Sloan's been incredible through all this. She could have easily gotten frustrated with all the drama Nia keeps trying to create. But instead, she just keeps reminding me that none of this is about me.
"You cannot control crazy people," she said. "You can only control how much access you give them to your life."
We close on the house next month. Three bedrooms, big yard, quiet neighborhood. The kind of place where you build a real life with someone who actually wants to build it with you. Not someone who is just killing time until something better comes along.
Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had taken Nia back. If I had let guilt and history override common sense. I would probably be working overtime to support another man's child, while wondering why my wife never seemed happy with anything I provided.
Instead, I am building something real with someone who chose me first. Not because she ran out of other options.
Edit: Nia got fired from her job at the upscale bar. Apparently, her affair with the married owner became public knowledge, and his wife had enough influence to get her blacklisted from most of the high-end places in town. Sometimes consequences catch up with you, whether someone else seeks revenge or not.
Edit 2: For people asking if I feel vindicated, not really. I feel relieved. Relieved that I saw clearly. Relieved that I did not let someone use me as a safety net. And relieved that I found someone who values what I have to offer, instead of seeing it as something to escape from.
Final update: Sloan and I got married last weekend.
Nothing fancy. Just close family and friends. But it was perfect, because it was real. No drama, no second-guessing, no backup plans. Just two people who chose each other and wanted to make it official.
But that is not why I am writing this final update. I am writing it because of what happened at our wedding reception, and what it taught me about the difference between someone who loves you and someone who just needs you.
Nia showed up.
I do not know how she found out about the wedding, but she somehow got past security at the venue and cornered me during the cocktail hour. She was visibly pregnant now, probably about eight months along, and looked like she had been crying.
"Please," she said, grabbing my arm. "Just give me five minutes. I need to tell you something important."