Chapter 1The Application Process

Every single time my husband wanted to have sex with me, he had to submit a formal application to his "female best friend."

If Chloe was in a bad mood and crossed it off, Ethan would immediately grab a blanket and go sleep in the guest room.

"Chloe got yelled at by her boss today, so she's just throwing a little tantrum. Don't worry, she'll approve it tomorrow."

"She's innocent. She doesn't overthink things."

"Don't be so paranoid, Mia."

But it didn't stop there.

Whether he could come home after 10 PM.

Whether I was allowed to come on group vacations.

Whether we were allowed to have a baby.

Chloe had absolute veto power over all of it.

Our friends always laughed about it.

"Ethan is insane. He married one woman, but it's like he actually got two wives."

Ethan would just smile faintly, peeling a shrimp and dropping it onto my plate.

"Chloe and I are purely platonic."

"This is exactly how we functioned long before I even met Mia."

"I'm careless, she's detail-oriented. We just balance each other out."

But then, I got pregnant.

At six months, I slipped and fell heavily. I called Ethan in a panic.

He immediately halted his board meeting and rushed home.

Just as he was about to scoop me up off the floor, his phone rang.

It was Chloe, and she was absolutely furious.

"You didn't submit an application to me."

"Mia fell."

"I don't approve it."

Ethan slowly lowered his phone.

He pulled a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and shoved it into my hand.

"Calling 911 will get you the exact same result."

"Be a good girl. Once you're stable at the hospital, text me to let me know you're safe."

I lay paralyzed on the floor.

I reached my hand out to him, sobbing uncontrollably.

But all he left me was his back as he walked out the door.

A few minutes later, Chloe updated her Instagram story.

It was a picture of a fancy apology cupcake sitting on her office desk.

The caption: [Seeing as someone was pretty quick to admit his mistake, I'll approve his next application in advance. 😉]

Everyone in our friend group immediately started texting me congratulations.

Saying Chloe finally gave the green light.

Saying next time, there definitely won't be any issues.

But I just lay in the hospital bed, resting my hand over my now-flat stomach.

I attached a signed divorce agreement to a text and sent it to Ethan.

"Then let's approve this."

...

The group chat instantly exploded:

[Mia, stop throwing a fit! Unsend that right now!]

[Do you have any idea how hard it was to get Chloe to grant a special exception?! What if she actually approves this?!]

[Seriously, you should be figuring out what kind of gift you want Ethan to buy you! Chloe already said she pre-approved his next application, whatever it is!]

Approved...

I stared at the word on the screen, a bitter, hollow laugh escaping my throat.

Tears blurred my vision without me even realizing it.

Even a gift from my own husband...

Required the explicit approval of another woman.

What was the point of continuing a marriage like this?

I typed out my response:

[No need. This is the only application I want approved.]

Ethan called me immediately.

The background noise was loud. It sounded like he had just walked out of a meeting.

"Mia, stop being so irrational. Do you know how long I had to beg Chloe for this opportunity?"

"To get her to calm down, I personally drove all the way across town and waited in line just to get her that apology cupcake."

"Opportunities like this don't come around often. Stop pouting. Do you want to go on a trip? Open Google Maps right now, I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

A cold, sarcastic smile pulled at my lips.

"Why exactly was Chloe mad?"

Ethan froze for a second.

"Because you came home to save me without submitting an application to her?"

Ethan let out a soft chuckle.

"Chloe can just be childish sometimes. She's always been like this."

"She's twenty-six years old. You call that a child?"

He paused.

"Ethan. Tell me why your six-months-pregnant wife falling and bleeding on the floor is somehow less important than a single sentence from an unrelated woman."

"To the point where you actually abandoned me to go buy her a pathetic apology cupcake!"

"Mia, this is just how we've always interacted."

"Even if I miscarried, it wouldn't matter to you, would it?"

The other end of the line went dead silent for two seconds.

When Ethan spoke again, his tone was laced with disbelief.

"What happened to the baby?"

"It's gone."

My voice was raw and hoarse.

"That's impossible!"

I heard Chloe's voice clearly through the receiver.

I frowned.

"Ethan, is she in your office right now?"

"She just came in to make a cup of coffee..."

"Mia, stop lying. Yes, I made Ethan come back to the office, but that was only because he broke our rules. I just needed to teach him a lesson."

Chloe's tone turned slightly reprimanding:

"But that doesn't mean I actually left you there to die!"

"I called 911 for you! The paramedics told me the baby was perfectly fine!"

"You're lying!!"

I exploded in absolute fury.

"I never saw a single ambulance! I never saw any paramedics!"

"Mia, keep your voice down."

Ethan's tone turned stern, blaming me.

"Chloe is a very straightforward person. She doesn't lie. I know you're upset, but didn't Chloe just promise that she'd approve whatever we want to do next?"

"Ethan, can you come over here for a second? The espresso machine is jammed."

"Be right there."

Ethan spoke back into the phone:

"Mia, stop making sick jokes about the baby. It's not something a mother should ever do."

With that.

He hung up the phone.