Chapter 31
Chapter 31
The collers gone cold. I’ll get another cup. Would you two like too?” Aunt Beth’s smire broke the silence, and without waiting for an answer, she male herself scarce, leaving Colette and Matt alone in the resily empty cafeteria, Colette couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. The reasons tangled in her mind -shame lat huling his phone when the line broke out at one of his hotels, guilt for the damage she might have caused, and the heaviest of all, the
acceptance that their marriage was truly over. How was she supposed to look at him and not think of him as her husband? But she knew she had to.
Matt’s voice was los, almost pleading. “Why didn’t you tell me, lity, that your uncle was in the hospital? I would have come instantly.” He sat down in the chair Aunt Beth had just vacated, his expression both grim and sad. Colette wondered if he really would have come, but she didn’t reply. What was the point? She told him as much. “You shouldn’t have come here, Matt. I think it’s time we start telling people the truth. Once Uncle Steve gets better, I’ll tell them
Man’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Tell them about what?”
Colette stared at him, disbelief washing over her. “The trath, Matt. That we’re getting a divorce, Aunt Beth is going to throw a fit, but since I won’t he living with them again, it won’t matter. I suppose you’ll need time to tell your siblings too. Maybe next month when they’re on spring
Her voice trailed off as she realized she was rambling, a desperate attempt to avoid the painful realny between them. She kept her eyes fixed on the coffee cup in her hand, terrified that one look at his would shatter the fragile rester she had clung to. The silence stretched, heavy and uncomfortable, filled with the unsaid words and the bitter end of what happened when they last saw each other
“I’ve asked Iris to leave, Matt blurted out, his face fuched with agitation. “For you, lit Only for you! Last week was hell, and I can’t live like this anymore -in this limbo, with you talking so casually about divorce. It scares the hell out of met Do you know what it’s been like? Every night, I dread the cold, empty bed, and every morning, I wake up with a crushing emptiness when 1 don’t find you there. I can’t do this anymore. His voice broke, and he looked directly into her eyes, his red–rimmed gaze piending with her. “Please, lity, let’s end this and come home with met
There was a raw pain and vulnerability in his soier that rid through Colette, leaving her shattered. But when she didn’t respond, Mati pressed un, desperation lacing his words. ‘She’s serving her two weeks notice, and then she’ll be out of our lives for good. tn’t that what you wanted, my love? For her to be gone? Well, she’s going, and now you can come home to me!
His tone was almost triumphant, as if expecting gratitude for that he save as a grand gesture. But beneath it, Colette sensed the subtle condescention, the belief that this was a favor to her–as if getting rid of Ins could somehow erase the deep fractures in their manlige.
Colette wished it were that simple. A month ago, when Matt had shown up at Zoe’s apartment, furious and desperate, threatening to drag her back home by her hair, she would have given anything to hear these words. She would have been ecstatic, the happiest woman alive, and would have leaped into his arms without hesitation. But now, it was too late. Too much had happened since then, and while not all of it was his fault, the damage was done. The wound rän too deep to be healed by a single gesture, no matter how grad
“Itty, listen to me…….” Matt started, his voice strained with frustration. But Colette eet him off, her own voice trembling. “I think we need some spo
They both stopped, their words colliding in the air, leaving a heavy, uncomfortable silence between them. Mart’s face darkened as he realized where this was going, his agitation growing with each passing second. “I told Ins to leave, I thought that’s what you wanted. So, why won’t you come home?” His voice was rising, laced with anger and confusion, and Colette could see the hurt behind his eyes.
“It was what I wanted, she admitted, her voice soft and pained. “But so much has happened since then, and-”
Matt’s expression twisted with frustration as he interrupted her. “So now that you’ve got me exactly where you want, you’re just going to keep holding o to that power, aren’t you? Is that it? Now that you know I’m desperate enough to do anything to get you back, you’re going to make me pay for every single mistake? Is that what this is about? His words were harth, almost cruel, and Colette could feel the sting of them deep in her chest,
“No, Matt, that’s not it at all,” she tried to explain, but he didn’t let her finish
“Oh, I understand it perfectly!” he snapped, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “You’re going to sit in that godforsaken apartment with Zoe, hanging divorc over my head like a guillotine, making me jump through hoops to win you back. Is that it? Is that the game you’re playing?”
Colette recoiled at the accusation, feeling a mix of guilt and anger rise within her. She knew this wasn’t fair, that the situation was more complicated than that, but the intensity of his emotions left her struggling to find the right words. She didn’t know how to make him understand that this wasn’t about power or revenge; it was about the pain they had both caused each other, pain that couldn’t simply be undone.
Matt’s gaze bore into her, his anger barely contained, and for the first time, she felt a flicker of fear–not of him, but of the disgust she saw in his eyes, a disgust she had seen before, but never directed at her. The realization hit her like a blow; this wasn’t just about their marriage anymore. It was about the resentment he had harbored for years, the ghosts of his past that had finally caught up to them both. She had seen this angry and distrustful look in his eyes before, always directed at his mother koxy.
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