Cherish the Years of Yearning Chapter 1

Six years into our secret marriage with Elias Coolidge, we decided on a secret divorce.

To spare his new girlfriend from the ignominy of being called a home-wrecker, he said, "I don't want anyone to know we were ever married."

I nodded, said nothing, and simply added an extra zero to the property settlement.

Elias's face changed. "In your heart, is there really nothing but money?"

I chuckled softly. "After all these years, you still know me best."

* * *

Elias Coolidge ended up in the hospital after a night of heavy drinking.

The nurse asked, "Who is the patient's family?"

Both I and Sarah Hayes stood up simultaneously.

"I am."

"It's me."

The nurse frowned. "Who is it, really?"

Sarah quickly stepped forward. "It's me. Tell me anything you need to."

The nurse began explaining the instructions for staying overnight. Sarah listened intently.

I glanced at Elias. His breathing was heavy, his brows furrowed, the corners of his eyes flushed red, but his lips were pale and bloodless.

It had been years since I'd seen him like this. Drinking tolerance, while something you could build, was mostly about one's constitution. And Elias, unfortunately, was allergic to alcohol.

Sarah, her eyes welling with tears, warmed his hand. For the 'other woman' to be so dedicated, I, the actual wife, felt quite awkward.

As I hesitated whether to just leave, she spoke. "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have drunk so much."

My assistant had already filled me in on the details before I arrived. At the banquet, someone had approached Sarah, trying to get her to drink. Elias had intervened. The man had sneered, "A man who's afraid to drink? You're better off with me."

Elias was long past the age of impulsive bravado. But that night, he’d gotten heated and started a drinking contest. Anyone who knew Elias knew he wasn't a strong drinker. But if he was determined to drink himself to death, you probably couldn't outdrink him.

In his wild, reckless youth, he'd landed in the hospital several times for such behavior. The last time was in our second year of marriage. He'd coughed up blood in the hospital, and I'd been in a car crash on the highway. After that, he changed.

Sarah asked, "Ms. Jensen, did he use to protect you like that?"

I forced a smile. "You stay with him; I'll head back."

"Ms. Jensen."

Sarah's voice was urgent. She bit her lip, as if making up her mind. "I told Elias I wanted to get married, and he said yes."