Whatever faint glimmer of hope I had was completely extinguished by their loud and selfish scolding.
In a flat voice, I replied, “Mom, I understand. I was wrong. I’ll do better and live well with
Evan from now on.”
Their mood instantly shifted, and they praised me for seeing reason. But inwardly, I had already formed a plan.
That evening, I called Evan.
“Honey, can you come home and keep me company? I can’t sleep.‘
I could hear the change in his tone–he was clearly pleased but trying to hide it. It seemed his plan to have my family pressure me had worked.
Of course, it had. Every argument between us had always ended with me giving in first. Why would this time be any
different?
“Claire, I’ll come back after I finish work. Wait for me.”
In the background, I could hear Anne’s sweet voice asking him how the soup she’d made
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Chapter 91
tasted.
It struck me then–years ago, when Evan was trying to win me over, he’d worried about how I often skipped meals while studying.
He’d show up at the library with homemade soup in a brightly pink thermos, the cheerful hue completely at odds with his serious demeanor. His smile back then was as warm and radiant as the summer sun filtering through the green leaves overhead.
But those moments were long gone, scattered like fallen leaves, leaving nothing but the ache of faded sincerity.
I pushed aside my lingering sadness and said calmly, “If you don’t come back right now, I’m filing for divorce.”
Evan tapped his fingers against the receiver, his voice rising with anger.
“Claire, you’ve really mastered the art of threatening me.”
Hearing his irritation, Anne’s smile widened.
“Claire, isn’t that the only line you ever use? Over and over again.”
She wrapped her arms around Evan, feigning concern as she added sweetly, “It’s so late, Claire. It isn’t safe for Evan to drive back home. Even if you don’t care about him, I do.”
But when Evan’s face darkened, and he stood up to put on his coat, her expression shifted to panic.
This was the first time he didn’t choose to stay by her side. He left without a backward glance.
“She’s lying to you, Evan!” she wanted to shout, but the words caught in her throat as the door slammed shut.
Desperate, she chased after him, but all she could do was watch helplessly as his car sped
away.
