Chapter 10
Magnolia stepped inside, her eyes scanning the living room. “Where’s Ewing?” she asked.
I forced a half–smile. “He’s not here.”
“He blocked me,” she said, her tone sharp. “I’ve been to his office, and he refuses to see me. Why is he suddenly acting like this?“?
She pressed on, relentless. “I finally ran into him at his brother’s place. He told me he’s engaged now and told me to stay away.“%
“But didn’t you two break up at the hospital?” I asked.
For once, Magnolia looked defeated in front of me. “Ewing’s never been like this before. He’s always so proud, but after you hung up on him, he cried–he couldn’t stop.“%
She gave a bitter laugh. “Turns out he really does love you.”
Her eyes locked onto mine, searching. “Did you say yes to his proposal?”
I met her gaze, reading the tension and uncertainty in her eyes. It was obvious why she was here: she was afraid I’d get back together with Ewing. She hadn’t given up on him.
“Do you love him?” I couldn’t help but ask.
Magnolia froze, silent for a long moment. Then she looked up with a crooked, self–deprecating smile.
“Yes. Too little, too late–I finally realized he’s the one I love most.“)
“Do you know why your little stunt with the marriage certificate didn’t work on him?” I said. “Ewing actually asked for my opinion.”
She shrugged. “I’d just gotten divorced. Did you really expect me to let that opportunity slip by? I wasn’t about to let things be fixed that easily.”
I laughed, scooping my cat into my arms and grabbing the suitcase I’d packed in advance. “You’ve been here this long and you’re not allergic to cat fur? Well, I hope you can love Ewing properly–assuming he still wants you.“@
With that, I closed the door behind me.
Magnolia’s voice rang out, raw and furious: “Get out! I never want to see you again!”
I picked up my phone and changed Ewing’s contact name from “husband” back to his full name.
If we can’t grow old together, then let’s just become strangers. From now on, we’ll go our separate ways and find happiness elsewhere.
But a clean break was only my wishful thinking.
I should have remembered–Ewing is obsessive. The way he once clung to Magnolia, he’s doing the same with me now.
To him, getting dumped by a hopeless romantic is the ultimate humiliation.
Even after I proved Magnolia’s manipulations, he kept texting me, over and over. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I just turned off my phone.
I’d planned to give it some time before reclaiming the house. But Ewing clearly wasn’t ready to let go–he was still fighting for something that was already gone. So I decided to check into a hotel for a while. After a shower, I opened my laptop and started making backup plans; if Ewing kept making trouble, I’d just put the house on the market.
But the mornent I powered my phone back on, Ewing’s call came through like a siren.
“Irene, I’m asking you one last time–is there really no chance for us?“>
I didn’t hesitate. “No. There isn’t.”
“Fine. Great! You’ll regret this.”
At the time, I didn’t really understand what he meant. I hadn’t wronged him–what was there to regret?
It wasn’t until three days later, when I went back to settle things about the house, that it hit me.
I tried to talk, but Ewing barely looked up, fiddling with his phone and ignoring me.!!
I shook my head in frustration and went to the bedroom to collect some clothes I’d left behind.
But the moment I opened the door, I was stunned.
The bed was a mess–that was nothing new. But in the trash bin, a pair of dirty underwear had been carelessly tossed.
I took a deep breath and caught a whiff of something else–a strange, heavy scent in the air. It lingered, unmistakably the aftermath of last night’s passion.
For a second, my heart stopped
Disappointment was one thing. I’d always thought Ewing was cold, but I never imagined he’d become someone I could actually despise–a man who’d willingly throw himself into the gutter
I remembered how he’d called me at least ten times last night, and I hadn’t answered a single one.
2017 C
