Dear Ex-wife Marry Me by Twin Bridge

Shirley had barely stepped off the plane when her phone buzzed with a call from James, informing her that Abner had been assaulted.

She thought she'd misheard. Abner, always so mild-mannered and non-confrontational, getting into a fight?

Rushing to the hospital, she spotted James in the hallway.

"Mr. James."

"Shirley!"

James, visibly shaken and with a trembling voice, blurted out, "He was rushed into the ER last night. He's stable now, just a minor concussion, but he's lost quite a bit of weight. Go see him." Shirley, heart pounding, hurried into Abner's room.

Abner, awake with bandages wrapped around his head and looking pale, barely whispered, "Shirley?"

"Abner!" Shirley's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"What happened? How did you end up fighting?"

Abner hung his head in silence, but James couldn't hold back and spilled everything about how Abner's background had been exposed.

Shirley was taken aback. The ordeal had been ongoing for two months, with Abner facing isolation at school, yet he hadn't breathed a word of it to her.

"Shirley, don't get mad. It wasn't Abner who sought trouble. It was a few boys from another class who cornered him."

Abner's hand. "Why didn't you

didn't want to worry

Shirley felt an acute pain in her

he

"Rest up. Mr. James and I will

signaling her intent to get to the bottom

at her sleeve, reluctant

thought he was scared and gently patted his head, careful to avoid

I'll be

a weak smile, Abner lay

with a shocking sight on the sports field where the honor roll was usually posted. In bold

out of

Shirley trembled with rage.

James, the school is

massaged his

ago, a group of parents petitioned to have Abner

nothing wrong. Why should he be

I

you

He kept up his grades and didn't tell about

you. He's too understanding, and that's why he's been