He was pressed against my shoulder, his breathing just starting to even out.
He answered it right in front of me.
We were so close I could clearly hear the sobbing female voice on the other end. Donovan froze.
One second… five seconds… ten…
It took him a full thirty seconds to react. He snatched a robe from the chair and strode out of the room.
Donovan didn’t come back that night.
The next day, I learned from my parents that Genevieve had been in an accident during a performance. A career–ending injury.
Donovan had personally flown to bring her home.
Though she was staying at our parents‘ house, Donovan took care of everything related to her.
My parents even sat me down for a little chat.
“Don’t take it to heart. Your sister can’t dance anymore. She’s devastated. Donovan is the only one who can comfort her.” My parents had always favored Genevieve.
She was beautiful, a top student, and a gifted dancer.
I was just a bookworm. Boring. Quiet
They all revolved around the injured Genevieve.
Including my husband.
His patience with me wore thin.
One evening, he promised to pick me up but left me waiting in a downpour for two hours.
I caught a bad cold, my fever spiking.
Donovan had no choice but to leave Genevieve’s side and take care of me at the hospital.
But my mother saw
it as a manipulative ploy to force him home.
She screamed at me over the phone. “Because you called him away, your sister tried to kill herself last night! She almost died!”
“You’re a healthy person! Why do you have to fight with a disabled woman over a man?”
I looked at her in disbelief. “But… Donovan is my husband now.”
“So what? This marriage, this husband–they belong to her! You stole them!”
But she was the one who had begged me to marry him.
Genevieve had come to me before she left for Paris, trying to convince me to take her place.
“Carys, I know you like him. Isn’t this a golden opportunity?”
“We should keep it in the family. You wouldn’t want to see Donovan with some other woman, would you?”
I kept my head down, refusing to speak.
Genevieve grew desperate. “Are you just going to watch our family go bankrupt?”
“I’m begging you, Carys. Or are you worried I’ll come back and fight you for him?”
My expression must have flickered.
She let out a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry. I won’t contact him after I go abroad. I swear it!”
She kept her promise for the first few years.
But in the end, she forgot the oath she’d sworn.
After getting the divorce certificate, I moved south alone.
I didn’t contact my family for three years.
A few weeks ago, they found me. They told me Donovan and Genevieve were getting married. It was Genevieve who called.
“Carys, please come to my wedding. Only with you there will I feel like I haven’t wronged you.” I was silent for a long time. Then I said, “Okay.”
The day I arrived home was bright and sunny.
I had just stepped through the door with my suitcase when Genevieve dashed out of her room. “Carys!”
Her steps were light and quick,
In the cool autumn air, she wore only a thin silk nightgown.
Behind her, Donovan followed with a pair of slippers and a coat.,
“Why can’t you remember to wear shoes? Next time you do this, I’ll have to-”
His voice cut off abruptly.
He saw me.
This was the first time we’d seen each other since the divorce.
Proper etiquette dictated I should greet him.
I turned and gave him a faint nod.
Three years hadn’t changed him much. He was still the man I remembered.
Except the coldness in his eyes had been replaced by a soft tenderness.
He nodded back, then quickly looked away, draping the coat over Genevieve’s shoulders.
*You two catch up. I have some work to handle.”
Genevieve came over, linking her arm through mine affectionately.
“I was so afraid you wouldn’t come back. We’re trying on wedding dresses tomorrow. Will you come with me? Please?” I pulled my arm away, my face impassive. “I have something to do tomorrow.”
Genevieve pouted, “Is it important?”
12:19 PM dd “Yes, very.”
She thought for a moment. “Then let’s move it to the day after. Finish your business tomorrow and come home early…” “I’m not staying here,” I interrupted. “Tell Mom and Dad for me. I’ll be busy for the next few days, so I won’t be coming home.”
With that, I grabbed my suitcase and walked out without a backward glance.
I hadn’t gone far when a car pulled up smoothly beside me.
The window rolled down, revealing Donovan’s handsome face.
“Get in. I’ll give you a ride.”
