Twenty-Five Years of Marriage, I gifted my Husband a Divorce

For twenty-five years, I’ve been the invisible wife.

So when I found the necklace on my fiftieth birthday, I thought they had finally noticed my years of effort until my husband Johann ripped it from my neck.

“Are you out of your mind?” he sneered. “This was for Kate’s birthday. Why would I give you this? You look like you’ll drop dead any day, so you’ll ruin it.”

Kate. My half-sister and now his mistress. Of course, it was always her. He’d even forgotten his promise.

“It’s my birthday too,” I whispered. “Maybe we could travel. You promised. Japan. The cherry blossoms.”

He snorted. “Japan? Are you insane? With what money? You don’t work. You think I’ll waste my money dragging you to see flowers? Be like your half-sister Kate, she earns her keep, helps with business, travels. You? Just rotting here.”

What was worse was that the travel package came under my name but there wasn’t even a ticket for me. Just a trip to Japan for Johann, Kate, my son Samuel, my grandson, and my mother.

When I asked if I could come, Johann barked, “As if she can afford that. She’s been rotting here for years, living off us. She’s not coming as she doesn’t belong.”

That was the last straw. I called my father to come get me, filed for divorce, and booked that Japan trip because I was done being invisible.

This time, I want to be seen by people who truly care about me.