Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Leanne had just finished preparing dinner, a well-orchestrated spread that thankfully didn’t. resemble the chaotic mess

of her last attempt. The dishes looked downright presentable

this time.

She sat down at the dining table and glanced at the clock. It had been an hour and a half since the phone call. Curtis should be home soon. Yet, as the moment of truth approached, Leanne found herself far calmer than expected.

The obsessions of the past had given way to acceptance, and the once unbearable thoughts were now met with indifference. Sure, the journey had been painful, but it was that very journey that allowed her to extricate Curtis from her heart with surprising ease.

She had experienced both love and hate for Curtis. But as their saga came to an end, she was able to release all the emotions with a sense of calm indifference.

Their marriage had veered off course and taken her on a detour filled with brief disarray, but it was finally reaching its predetermined conclusion.

Leanne waited at the dining table for Curtis’ return.

But as the evening sky darkened, there was no sound of his car pulling up. The brilliant chandelier above the table cast its glow on the now cold dishes.

After nearly three hours of waiting, Curtis hadn’t shown up. Though he was far from perfect, he wasn’t one to break his

word. With no clear understanding of the situation and several unanswered calls later, Leanne was about to give up when her phone was finally picked up just before disconnecting.

“Are you

you back?” Leanne asked.

“Hello? Leanne?” It was Suzan on the other end, not Curtis.

Leanne’s remaining words caught in her throat,

That explained it. No wonder Curtis hadn’t come home.

Leanne just hadn’t expected that even today, when they were supposed to discuss their divorce, a matter of such gravity, would be so casually neglected by him.

Perhaps Leanne had accumulated enough disappointment that she felt little surprise or resentment at that moment.

“Where’s Curtis?” Leanne inquired.

“There’s been a bit of an emergency on my end, and Curtis can’t leave right now,” Suzan replied. “Are you waiting for him at home? Might have to wait a bit longer.”

“Okay, got it.”

Chapter 81

After hanging up, Leanne looked at the cold feast before her and suddenly felt a sense of

release.

She had imagined that in the end, just like in the beginning, they would sit down.

face-to-face and end things with a formal sense of ceremony. But now, with the deadline passed and divorce a mutual and undisputed agreement, with no assets to split, there seemed no need for a final face-to-face.

Her bags were already packed. Leanne called a cab. The friendly driver helped her load her luggage into the trunk.

As she took her seat in the car and they drove off, everything she was leaving behind. receded in the rearview mirror.

The memories at Crystal Cove Villas’ suite Number 9 and three years of life and love were all fading into the past.

Meanwhile, in the emergency room of the hospital, Suzan clutched her phone, about to erase the call log when she noticed a figure entering. She quickly stashed the phone

away.

The CT scan of your brain is clear,” Curtis announced as he walked in with the results. “But you’ll need to rest your knee. Take it easy for a while.”

Suzan handed him the phone with a clear conscience, “Alan brought your phone. Leanne called a few times. It seemed urgent, so I answered for you and let her know.”

Curtis scrolled through the phone, noting several missed calls from Leanne.

Suzan’s leg lay stretched out, a stark wound seamed with stitches on her pale knee.

ddenly, she winced, her face turning ashen. Curtis, it hurts…”

dialing Leanne’s number, seemed not to hear.

ere was no answer from Leanne. After two attempts, he was just as unsuccessful.

“If you’re anxious, go on home,” Suzan suggested with a tight smile, attempting to sound casual.

To her surprise, Curtis grabbed his coat, ready to leave. “I’ve taken care of the medical bills. Your mother is on her way, she’ll be here soon. I’ll leave Alan with you, just call him if you need anything.”

Alan, suited up in black, stood to the side, visibly on edge..

Suzan managed a weak smile and joked, “I’m starting to be a little scared of Alan.”