A married couple was driving along a highway, doing a steady 40 miles per hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The husband sat behind the wheel, focused on the road ahead, while his wife stared out the window in silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a few miles, she took a deep breath and said in a clear, deliberate voice,
\u201cJohn, we\u2019ve been married for over twenty years\u2026 but I want a divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John said nothing.
He kept his eyes on the road but slowly pressed his foot on the gas pedal \u2014 45 miles per hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wife glanced at him, a bit annoyed by his silence.
\u201cI don\u2019t want you to try to talk me out of it,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He still said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So she pushed on.
\u201cI\u2019ve been having an affair,\u201d she confessed boldly, her voice steady but cold. \u201cIt\u2019s with your best friend, Tom\u2026 and honestly, he\u2019s a far better lover than you are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John\u2019s knuckles turned white around the steering wheel, but he didn\u2019t speak. The car picked up more speed \u2014 55 miles per hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Feeling emboldened, she crossed her arms.
\u201cI want the house,\u201d she demanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John\u2019s jaw tightened, but his eyes never left the road. The car crept up to 60 miles per hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want the car too,\u201d she added, her tone sharp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
65 miles per hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd,\u201d she said, raising her voice slightly, \u201cI\u2019ll be taking the bank accounts, the credit cards, and<\/em> the boat!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n John\u2019s grip tightened even more. The car began to drift ever so slightly toward the edge of the road \u2014 directly toward a massive concrete bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suddenly, her confidence wavered. She looked over, uneasy. Finally, John spoke \u2014 calm, low, and almost amused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course I\u2019m listening,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019ve got something you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She frowned. \u201cOh, really? And what\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n John\u2019s eyes flicked toward her, then back to the road. A small smirk appeared on his face. The car swerved just slightly closer to the bridge before he straightened it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her face went pale. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t dare!\u201d she gasped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He shrugged. \u201cGuess we\u2019ll see who\u2019s bluffing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few tense seconds passed. The only sound was the hum of the engine and the wind rushing past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, she burst out, \u201cOkay! Okay! Maybe we can\u2026 talk about this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n John slowed the car back to 50, then 45. His voice was calm again. She sighed, slumping into her seat. He chuckled dryly. \u201cYou didn\u2019t think at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They drove in silence for another few minutes. The tension was thick, but something about the absurdity of it all began to shift the mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John suddenly laughed \u2014 a low, deep laugh that startled her. He grinned. \u201cTom called me last week. Said he was tired of hearing you talk about house renovations. He asked if I could distract you more so he could get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She blinked, confused. \u201cYeah,\u201d John continued, \u201che also told me your \u2018affair\u2019 plan was a test. Something about wanting to \u2018see how I\u2019d react.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her jaw dropped. \u201cOh, I knew,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I filled your perfume bottle with vinegar yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her mouth fell open. \u201cYou didn\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, I did,\u201d he said, still smiling. \u201cAnd that new friend of yours at work? The one you text every day? She\u2019s my sister-in-law\u2019s cousin. She told me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now it was Linda\u2019s turn to go quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When they finally pulled over at a quiet rest stop, she looked out the window, embarrassed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo\u2026 you\u2019re not mad?\u201d she asked softly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John leaned back, crossed his arms, and said, \u201cMad? Nah. I just wanted to see how far you\u2019d go with your little story before realizing I wasn\u2019t the fool you thought I was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She turned toward him, guilt washing over her face. \u201cI was just frustrated. You\u2019ve been distant lately. I thought maybe\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He cut her off gently. \u201cLinda, we\u2019ve both been distant. Life gets hard. But lying and pushing me like that?\u201d He shook his head. \u201cNext time, just talk to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tears welled in her eyes. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, John.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He smiled softly. \u201cGood. Now let\u2019s go home before you scare me into speeding again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back home, Linda took off her coat, still shaken but oddly relieved. She watched John in the kitchen, making coffee like nothing had happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When he handed her a mug, he winked. \u201cBy the way, I canceled the boat insurance last month. So maybe don\u2019t<\/em> threaten me on the highway again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She laughed through her tears. \u201cDeal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And from that day on, every Friday evening, they took drives together \u2014 slower ones, quieter ones, and, thankfully, argument-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because sometimes, the best way to fix a marriage\u2026 A married couple was driving along a highway, doing a steady 40 miles per hour. The husband sat<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3517"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3519,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3517\/revisions\/3519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/states-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cThis makes me nervous,\u201d she muttered. \u201cAren\u2019t you listening to me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got the airbag.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\ud83d\ude33 The Aftermath<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s better. You know, marriage isn\u2019t easy, Linda. But threatening to run off with my best friend? That\u2019s a new one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think you\u2019d take it this way,\u201d she muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d she snapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWait\u2026 what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWait, you knew<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\ud83d\ude2c The Twist<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2764\ufe0f Epilogue<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
is to scare the living daylights out of each other first. \ud83d\ude05<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"