Chapter 6
Like a bolt out of nowhere, Bernadette’s mind just went blank.
The person on the other end let out a cold laugh and hung up, leaving her standing there in the snow, stunned.
It took ages for her to snap out of it. She called back, but no one picked
- up.
So she just stood there, calling again and again.
The icy wind blew so hard her eyes turned red and numb, but all she heard was that endless busy tone.
It felt like her heart had been ripped wide open, and the wind just kept slicing through it like a knife.
She stared at the falling snow, her thoughts spinning out–one moment she was a teenager, the next she was stuck in yesterday.
However, no matter how far her mind drifted, what she kept seeing were those photos of Nolan and Jessica.
He was lying to her again.
Bernadette tried to take a step, but her knees buckled and she fell right into the snow.
When she woke up, she was already in the hospital.
A nurse was swapping out her IV bag. “You had a 39–degree fever last night. Your assistant brought you in. You can go home once this drip’s
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done.”
Bernadette shut her eyes. “Thanks.”
She reached for her phone on the table. There were 38 missed calls, but only one text from Nolan. “On a business trip.”
She froze, then noticed Jessica had tagged her in a post.
It was a picture of Nolan wearing an apron in the kitchen. The caption, bright and smug, said, “Day 740 together and he finally cooked his first meal for me.”
S
The color drained from Bernadette’s face.
She remembered the first time Nolan cooked for her. She had teased him about it and asked if he had done it for anyone else.
Nolan had laughed and said that he would only cook for his wife.
***
Her tears hit her phone screen, blooming into little wet spots.
Bernadette stared at Jessica’s post for a long time, then called Nolan again.
He picked up right away, his tone the same
as ever. “What’s wrong?”
Bernadette’s voice cracked. “Nolan, I miss my grandparents.”
He was quiet for a second before saying, days. I’m on a business trip right now.”
“Liar,” Bernadette thought.
“I’ll go back with you in a few
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Bernadette hung up, and the wind caught her tears, turning her face wet and salty.
The nurse came over to change her IV and gave her a strange look. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere else?”
Bernadette just shook her head.
As soon as the nurse left, she pulled out the needle herself and got ready to leave.
However, as soon as she turned the corner out of the ER, she froze in her
tracks.
Down the hall, Nolan and Jessica were standing together outside the obstetrics and gynecology department.
For a second, Bernadette thought she must be hallucinating.
However, Nolan and Jessica spotted her too.
From where she stood, she could not make out Nolan’s expression.
Yet, she could see Jessica’s smirk clear as day.
Jessica’s hand brushed over her belly tauntingly. Then, those words from before-“I’m not going to lose.“–slammed back into Bernadette’s mind.
She took a step toward Nolan like she was sleepwalking.
However, he turned his back on her. Just turned and led Jessica through the door, without a glance.
Bernadette stood frozen, the cold crawling right into her bones.
In the end, she really did lose. Badly.
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When she got home, her eyes were blank. She just sat on the couch for who knows how long until she heard the key turning in the lock.
Then, Nolan silently sat down beside her.
In that suffocating stillness, Bernadette’s voice came out rough and cracked, “We’ve been together ten years.”
She had survived three years of heartache and seven years of restlessness, but in the end, it all fell apart right at their ten–year promise.
Nolan said nothing.
“I thought we’d grow old together…” Her voice broke. The words just would not come out.
That promise on their wedding day was to stay together forever.
She laughed at herself and asked, “Why? What does she have that I don’t?”
To her surprise, Nolan actually answered, “Her last name is Mallins.”
Her mind went blank, and just like that, ten years vanished into thin air.
Nolan’s face stayed calm. “That’s all.”
Bernadette let out a shaky laugh.
**
Suddenly, all the things Annalisa used to say made cruel, perfect sense. It felt like someone was slicing her heart into pieces and she could not even breathe from the pain.
After what felt like forever, she looked right at him and said, “Nolan, I’m not the type to cling to you.”
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Their eyes met, yet hers were cold and clear. “I hope you get what you
want.
“Let’s get a divorce.”
Nolan looked back at her and said, “Fine, but you’re leaving with nothing.”
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