A Goodbye Without a Period Chapter 2

The first thing I did when I got home was go to my room, lock the door, and call the hospital. I booked an appointment for a full check-up with a top specialist for the next morning. Whether it was this life or the last, all I ever wanted was to live.

I had just hung up when Lucas came home. I didn't know he'd be back so soon.

He was yanking at his tie, his face a mask of irritation. "What was that on the street just now?" he demanded. "Sophie, can you stop pulling a long face over every little thing?"

Ever since Jenna had become his secretary, he had become relentlessly critical of me. Nothing I did was ever right. It was his sudden change in attitude, coupled with Jenna's constant provocations, that had driven me to madness in our last marriage.

I suppressed the suffocating pain in my chest and turned to face him calmly. "Lucas, believe it or not, I'm not angry. I'm not trying to cause a scene, and I'm not giving you the silent treatment."

I gestured to my face. "See? The pork stamp is all washed off. I’m not holding a grudge against you, and I certainly don't have the energy to hold one against Jenna."

Without waiting for a reply, I turned and locked myself in the bathroom.

When I came out, Lucas was gone. But my phone was blowing up. It was Jenna's signature move. Whenever she was with him, she would bombard me with photos of them together, treating my inbox like her personal photo dump.

In my past life, her pictures would send me into fits of tears or rages that I’d take out on Lucas.

This time, I looked at the photo she sent and typed a reply.

I wasn't insulting. In fact, I was very sincere. "You're holding the phone at the wrong angle," I wrote. "Lucas's profile is his better side. Try holding it higher next time."

"Also, there's too much empty space in the shot. Crop it tighter so you two look closer, more intimate."

A reply came back almost instantly. "Did someone hack your account?"

I sent her a smiling emoji. "Nope. Just wanted to let you know, he's all yours."

Then, I blocked her number.

This new arrangement worked for me. I’d keep the title of Mrs. Hayes and the supplementary credit card. Jenna could have his body and his time. It was a much better deal than the one I'd fought for last time, when all I'd foolishly wanted was his love.