Book6–Chapter 1
My husband Emmett Dudley had a crush on a girl named Jacey Payne back in the day.
When she returned home after her divorce, he went to pick her up, leaving me in the pouring rain.
I borrowed an umbrella from a passing janitor.
Then, I headed to the airport and grabbed the next flight abroad.
“Anywhere is fine,” I figured, “as long as Emmett and Jacey aren’t there.”
At 6 PM, Emmett returned home.
Oddly, the one who came out to greet him was the maid, not his wife, Sandra Browning.
Emmett finally recalled that he’d been so worried about Jacey that he forgot to pick Sandra up from the market.
But he thought it was fine, for Sandra was good–tempered, and she never got mad over little things like that.
By seven, the rain had stopped, and it was pitch black outside, but Sandra still hadn’t come home.
Emmett started to get a little antsy.
He tried calling her three times, no answer on the first call.
On the second and third, the line just went dead.
That storm hit out of nowhere, and it got dark as hell in a flash.
I scrambled to take cover under a shop’s eaves, feeling helpless as I stared at the downpour.
Emmett had promised to pick me up an hour ago.
But now, he was still nowhere to be found.
The other girls waiting out the rain got picked up one by one.
Their boyfriends or husbands held their umbrellas of glass.
just right, shielding them like they were made
bet Emmett was doing the same for Jacey right now.
She was the girl he had a thing for when he was young, but somehow, they didn’t stay together.
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Word was, Jacey’s marriage was a real headache.
And just to top it off, her mom passed away during her divorce proceedings.
Emmett got so worried that he had been losing sleep.
Today, Jacey finally finalized her divorce and came back home.
This morning, Emmett took a shower and put on a brand–new, custom–made suit.
His tie had these faint mandala patterns.
I’d been taking care of everything for him since we got married.
But that tie wasn’t from me.
The rain kept pouring, but my heart suddenly felt calm.
“Ma’am,” I smiled and waved at the janitor passing by.
Then, I traded the seafood I just bought for her old umbrella.
Seeing her so happy, I couldn’t help but smile too.
The umbrella was old, but it did the job, better than a guy who broke his word.
I left the market and hailed a cab on the street.
When I got to the airport, I realized I didn’t have anywhere to go.
All I had left was my grandma, Maci Scott. But if I went to her, she’d know something was up.
In the end, I just picked the next flight.
“Anywhere is fine,” I figured, “as long as Emmett and Jacey aren’t there.”
After three years of marriage, Jacey was like air, quietly filling up my life.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
As I was about to board the plane, my phone rang.
It was Emmett.
I thought about it, then let it go to voicemail.
5.Once the ringing stopped, I blocked his number.
