8
On the third evening, Reuben returned with the two boys.
He walked in and, unprompted, explained, “Addy’s always been sensitive to pain, so we took her to the hospital first.”
Wes mumbled too, “Yeah, Mom. You’re way tougher than Addy. You don’t need us…”
Nolan nodded.
“Addy’s too gentle. She needs us to protect her.”
“Enough,” Evelyn cut them off, “No need to explain.”
She knew it all too well.
All these excuses, in the end, boiled down to one thing: they loved Addison, and they didn’t love her..
Once, this truth hurt her so much. Now, it didn’t.
Because she no longer loved them either.
www
Her calmness seemed to unsettle Reuben.
He looked like he wanted to make amends, so he spoke again,”There’s a meteor shower tonight. I’ll take you to the mountain top to watch it.”
“No.”
“Don’t be stubborn,” Reuben said, glancing at the kids, “Go with your mom to change.”
Wes and Nolan immediately latched onto her arms, one on each side.
“Mom, let’s go!”
Evelyn was forced into the car, only to find Addison there too.
“Evelyn, please don’t misunderstand,” Addison said softly, “I’ve been scared of the dark since I was little. Reuben didn’t feel right leaving me home
alone…”
Reuben chimed in at once, “Addy has night blindness. She gets terrified being alone at night.”
The two kids joined in, too,”Addy’s so pitiful!”
Evelyn closed her eyes, exhausted, not wanting to hear another word.
The whole way, Reuben and the boys fussed over Addison, asking if she was alright.
They adjusted her seat, passed her a blanket, fed her fruit, and were afraid she might feel the least bit uncomfortable.
Addison stole glances at Evelyn now and then, hoping to catch a flicker of jealousy or anger.
But Evelyn just stared quietly out the window, as if none of this concerned her.
When they reached the midpoint of the mountain, everyone got out to walk.
Suddenly, Addison slipped, let out a shriek, and grabbed Evelyn’s wrist.
The two tumbled down the slope together!
“Evelyn! Addy!”
Reuben and the kids rushed over, only to see Addison with a scraped palm, tears welling in her eyes, looking utterly pitiful.
But Evelyn had hit a rock.
A sharp stone gashed her calf, a long, deep cut.
Blood instantly soaked through her pants, and her face turned deathly pale.
Til take Addy back first,” Reuben decided without hesitation, “Evelyn, hold on. I’ll call the rescue team.”
After saying that, he lifted Addison into his arms and walked away without a backward glance.
Wes and Nolan hesitated, glancing at their mother’s bleeding leg, then at Addison in their father’s arms, before finally scurrying after him.
Evelyn lay on the cold hillside, watching their figures vanish into the night.
She waited all night.
No one returned.
At dawn, Evelyn gritted her teeth, dragging her injured leg as she inched her way up to the road, crawling bit by bit.
She stopped a car, went to the hospital to have her wound dressed, then headed straight for the courthouse.
When the divorce papers was placed in her hands, she stared at the gold lettering and felt an unexpected wave of relief.
Back at the villa, she found the house was empty.
Reuben and her boys were still at the hospital with Addison, undergoing a “full examination.”
Evelyn set Reuben’s copy of the divorce papers on the coffee table, alongside a note:”I’m gone. Don’t look for me. I don’t want you anymore.”
She picked up her already packed suitcase and walked out, never glancing back at the cage that had trapped her for five years.
Behind her, the morning sun rose slowly.
Ahead of her lay a brand-new life without Reuben, Wes, or Nolan.
PRITEEE
