And that fucking minute gives me a sliver of hope.
But then…
His phone rings… again.
Then I hear him gathering his things.
I hear the door open and shut.
I hear the lock engage.
And that… that is when I let go.
I fall like the ground below me has been pulled away.
And I let everything out.
I curl into a ball on the cold tiles and cry.
I cry for the dream I once had that he would choose me.
And I cry for the girl who never in a million years would have become this… the other woman.
Chapter 2
1 Year Ago
Ugh.Today wasnotmy day.
All I wanted was to stay in my period sweats, the soft gray ones I only wore when I was crampy and crabby and riding the line between murder and sobbing at dog videos.
But of course, life had other plans.
And by life, I mean Abby.
She called just as I was about to cue up my comfort movie and dive into a family-size bag of peanut M&Ms.Her little guy had spiked a fever, and daycare was calling her to pick him up early.
Which meant someone had to cover the store.
Which meant that someone was me.
I told her it was no problem, because it wasn’t.Not really.
Abby and Reggie were good people.They’d given me a job when I moved to Willowbend two years ago.
AndBooks on Mainhad quickly become my sanctuary.
It smelled like old pages and spiced tea.Soft playlists in the background.A bell that jingled when someone came in, like it was saying,Hey.You’re safe here.Come find your next favourite book.
I just hadn’t planned to leave the house today, let alone put on pants that didn’t have an elastic waistband.
But I did.
I threw on my softest sweater dress, the oversized deep blue one that hung off one shoulder like it was trying a little too hard, but still made me feel pretty.
Tights with compression, because my uterus was staging a rebellion.
Knee-high boots, because if I had to be miserable, I could at least be cute.
