Chapter 33.
Chapter 11
“Colette!” Aunt Beth’s vice rang out, sharp and disbelieving, as she appeared at the entrance of the cafe. The horror in her eyes was unmistakable as she stared at her niece, who had just slapped her hinhand. “What in the name of God was that? Hose could you do such a thing?”
Colette turned to face her aunt, bracing herself for the inevitable confrontation. The shock on Aunt Beth’s face quickly morphed into the familiar mask of stem disapproval, the one Colette had known all her life. It was as if all the progress they had made in the past few days had been wiped away in an instant. Aunt Beth stood there, back in her full matronly glory, her eyes blazing with anger and disappointment.
Ter a brief moment, Colette had allowed herself to believe that Uncle Steve’s heart attack had softeneil Aunt Beth, that maybe, just maybe, she had changed. But now, sering the judgment in her aunt’s eyes, she realized how foolish that hape had been Aunt Beth hadn’t changed–not really. She was still the same woman who had always held Colette to impossible standards, who had never hesitated to chastise her, no matter the situation.
ace the blame squarely on Colette’s
Of course, Aunt Beth didn’t even care to ask what Mait had done to prooke such a reaction. No, it was far easier to place shoulders, to treat her as the perennial problem child who could do no right
But Colette was no longer that frightened little girl who craved approval. She had been pushed too far, hurt too deeply, and she wasn’t going to back down
“I’m not going to apologize for it,” Coletto declared, her voice steady and resolute as she stood up straight, meeting her aunt’s gaze with unflinching determination. “He got exactly what he deserved.”
Aunt Beth gasped, utterly taken aback by Colette’s defiance. She wasn’t used to this–Colette had always been the obedient one, disciplined under Aunt Beth’s strict hand. “Is this how you treat your husband? No wonder he spends all his time away from you! I taught you better, Colette, you should-
Matt, standing beside them, looked mortified. His mouth opened to speak, but the words caught in his throat. He tried again, his hand half reaching out, but Colette was already moving her face pale with the effort of holding hack tears. Without a word, she spain on her heel and stormed out, her footsteps echoing through the café, leaving Matt frozen in place,
The cool air hit her like a slap as she burst out of the hospital, the noise of the city drowning out Aunt Beth’s scolding voice that still chood in her mind. It was funny, really, she thought bitterly–she had never realized just how much her husband and Aunt were alike. “Apologize, Colette Mant’s voice from a few days ago, hard and unyielding, rewounded in her memory. He had demanded she apologise to tris, of all people, and the realization made her stomach turn…
But what he had done today… that was a whole new level of betrayal. The bile rose in her throat an abe flagged down a taxi, her hands trembling. He was willing to give her a child–not out of love, but as a bargaining chip. A child that he wouldn’t love or even care about. Their child was nothing more than a pawn in his twisted game, just like she had been.
Matt had finally moved, his face stricken, as he tried to call her back, but the door of the cafe swung shut behind her. Colette bit her lower lip hard, willing herself not to cry. No more of that. She was done crying for him.
Colette knew he had deserved that slap, no matter what Aunt Beth thought. If Matt truly believed she was like his mother, manipulating him after three years of marriage, then perhaps divorce was the right decision after all. By the time the cab pulled up to Zoe’s apartiment, ale was trembling, feeling oddly lightheaded. She paid the driver, but as soon as she stepped out, nausea surge, and she barely made it inside
“ity?” Zoe called from the kitchen, her voice tinged with concem. Colette didn’t answer, sprinting to the bathroom with her hand clamped over her mouth, She collapsed in front of the boiler, retching violently, tears streaming down her face as misery and sickness overwhelmed her. Zoe stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock, unsure whether to approach.
Finally, when her stomach was empty, Colette slumped against the wall, her body shaking. She felt foolish for breaking down like this, but the emotions were ton strong to contain. Her phone, vibrating incessantly in her pocket, only added to the chaos. Matt was calling, but she couldn’t bear to answer. Not now. Not after everything.
She pulled herself up, trying to steady her breath, but her reflection in the bathroom mirror showed a woman on the edge–raw, broken, and unsure of what
to do next.
Colette emerged from the bathroom, feeling drained and hollow. She made her way to the couch, desperate for a moment to collect herself she sank into the cushions, Zee was back in the kitchen again, cooking something. There was silence for a while, before she spoke like she was casually mentioning the weather.
“So, pregnant much?”
There was no soltening of the blow, no gentle lead–in–just the cold, hard truth, delivered with the precision of a sword piercing straight through her chest.
Her phone buzzed on the table beside her, vibrating with the free of its relentless notifications, Matt had called 25 times by now.
