Nine chances to break a heart: the love that never been chosen 1
Chapter 14
In other side Byron Luwelton found himself consoling Scarlett yet again after he tearfully recounted all the supposed slights slie’d endured from Adele. Determined to make Scarlett happy, Byron decided to give her a special surprise.
After several grueling weeks of overtime at the office, Byron had meticulously arranged all company matters so he could take an entire month off to travel with Scarlett.
Delighted by the news, Scarlett invited Byron over for dinner at her place.
After so long away, Byron finally remembered the house he had shared with lele, When he returned home to pack, he noticed the still unopened gift in the living room, and at last decided to open it.
What he found inside left his face clouded with displeasure–divorce papers and a finalized divorce certificate. What a charming “birthday gift” indeed.
Tossing the documents aside, Byron headed to the bedroom to pack his clothes only to discover that everything belonging to Adele had vanished completely.
Half the closet stood empty. The photographs on the nightstand were gone. Even her toiletries had disappeared from the bathroom.
He recalled his confusion when he’d previously seen Adele packing her things, and how casually she had brushed off his questions.
His initial annoyance at finding the divorce papers deepened into something darker.
“Nice job, Adele,” he thought bitterly. “So, just because I spent more time with scarlett, you walk away? Was all that devotion just some act? Or were you really as fake as Scarlett always said you were?”
But despite the bitterness, a strange, suffocating feeling gripped him.Finally he realized Adele was truly gone.
“I’ve always loved Scarlett,” he told himself repeatedly. “Adele was just a… second option.“Byron kept trying to convince himself.
That evening, with his mood decidedly sour, Byron drank heavily during dinner. Later, with the tender from Scarlett, they made sex.
Afterwards, both of them were exhausted. The room was still, the only sound their heavy breathing.Byron felt a strange emptiness, even though he’d finally gotten the woman he’d chased after for so long. But Adele’s face kept popping up in his mind, uninvited.
The next morning, over fresh–brewed espresso, Scarlett examined their tickets to Lake Haven and arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Why Lake Haven for our first stop?”
Byron stared at the boarding passes, remembering how Adele had mentioned Lake Haven countless times. Despite her persistence, he’d always dismissed the idea with vague promises of “someday.” In five years of marriage, they’d never even taken a trip with her.
Yet when planning this romantic escape with Scarlett, he’d unconsciously chosen Lake Haven without a second thought.
Catching him zoned out, Scarlett tapped his watch with a manicured nail. “Sweetie, you keep zoning out on me,” Scarlett said. “What’s going on?”
Byron snapped back to reality, taking in Scarlett’s flawless makeup. He forced a smile, one that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Nothing major. Just making sure our itinerary’s all set.”
As the words left his mouth, his mind couldn’t help but compare.Scarlett always wears heavy makeup Adele, on the other hand, barely wore anything–maybe a little lip balm–but that porcelain skin needed no enhancement.
“Well,” Scarlett purred, leaning in, “if you’re planning surprises for me, I guess I can overlook this.”
Under the bright blue New England sky, Byron and Scarlett boarded their flight to the countryside retreat. Scarlett dived straight into the experience, snapping photos for her social media like a pro, flitting from one picture–perfect moment to the next as if it were a game.
Byron played his part as the attentive boyfriend. But inside, his mind was elsewhere, like something is missing.
Chapter 15
Chapter 15
