Chapter 5
I sent the “let’s part on good terms‘ message in the chat.
A red exclamation mark popped up.
Did he block me before? Or did he add me back just to block me again?
I was about to call him when Ewing’s Dad’s name lit up my phone.
I braced myself for a barrage of accusations &
But instead, Ewing’s Dad sounded panicked, telling me that Ewing’s Mom had gone for a checkup, and the doctor said her tumor was way too large.
I rushed to the hospital, barely catching my breath. Ewing was there, looking completely lost.”
The moment he saw me, he practically threw himself into my arms, clinging to me like I was the only thing keeping him afloat.
I tensed for a second, then gently pushed him away, trying to soothe him. “It’s okay. I’m here with you.”
I called in every favor I had from my law firm contacts and found the best specialist for a consultation.
We scheduled surgery immediately.
The operation went even better than anyone had hoped.
But Magnolia couldn’t stop herself from ruining the mood–she kept messaging. First, complaining about how hard it was to find a new job, then asking Ewing out to dinner, and finally, when she heard Ewing’s Mom’s tumor was benign, suggesting they hire a home nurse.
Ewing finally snapped at her over the phone: “My mom just had surgery! Do you even get it? When I signed the consent form, I was shaking so badly I could barely hold the pen!”
I stared at him, stunned.
It was the first time I’d ever seen Ewing lose his temper at Magnolia.
“Do you have any idea how hard I cried, sitting outside the OR the whole time?”
He lifted his head, and when he spotted me nearby, it was as if something dawned on him. “Irene. I think I finally understand what I did wrong.”
Wrong? I’d waited so long to hear those words.
But the apology I once hoped for had faded into the background of all those suffocating days. It felt distant and indistinct.
I used to have this tiny spark of hope.
Maybe, if Ewing realized his mistakes, we could start over.
I
But during the week I took off to be with his mom, I finally made time to get rid of my impacted wisdom tooth–the one that had been bothering me for nine years.
Half an hour in that chair–pliers, hammer, drill–until finally, I felt this strange sense of renewal.
That tooth had grown wild and stubborn in my mouth, pressing against my healthy teeth. I’d put up with it, put up with the pain, always telling myself it would get
better.
Until one day I’d just had enough.
Whether Ewing understood his mistakes or not didn’t matter anymore.”
I was done. I’d had enough of him; he just wasn’t worth it.
A week later, Ewing’s Mom was discharged.
I insisted she move into our apartment for a few days to rest.
Watching me bustie around, Ewing’s Mom choked up a little. “Irene, Ewing is so lucky to have you. I mean it!”
A pang of sadness hit me, but hid it with a quick smile. “I’ll stay somewhere else for a bit. I have a cat at home and I don’t want you to have an allergic reaction.”
She smiled, waving it off. “Oh, that’s nothing. I don’t mind at all. My husband’s allergic to cats, too, but we just have him take a pill. You can’t neglect the one you love just because I’m here.”
Ewing stood by, mouth opening and closing, but in the end he just stared at the floor in silence.
When I went home to pack, Ewing insisted on tagging along.”
Lignored him, finished folding my clothes, and put Joy, my cat, in her carrier. I headed for the door.
Ewing blocked my way, clinging to that last shred of pride. “Come on, don’t do this. Please?”
I tried to brush past him, but he braced himself in the doorway, clearly refusing to let me go without an answer
I struggled to push him aside, but he wouldn’t budge.
Frustrated and close to tears, I started pounding on his chest, desperate to break free.
When I couldn’t, I almost lost it–I nearly bit him just to make him let go.#
And then I froze.
There, on his ring finger, was an old–fashioned silver band.
I’d given him plenty of rings before–gold, diamond, even jade–but never a silver one. Too plain, not my style.
I remembered telling Ewing once: Only my ring goes on your ring finger
Suddenly it all felt ridiculous. A laugh bubbled up and I calmed down. “Move”
Ewing seemed to realize something, too. He jerked his hand back, his voice shaky.
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Chapter 5
“Magnolia said hospitals are full of bad energy, so she gave me this for protection…”
I grabbed my phone and shoved the screen in his face.
Because I already knew–this was just another one of Magnolia’s little games.
The kind where she’d lord it over me, daring me to get angry, knowing I’d just swallow my pride and say nothing
Over and over, she never got tired of it.”
Sure enough, on her social media, Magnolia had posted a picture–her ring finger sporting the exact same silver band as Ewing’s.
Ewing fell silent.
It was a long time before he finally spoke. “It’s just a silver ring. It doesn’t mean anything.”
I didn’t want to waste another second on him. I pushed past, walked out, and didn’t look back.
Chapter 6
