Chapter 19
“Gale!” I gasped, stepping between him and Louise, who stumbled back, clutching his face in shock. “What are you doing?”
Gale’s eyes blazed with a storm of emotions, frustration, anger, and something unrecognizable. “So, he is the
reason you want to divorce me?”
Louise straightened, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his lip, his expression calm yet tinged with disdain.
“So, this is the man who married you for four years, Rachel?”
Before I could answer, the two men locked eyes, the tension between them electric.
“What do you mean by that?” Gale sneered, his voice dripping with venom. “I’m more capable of giving her what she needs than you, a fake son trying to prove himself.”
Louise smirked, his voice steady. “At least
30% 14:56
1/9
Chapter 19
my love for Rachel has never been fake.”
Gale‘ s expression darkened, his fists clenching at his sides. “How dare you!”
“Enough!” I shouted, my voice cutting through the growing chaos. My hands trembled as I stood between them. “Stop this, right now!”
I turned to Gale, my tone sharp, the hurt in my chest boiling over. “What are you even doing here? You have no right to come. barging into my life like this, let alone act like some possessive husband.”
Gale‘ s expression faltered, but only for a moment. His voice lowered, rough and strained. “I had to see you, Rachel. You disappeared for two years, without a word.”
I let out a bitter laugh, crossing my arms.
“I have told you to sign the divorce paper before I go.”
“Wait, don’t tell me you haven’t signed the divorce papers yet,” I added,
30% 14:56
2/9
+))
29
Chapter 19
narrowing my eyes at him.
Gale‘ s face hardened. “How could I sign something I never agreed to?”
“Agreed to?” Louise interjected, stepping closer. “You don‘ t get to decide what Rachel does with her life. Not anymore.
“Stay out of this,” Gale snapped, turning on him. “Who even are you to her? Did you two get married while I was still her husband? Rachel, we‘ re not even divorced yet!”
Louise squared his shoulders, his voice. calm but firm. “I‘ m her friend. And
unlike you, I actually know how to treat her like a human being.”
Gale‘ s jaw tightened, his knuckles white with tension. He opened his mouth to retort, but I stepped forward, my voice trembling with anger. “Stop it, both of you!”
Turning to Gale, I said coldly, “You don’t get to barge in here and interrogate me like
30% 14:56
3/9
Chapter 19
this. You had four years to care, Gale. Four years of ignoring me, of making me feel invisible. And now you want to act like you care? It’s too late.”
Gale s expression shifted, the fight draining from his posture. “Rachel, I… I know I messed up. I hurt you in ways I‘ 11 never be able to make up for. But I can’t let you go. I need you.
Tears welled in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “You don‘ t need me, Gale. You just don’t want to be alone. You loved Lilian, not me. You used me to patch the wounds she left behind, and I won’t be your bandage anymore.”
Gale s lips parted as if to argue, but Louise cut in, his voice steady. “You heard her. She’s done, Gale. Leave.”
Gale‘ s shoulders slumped, his eyes
flickering with regret. For a moment, he
seemed on the verge of arguing, but then he nodded slowly.
30% 14:56
4/9
Chapter 19
His voice, when he spoke, was barely above a whisper. “I’ll go. But, Rachel… I‘ m not giving up. Not yet.”
He turned and walked away, the crowd parting like waves to let him through.
Hazel and Minnie hurried to my side, their faces etched with concern.
Hazel placed a hand on Louise’s shoulder.
“Are you okay? That was… intense.”
Louise rubbed his jaw, wincing slightly but managing a small smile. “Well, I wasn’t expecting to get punched tonight. Guess I should have braced myself.”
I gave a weak laugh, guilt tugging at my heart. “I’m so sorry, Louise. I didn’t mean for you to get dragged into this mess.”
He waved me off. “It’s not your fault, Rachel. Gale clearly has issues, but that’s not on you.”
Minnie glanced toward the door, where
30% 14:56
5/9
Chapter 19.
Gale had disappeared. “Do you want us to call security? Just in case he comes back?”
I shook my head, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. “No, it’s fine. I don’t think he‘ 11 cause any more trouble tonight.
Hazel squeezed my hand gently, her warmth grounding me. “You don’t have to face this alone, Rachel. We’re here for you.
Her words brought tears to my eyes, but I blinked them away, managing a small smile. “Thank you. All of you.”
As the night wore on, I tried to focus on the success of the exhibition, the glowing compliments, the pieces being sold, and the pride I felt seeing my work appreciated.
But Gale’s words lingered, his presence casting a long shadow over my thoughts.
For years, I had yearned for him to see me, to value me as his partner, his wife. But in the end, I had been nothing more than a
30% 14:56
6/9
2:56
29
Chapter 19
placeholder, a shadow of someone he truly loved.
The chapter with Gale was over. And no matter how hard he tried, I was
determined to leave it firmly closed.
But to my surprise, Gale came again to the second day of the exhibition.
At that time, Hazel and Louise were not
there with me.
When I was looking at the works that had been sold one by one, out of nowhere, I felt someone wrap their arms around me from behind.
My breath hitched, and my body tensed as I instinctively pulled away, spinning
around.
There he was.
“Gale?” I exclaimed, my voice tinged
with shock and irritation.
He looked at me, his expression a mixture of regret and determination. “Rachel,”
30% 14:56
7/9
Chapter 19
he said softly, his voice laden with emotions I was not prepared to handle.
“What are you doing here again?” I asked, my tone sharp.
“I came to see your work,” he replied, his eyes flickering to the painting nearest to us, a piece inspired by the profound loneliness. I had endured in Providence. “It‘ s… beautiful.”
I crossed my arms, keeping my distance.
“I don’t need your compliments, Gale.”
His gaze returned to mine, unwavering. “I needed to see you. To… explain myself. I know I’ve hurt you, and I know I don’t deserve your time, but I can’t leave things as they are.”
I shook my head, exhaling a bitter laugh. “Haven’t you gotten enough closure, Gale? Didn’t your mother explain everything to you? Why were we even together in the first place?”
His shoulders slumped slightly, the weight
30% 14.56
8/9
Chapter 19
of guilt visible in his stance. “She told me about the agreement,” he admitted. “I read it. I know now why you stayed with me. But….”
He hesitated, his voice dropping. “Was there never a day during those four years when you saw me as more than an obligation? When you considered me your husband, not just someone you should marry because of the agreement with my mother?”
30% 14-57
