The late morning sun made quick work of the puddles left by the heavy early morning rain. As Wendy climbed the large stone steps to the patio, she looked around at the flower beds in the yard. Where there were once luscious cultivations of flowers, the beds lay bare, awaiting new seedlings.
Stepping onto the patio, Wendy came face-to-face with Kimberly. Their eyes met briefly before Kimberly cast her eyes down to inspect the contents of her cup. It was almost midday, yet Kimberly sat on the patio in a pine-green satin night robe, casually sipping tea.
Wendy sat in the chair closest to Kimberly and watched as she filled two cups with tea.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Wendy inquired.
Silence passed between the pair as Kimberly continued sipping her tea unbothered. Wendy looked at the woman on the other side of the table. What was going through her mind? She took the cup and drank slowly, savouring the flavour of Kimberly's personal blend.
"I want a divorce." Kimberly whispered against the rim of her cup.
Wendy turned sharply, upsetting the contents of her cup, which threatened to spill over. Afraid of scalding herself in shock at Kimberly's words, Wendy set her cup down.
"What's going on?"
"My miscarriage wasn't an accident. Carlos gave me an abortifacient. He decided the baby wasn't worth the risk."
"...When did you find out?"
"Two days ago, I was searching his office for paperclips. It was in a drawer with the instructions."
"...I'm sorry." Wendy said as she gently combed her fingers through Kimberly's hair. "Did you ask him about it?"
"He said he was doing what was best for us. He did this right after we agreed to communicate more with each other."
"Kim..."
"He gave me his word, Wendy. He promised that we'd tackle things like a couple! And then he goes behind my back like this."
"Did you guys discuss the complications before?"
Kimberly slouched in her chair and crossed her legs. "We did, with the doctor. He said, as the baby grew, I would have more pain, and it would be increasingly riskier for both of us."
"I know how much you've wanted to be a mother, Kim. You're mad at Carlos; I get that. But divorce is too drastic an action. Have you spoken to him since you confronted him?"
"No."
"As your friend, I'm not going to recommend you get a divorce."
"I'm not asking you to be my friend. I'm asking you to be my lawyer."
"As your lawyer, I recommend you sit down and talk to your husband."
"He laced my food with drugs, Wendy! God, this time it was an abortifacient; next time it might be poison. I can't even sleep when he's at home. How can I ever trust him again?"
"I think you're overreacting. Carlos loves you; talk to him."
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