

“Really?”

She hesitated—half a minute of silence that said everything. I dropped the iron rod at my feet.

“Abortion, or watching me beat him to death. Your choice.”