There was a woman with him. She stood close, her hand touching his arm. Her hair was a mess, and her clothes looked old and tattered. She looked like she belonged there – they belonged together.
I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand. My mind was racing, trying to comprehend what I was seeing. No. This couldn’t be real. But as I stood there, looking out the dirty window, I realised it was.
I pushed the door open. It creaked loudly. They both turned and looked at me in surprise. Jason’s eyes widened. His mouth dropped open slightly and he stared at me like I was a ghost.
‘Maggie…’ – he said quietly. His voice was calm – too calm, like he’d been waiting for this moment.
‘Jason,’ I said, my voice shaking, but I kept looking at him. I looked at the woman, then back at him. ‘What is it? Where have you been?’ My heart felt like it was breaking again.
He looked at the woman next to him, who was just staring at me like I didn’t belong there. ‘I was…trapped, Maggie. This life wasn’t for me. Here, I’m free. I can breathe. I found something real, something I couldn’t have…there,’ he said, waving his hand towards the woods as if his new life was there.
I stared at him, barely understanding what he was saying. ‘You left us,’ I said, and my voice cracked. ‘You abandoned your children, Jason. They think you’re dead. I thought you were dead.’
He lowered his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I know it’s hard to hear. But I became one with nature. Sarah and I…we built a simple, meaningful life.’ His voice sounded robotic, as if he’d told himself this story so many times he believed it himself.
I took a step back, feeling the anger rising in me. ‘That’s it? You’re just walking away from everything? From your family? You didn’t even try to let us know you were okay?’
He closed his eyes, sighing as if I was the one hurting him. ‘Maggie, you wouldn’t understand. That life was like a prison. Now I’m living the life I want to live.’
‘Prison?’ I whispered, barely able to speak. ‘Is that what we were to you?’
‘Maybe if you weren’t so obsessed with your stupid technology, you could worship nature like we do,’ Sarah snarled, looking at me like I was crazy.
Jason started to speak, but I raised my hand to stop him. I didn’t want to hear his excuses or how ‘free’ he felt right now. I just wanted to scream and cry and tell him how much he had broken our lives.
Looking at his cold, detached face, I knew it didn’t matter. He had made his choice a long time ago.
Without another word, I walked out of the cabin. I didn’t look back. I didn’t need to. The Jason I loved was gone. Maybe he was gone long before the day he disappeared, and I was just the last person to see it.
The way back seemed long and arduous. Each step reminded me that I was leaving behind a part of my life that I could never get back. I barely noticed the trees, the growing darkness, and the pain in my legs. My mind was numb and my heart was empty.
The next morning, I wasted no time. I went straight to the lawyer’s office, barely able to speak but knowing what I had to do.
‘I want a divorce,’ I said, my voice sounding stronger than I felt. ‘And I need support. If he has anything, my kids deserve it.’
The lawyer nodded, looking at me sympathetically. ‘We’ll take care of you and your children, Maggie.’
As I walked away, I felt a strange calmness. I’d spent years waiting, grieving, and hoping Jason would return. But now I realised he wouldn’t, and if he did, it wouldn’t be the man I had once loved.
Now it was my turn to choose. I needed to create a life of love, stability, and honesty for my children. Jason had chosen his path, and I had chosen mine. And I wasn’t going to look back.