Chapter 7
On his way home, David stopped at a red light. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a new bakery that had just opened up by the roadside.
It wasn't Summer Lane Bakery.
But the entrance design took him back to when Emily opened her very first shop.
Back then, she used to pull him along to check out the renovations, always asking, "Does this color look nice?" or "Is this lighting cozy enough?"
He found himself remembering what he'd said to her back then.
"Just go with what you think is best. I don't really get this stuff," he had said.
The light turned green, and the car behind him blared its horn.
He stepped on the gas.
When he got home, he opened the door.
The house was still empty.
In the kitchen, the chicken broth he'd heated up yesterday was still sitting in the pot, cold.
He poured out the soup and flopped down on the couch.
On the coffee table sat a book Emily had been reading, left open halfway. She hadn't taken it with her when she left.
It was a baking book, with a cross-section of a chiffon cake on the cover.
He closed the book and put it back where it belonged.
At nine o'clock that night, his phone rang.
It was his mom calling.
"Davey, where's Emily? I picked up a little care package to help her recover, and wanted to bring it over for her. I heard about the landslide from your dad," his mother said.
David gripped his phone, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something.
"Mom, Emily's on a business trip," he finally said.
"A business trip? Does her little shop really need her to go on a business trip?" his mom asked.
"Mom, I gotta go," David said.
"Wait, what about Sophie? She came over for dinner last time, and she really is a sweet girl. You better not do anything to hurt Emily," his mom said.
David hung up.
His mom always said he shouldn't do anything to hurt Emily, but the way she talked in front of Emily last month was a whole different story.
At that family dinner, his mom held Sophie's hand.
"This girl is just so likable. She's pretty and well educated. Davey, make sure you take good care of her at the office," she said.
And then she turned to Emily and said:
"Emily, is your bakery actually making any money? I heard nine out of ten bakeries go under. Maybe you should consider finding a more stable job?" his mom asked.
Emily just smiled and didn't say anything.
Looking back now, that smile wasn't out of embarrassment.
It was exhaustion.
David tossed his phone onto the coffee table and leaned back against the couch.
The ceiling was hospital white, just like those sterile rooms.
Her words echoed in his ears again.
"When I got tossed out, did you protect her?" Emily's voice rang in his mind.
He closed his eyes.
It had been three days.
Emily's phone was still off.
Laura kept ignoring his calls, and the manager at Summer Lane Bakery said he had no idea where Ms. Summers was.
David started going through Emily's things.
He checked the bedroom drawers, the nightstand, and the hidden compartments in the closet.
But there was nothing left. Her ID cards, her bank cards, and that dark blue notebook were all gone.
She'd taken everything that mattered to her.
At the bottom of the closet, he found a box. When he opened it, he saw all the mementos from their wedding.
There was their marriage certificate, two photos of them together with a red backdrop, and a pearl necklace.
The necklace was the one he'd given her when he proposed. She'd been so happy back then, saying she'd wear it every single day.
But after Sophie came into the picture, she hardly ever wore it anymore.
He'd once said, "Isn't it a bit inconvenient to wear that to work? You might get it caught while making cakes."
The very next day, she put the necklace away.
He closed the box and put it back where it belonged.
At noon, his phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
He snatched it up, almost desperate.
"Hello?" he said.
"Mr. Carter? I'm calling from the South Brighton Notary Office. We have a document that needs your signature for confirmation," the staff member on the other end said.
"What kind of document?" David asked.
"Your spouse, Ms. Emily Summers, has submitted a divorce agreement for notarization through her representative. Both parties need to be present to sign, or you can authorize someone to sign on your behalf," the staff member explained.