Talon

"Thank you, Kim." We hand her our envelopes, and she heads down a long hallway to the left.

We wait, not speaking. I worry when Talon presses the side of his head and starts puffing on his e-cig, something he tries not to do in public places.

Finally, Dr. Hollister comes down the hall, her high heels clicking, a bright smile on her face.

"There's my favorite couple," she says, beaming. We stand to greet her, and she tells us she's going to take Talon to her private office first to speak with him. He gives me a quick kiss before he follows her down the hall, turning to look back at me before he disappears through her doorway. I give him a little wave, and then he's gone.

I wait for a long time. Bored, I check my social media pages from my cell phone. We have ten more clothing orders and five more soap orders. And the video I posted on Pixie's page of Talon teaching her how to dance for a treat has received over five thousand likes. He'll love that when I tell him.

Two hours later, Dr. Hollister's door opens, and they come out, but he goes down the hall in the other direction, while she comes to me. Frowning, I figure he may be going to the men's room.

"Your turn. You can come with me now, Asia. I'm so sorry you had to wait so long."

"That's all right," I say, hoping I don't have to be in with her for two hours as well. When I enter her office, Kimberly is waiting inside. I take the empty chair next to her on the other side of Dr. Hollister's desk, where she has our journals and completed forms in front of her.

"I read through your final forms with your decision and brief assessment of your relationship and the experiment. I want to thank you on behalf of the team for being a part of this. Your input and experience are invaluable to my research."

"I should be thanking you. It's really been an experience I'll never forget, but it turned out wonderful. I was really skeptical at first, but you and the team did an exceptional job."

Her smile is strained as she touches my form. "I see here that you have chosen to stay married."

"Yes. I know we missed our honeymoon, and I hope that's all right. With Talon's tour and then his illness, we just couldn't. But we are planning one in the spring or early summer if—"

"Asia, I'm very sorry," she interrupts, shaking her head slowly, "but Talon chose to leave. He doesn't want to continue the marriage."

An intense bolt of shock and fear quakes through my body, leaving me trembling all over in its aftermath. I drop my purse and cling to the arms of the chair. "Excuse me?" I ask, forcing a smile. "This is some kind of bad joke, right?" I look from Dr. Hollister to Kim, then back to Dr. Hollister. Neither one of them is smiling. "You're not serious?"

"I'm afraid I am," she says softly. "I cannot tell you how sorry I am to have to tell you this. It's just as much of a shock to us."

"No. There must be some kind of mistake," I protest, still shaking. "I love him. He loves me."

She nods slowly. "Yes, that is true. He does love you."

"Then what the hell is happening?" I demand, my voice rising.

"I can only tell you what he wanted me to tell you—and that is that he feels this is best for you. He doesn't feel he's able to be in a marriage now, given everything he's going through. He's struggling with a lot of issues inside that I don't quite think he's been honest with you about. I believe he's suffering from severe depression. He really should be talking to a professional about his feelings, someone with more experience than I have, given his medical issues, but he refuses."

"What?" I choke on my own words and gulp for air as tears start to stream down my face. "What the fuck?" Kim moves closer to me and puts her hand on mine as I continue to freak out. "Something is really fucked up here. We were happy. I mean, yeah, we had some issues. But we were working through them."

"I know how hard you tried, Asia. You two were dealt a lot of blows in a very short time. Way more than the other couples, and I was very proud of how you handled them all."

"Where is he? I want you to bring him in here. Something is very wrong here. There must be some kind of misunderstanding."

"I'm afraid he's gone. He called his driver to come pick him up. I asked him to stay so that we could all talk together, try to work this out and counsel you together, but he was adamant. He has everything outlined."

My heart pounds in my chest, and a thin sheen of sweat dampens my body as each word she says hits me like a brick, driving the truth farther into me.

He's gone.

He doesn't want me

I take a deep breath and put my hands up. "I am very confused," I say slowly. "He never once mentioned he wanted a divorce. Quite the opposite, in fact. We just made love last night. Twice, actually. I don't understand."

"Asia, I'm so sorry. I know this came as a shock to you. For what it's worth, he was also having a very hard time with this, which is why it took us so long to talk. He feels terrible."

"Then why the hell is he doing it?"

"He feels it's for the best."

I run my hands through my hair. "This is crazy. I refuse to accept this until I speak to him myself. He would never do this to me."

Dr. Hollister lifts up a piece of paper with Talon's handwriting on it. "He's outlined everything here, and he's contacted a lawyer already to start the divorce proceedings."

The air is sucked out of my lungs in a swift gasp of disbelief. "What?" I scream, feeling like I'm going to lose control of myself. "When did he write that?"

"Yesterday."

Yesterday? That makes no sense to me. He was quiet yesterday, but we were fine. We cuddled on the couch. We played with Pixie. We made love. How could he have done all that when he knew today he was going to do this to me?

"This can't be happening. I think maybe he took too many pills yesterday and he's not in his right mind. The doctor keeps giving him more medication, and I think it’s affecting him. I know him. He would never, ever do this to me."

"You may be right about the medication, Asia. It can make people behave strangely. But he seemed very level-headed while he was here, and what he's written is very well-thought-out and articulated."

"What has he written?"

She puts her glasses on. "He asked me to read it to you. First, he is letting you stay in the house for a month so you can pack and find a place to live. He would like you to send a text to his cousin Lukas when you move out so he knows he can come back."

Oh my God, I'm losing my home too. He's really doing this. "Where is he going to live until then?"

"He doesn't say. He would like to give you four thousand dollars per month if that's agreeable to you, which will be direct deposited into your account the first of every month. He is using his fifty thousand from this project to set up a fund for Pixie, for any care that she may need. He has also set up a health insurance plan for you and for the cat. He would like you to keep the car, and you can take anything from the house that you want. He doesn't want any profits from the clothing business that he has helped design clothing for. He is also having two hundred and fifty thousand dollars deposited into your account so you don't have to live in the ghetto again, as promised. Those are his words, not mine. There is also an NDA from his lawyer, stating that you cannot divulge anything about his illness on any form of social media or to the press. He has also requested that you keep his name."

"Are you kidding me?" I shriek, nearing hysterics. Dr. Hollister jumps and drops the paper.

"Asia, I know you're upset, and I wish there were something I could do to make this better for you. This is all very unexpected. I know you love him, and I know he loves you too. I shouldn't say this, but I honestly feel he is spiraling with depression and acting very self-destructively. I would not be at all surprised if, in a few months, you two are back together again. Out of all the couples, you two were the closest, had the deepest connection, the most chemistry."

Kim hands me a tissue and I dab at my eyes with it. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? What good is any of that? He's gone, and I have nothing but a huge hole in my heart."

"I wish I could say more, but you know I am under obligation to keep his journal and our chats confidential. I can only help you if he agrees to let me help you as a couple."

"Well, isn't that great! And I'm supposed to just walk out of here with a broken heart? And a bunch of money I don't want? And that's it? We had a life together. This wasn't a game to me. This wasn't supposed to happen!"

They both look at me sympathetically, and I know I am making a fool of myself. I straighten my blouse and hold my head up. "Is there anything else? I'd like to go now. I have a lot to do now that I wasn't expecting."

"Yes. You will receive a check for fifty thousand in the mail for your part in the experiment, and you will be receiving papers from his lawyer in a day or two. You are welcome to call me if you have any questions."

I stand. "Thank you. I'm sorry for shouting, and I'm sorry we were a failure for your experiment."

Standing, she comes around her desk to pull me into an embrace. "I'm very sorry. I truly am. I really hope this isn't the end for you two."

I turn on my heel and leave, bursting into tears the moment I'm out in the parking lot. As soon as I get into my car, I call his cell phone. It rings four times and then goes to his voice mail. I try to calm my breathing and sobbing while I wait for his greeting message to end.

"Talon…I have no idea what just happened, but I'm very confused. I don't know if you're sicker than you've let me know or if you're just depressed… But whatever it is, we can work through it. I love you and I don't want to lose you. No matter what's going on, we can make it better. Please just call me or come home. It doesn't have to be like this. Please talk to me. I love you."