Chapter 6
To give Kathy a better life, I worked during the day and spent the afternoons knitting and making crafts to sell to collectors who came door–to–door. The prices weren’t much, but when added up over a month, it was enough. Enough to buy Kathy some milk and some
snacks.
We’d been in Shaylon City for nearly two weeks when I ran into Zach at the gate of my
workplace after I clocked out.
In the half month since I’d left him, Kathy and I had experienced a kind of happiness we’d never known before, so much so that the days seemed to pass in a blur. Seeing him again
threw me for a moment. It felt like he belonged to a past life.
He was standing by a flowerbed, and I had no idea how long he’d been there. Zach was a teacher who always prided himself on appearances. But he had buttoned his shirt wrong and stood there, disheveled, staring at every person walking out of the building.
I walked past him without a word, planning to circle around and leave.
But the moment he saw me, his eyes lit up. He rushed over, eyes red, and demanded sharply, “Anna! Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been looking for you these past days? How could you just abandon your husband and bring Kathy all the way to Shaylon City!? If I hadn’t gone to your old workplace and asked around, I’d never have imagined you’d go this far just to avoid me!”
He was close now. I could clearly see the sharp lines of his face, noticeably thinner than before. Red veins streaked through his eyes, deep shadows beneath them. His brows were furrowed in anger, but his voice trembled with something like hurt.
I looked at him coolly, distant and indifferent, like he was a stranger I’d once known but had long forgotten.
“Zach,” I said, “unless I’m mistaken, I believe I told you–we’re no longer connected in
any way.”
1/3
Chapter 6
+25 Bonus
His chest rose and fell sharply at my words. He tried to steady his breathing and softened his tone, “Don’t be like this, Anna. Come on, let’s pick up Kathy together and go home. Our home is a mess without you running it.”
He gave me a half–smile. “Where’s Kathy? I haven’t seen her in days. Has she grown a little? Has she been asking about me?”
I stared at his pretended warmth, tired of the act, and let out a cold laugh.
“Zach, neither Kathy nor I have anything to do with you anymore. She doesn’t miss you, and I certainly don’t either.”
His smile froze mid–expression. His hand twitched, as if he were fighting the urge to lash out, but instead he reached out, trying to hold my hand in some pathetic attempt to placate
- me.
“Okay, okay, let’s stop this. I know I was wrong to let Jennifer move in. I’ll make her and Felicia leave right away. Let’s just go back to the way things were.”
He looked at me, his voice almost pleading.
“Let’s get back to our little family. You and Kathy didn’t get to taste the fish I made last time—I’ll make it again tonight, alright?”
The way he said it, it was as if he were handing me a ladder to step down from. If I didn’t take it, I’d be the one making things ugly.
Just as I opened my mouth to respond, someone took my hand and gently pulled me out of Zach’s reach.
Rowan tightened his grip on my hand and spoke with easy intimacy, “What are you two chatting about? Weren’t we supposed to get off work together and pick up Kathy on the way home?”
In that moment, I understood him completely. I looked into his smiling eyes and nodded. “Got caught by someone who wouldn’t leave me alone.”
2/3
Chapter 5
+25 Bonus
Zach clenched his fists, rage flaring. He glared at Rowan and shouted, “Who the hell are you!? Anna is my wife! Let go of her!”
Rowan raised his eyebrows, tightened his hold on my hand, and said in a calm, deliberate tone, “Your wife? Do you have any proof? Are you even legally married? From the looks of it, she doesn’t seem all that interested in talking to you.”
He didn’t say it with sarcasm or venom–just an even, quiet voice that left Zach momentarily speechless. Flustered, Zach snapped and tried to change the subject.
ப
Support
Share
3/3
