Izzy’s brother, David, stepped in. “You really don’t know? This woman bullied Izzy relentlessly in high school. She nearly destroyed her life.”
I turned to Jenna, shocked. “Is that true?”
Jenna hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, but that was years ago! I’ve changed!”
David cut in. “It wasn’t just high school. She tried to get Izzy expelled in college—spreading lies, accusing her of cheating. She almost ruined her future.”
The room was spinning. I looked at Jenna, desperate for an explanation. “Did you know she was my wife when we met?” I asked.
Jenna’s silence confirmed my worst fears. “Yes,” she admitted. “But people change, Marcus. Doesn’t that count for something?”
It didn’t. Gloria’s rage, David’s disgust, and Izzy’s quiet composure all pointed to the same truth: I had destroyed my family for someone who had once tormented the woman I’d loved for 20 years. Maya’s voice broke through the chaos. “Dad, how could you? You broke our family for nothing!”
Her words were like a dagger. Caleb added coldly, “You didn’t know? That’s just pathetic.”
Jenna stormed out, leaving me to face the wreckage. I looked to Izzy, hoping for… forgiveness? Sympathy? But she just watched silently, letting me sit with the consequences of my choices.
That day, I realized how much I had lost—not just my marriage, but my family’s trust and respect. I had built a new life on impulsiveness and fantasy, only to have it crumble under the weight of reality.
