Author: Kimberly Blakes

He and I went on with the facade as we had always done. He would come over for an hour in the evening, sit in the same chair, play the game on his phone, and leave after eating. No phone calls, no conversation, and no future plans. I had no feelings for him anymore, but…

My ex had been texting me while I was on the plane. The last text said, “I’m so sorry, please forgive me. I’ve been doing a lot of praying, and I now know you are my wife. I want to get married. Please, give me another chance.” I stared at my screen in disbelief. After…

For the next day, he planned for us to go to breakfast, then the zoo, and then I would cook a Sunday dinner for him to eat throughout the week. He came to get me around 9 a.m. for breakfast. He asked again what I wanted, and I said, “I don’t care.” He smirked and…

After leaving the exclusive PF Chang’s, we headed to his first surprise—a lookout point nearby. We climbed what felt like a thousand stairs to the top, and once there, we stood in weeds and crabgrass, gazing at a very forgettable skyline in the blazing hot sun. I kinda felt bad for him because he was…

The day finally came, and I was heading to The Music City. Nashville didn’t start off great. When I landed, it was raining and dreary. The cab driver was awful—he almost crashed the car and demanded a forty percent cash tip, even though I didn’t have cash. On the bright side, hotel check-in was fine,…

The next morning, I was fully aware that I was due for another round of love bombing. Just as I thought—a small pop to start my evening—when I got home from work, there was a freezer-sized Ziploc bag with a cooked, still-warm T-bone steak wrapped in foil inside. I reluctantly threw that in the trash…

It wasn’t long before the real him was fully back. Instead of formally breaking up with him, I just quietly checked out. We hadn’t officially gotten back together anyway, so what was the point? He never accepted any of the breakups anyway. I decided I would slowly decouple. I would do things alone and go…

I left the salon with a whole new perspective, and I got MAD. While still in the salon parking lot, I got on Facebook and looked for his daughter. I messaged her and told her I was concerned about her dad. I asked if he was doing okay and to please tell him to call…

Part 28 We had an understanding. He would now pay the note and insurance on the Explorer, and I would pay for the BMW. I didn’t love this arrangement because I wanted to close the door to him with no strings. Well… the Explorer was a big string, and I knew I had to stay…

We crossed the state line into the great state of Texas a day later. As if waiting for my arrival, it was sunny and light. It felt different than Illinois, like a fresh start. I wanted to cry—I was so overcome with joy seeing the “Welcome to Texas” sign. We stopped for food at the…