Chapter 2

Pulling myself out of my memories, I couldn't be bothered to waste another breath on either of them.

I stood up and headed for the stairs.

Behind me, Jameson was quietly repeating those words under his breath. "What did you expect?"

His expression was turning uglier by the second.

I didn't have time to care about his feelings.

I was just thinking that since he was finally back, it was time to put certain plans into motion.

But the moment my foot hit the first step, Jameson's voice rang out behind me. "Della, aren't you going to help prepare the guest room for our visitor?

"Or have you completely forgotten how to manage a household in the last six months?"

When I paused on the stairs, he let out a mocking scoff. "Oh, I see you still can't bear to let go of your status as my wife. And here I thought..."

I turned around, lifting my chin toward a visibly disgruntled Maya. "Hey, I'm giving up the position of Mrs. Cole to you. Go make the bed yourself."

Maya's eyes went wide. She opened her mouth, then looked over at Jameson, clearly shocked by my sudden generosity.

She was just about to step forward to talk to him when he viciously kicked the coffee table over with a loud crash.

The look on his face was genuinely terrifying.

Maya let out a frightened yelp.

Jameson grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her arm up into the air, his face as cold as ice.

"Della, when you broke Maya's arm, I let it slide," he snarled. "But if I wanted to press charges, the company has security footage and witnesses.

"I told you, apologize to her, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened. I won't leave again.

"Didn't you say you wanted to take our makeup honeymoon?

"As long as you come down here right now, apologize, and get her room ready, I'll agree to it.

"We can go anywhere you want. You only get one chance, so think very carefully before you answer!"

I stood there, taking a long, hard look at the man standing in the middle of our living room.

I looked at him for a long time.

Then, I turned around and walked slowly back down the stairs until I was standing right in front of him.

The corner of Jameson's mouth twitched upward into a victorious smirk.

But that smirk vanished the second the words left my lips.

I spoke softly, my voice as casual as if I were discussing the weather. "Jameson, I want a divorce. I've already packed most of my things.

"Honestly, you two can just take the master bedroom.

"I'm going to go pick Bonnie up. You should see her. Tomorrow morning, let's head down to the courthouse and sign the papers."

With that, I grabbed my car keys and walked out the door.

Jameson screamed my name at the top of his lungs.

I didn't look back.

Truthfully, there were a million things I wanted to say, could have said, should have said.

But looking at the man Jameson had become, I suddenly realized something.

This man was no longer worth a single ounce of my energy or emotion.

Just opening my mouth to speak to him felt exhausting.

So, I chose silence.

*****

I drove straight to my daughter's school.

An hour later, Bonnie was out, and I took her to grab dinner.

During the meal, I casually mentioned that Jameson was back.

She was happy, but she didn't beg to go see her dad immediately.

I affectionately patted her head and asked her where she wanted to go for the upcoming spring break.

"I want to go wherever Mommy goes," she said.

I smiled and said okay.

She asked, "Are we still not bringing Daddy this time?"

I nodded.

When he first left, she used to cry and throw tantrums asking for him.

But now, she had adjusted perfectly to him not being around. She fully accepted that she and I could live a great life on their own.

I replied, "Yeah, Daddy's really busy. Remember what Mommy told you before? We might not live with Daddy anymore.

"But if you ever miss him, you can always call him and ask to hang out, right?"

Bonnie played with the plushie in her hands, taking a moment before looking up and saying, "Oh, okay."

She was practically a different child from the little girl who sobbed for her dad in the hospital bed six months ago.

She honestly didn't seem to care much at all. "Got it. Mommy, look, I made a little outfit for my bear! Aren't I awesome?"

"You are so awesome, Bonnie! That is amazing." I praised her.

After dinner, I drove her back home.

The living room was a total disaster zone, clearly the aftermath of Jameson throwing a tantrum after I left.

I completely ignored it. I just coaxed Bonnie into the shower and sat in her room to help with her homework.

Partway through, Jameson pushed the door open and walked in.

Bonnie happily threw her arms around him, and his stony expression finally softened.

They chatted for a bit. After a while, Jameson glanced at me.

"Daddy is never going away for this long again," he said, sighing dramatically. "I am going to stay home and spend way more time with you and Mommy from now on. Does that sound good?"

He obviously expected Bonnie to be thrilled. He looked at her with eager anticipation.

Instead, Bonnie replied with pure, innocent logic. "It's okay, Daddy, you can just go do your work.

"Mommy told me that everyone has to focus on their own stuff. You do your things, I do my things, and Mommy does Mommy's things.

"Don't worry. Even when you aren't here, Mommy and I are doing great. Oh, yeah, when you were gone, Mommy took me to so many fun places. I had the best time."

"Oh... is, is that so?" Jameson's smile faltered, and he looked back at me, looking like he desperately wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

I ignored him, focusing entirely on my daughter. "Alright, Bonnie, time for your reading practice, and then it is straight to bed. What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Blueberry pancakes. And some bacon," Bonnie replied.

"You got it. Mommy will make it for you tomorrow morning. Now go get your book."

Bonnie let go of Jameson without a hint of reluctance and dutifully trotted over to her desk.