Haley

She didn't want to tell him to his face. Watching him crumble would be too hard. So she waited for the phone call that always came, at the end of every case.

"Hi, honey," even after everything, her moving to Jessica's and hardly seeing Jack, he still called her honey.

"Hi Aaron," she'd been much cooler with him, too.

"How are you? And Jack?"

"Aaron," she swallowed and closed her eyes. "Do you remember us getting married? The forever we promised, and everyone old in my family crying?"

"Yes."

He knew. She could feel it in his voice. My God, he knew.

"I can't live with your cases, Aaron. Jack shouldn't have to, either. What you do is dangerous and disgusting. I know-" she could hear him chuffing at the words. "I know someone has to do it. But it doesn't have to be you and you won't walk away. You've already proved that. You choose someone who had died over your wife and child."

He was silent.

"And I should've seen it coming, years ago. But I blinded myself because I didn't want it to be true. And it is. You won't make the right decision, so I have.

"In about a week, Aaron, I'll be sending you divorce papers. I've asked for sole custody of Jack. You can see him whenever you have time between cases. We'll keep the house. I'll stay with Jess until you move out. And I'd appreciate if you would just sign them and get it over with, Aaron, because taking it to court will be long, expensive, and hurt Jack to see his parents fight, okay?"

She knows he nodded. And then the phone went dead, and a dial tone was in her ear.

'I refuse to die for love, my darling. Not yet'- Garrison Keillor, Speak to Me, 77 Love Sonnets