Chapter 6
[Viv London Heathrow Airport One Way)
The print date was March 2nd.
Seeing this, Rhys’s breathing suddenly became labored–because March 2nd was the exact day he first brought Melody home for dinner.
That day, Viv had uncharacteristically not cooked, claiming she was working overtime, and he had mocked her; “Does it even matter if you work overtime in that dead–end job?”
Now, thinking back, when Viv returned home that night, she had smelled faintly of coffee–she never drank coffee, always saying it made her hands shake when drafting.
“Daddy,” Noah continued sobbing, “does Mommy not want us anymore?”
“Nonsense!” Rhys yanked his son toward him, but instantly gentled his touch when he made contact, crouching down with a suddenly terrifying softness in his voice: “Noah, Mommy loves you more than anything, right? Remember that teddy bear sweater she knitted for you? She stayed up three nights in a row.”
Suddenly, his words caught in his throat as he remembered how Melody had “accidentally” spilled coffee on that sweater last week, and how Viv had said nothing, just silently picked it up and placed it in the trash,
As dusk settled outside, Rhys pulled out his phone and dialed that familiar number for the 17th time, only to hear the same mechanical female voice politely informing him “The number you have dialed is powered off.”
“Stop the act!” he hurled his phone at the sofa, but noticed the screen lighting up–Viv had updated her Facebook with a location tag: [London King’s College, Cambridge University],
The photo showed the River Cam at sunset and a delicate wrist holding a fountain pen, but her Cartier watch–the one he had given her–was gone, replaced by an unfamiliar men’s watch.
Seeing this, Rhys’s pupils contract sharply.
Because he recognized that watch–it belonged to Viv’s advisor, Martin–that British academic who couldn’t stop praising Viv at conferences.
“Impossible!” he checked the comments section with trembling hands, finding the latest comment: [Looking forward to working with you, my brilliant student.] followed by a rose emoji.
Next second, the sound of a bottle smashing against the wall startled sparrows outside the window.
Rhys staggered to his feet, suddenly noticing that the glass on their wedding photo in the living room was cracked–from when he had thrown something this morning.
14.03
Screw You, Fxt My New Life’s Hotter Than Your Money!
52.46
Chapter 6
The crack ran right across Viv’s smiling lips like an ugly scar.
He sneered at the photo, “I’ll be waiting for you to come crawling back begging for forgiveness!”
Yet a voice deep inside asked: What if she really doesn’t come back?
Then he immediately crushed this thought.
How could that be possible?
What could Viv do without him?
She loved Noah so much, she loved…
Rhys suddenly froze, remembering the “No family present” notation on her surgery consent form and how Viv had called 911 herself while lying in a pool of blood.
What had he been doing then?
Oh right, helping Melody find her cat.
Noah’s crying echoed from the bedroom, but Rhys didn’t move to comfort him.
The alcohol numbed his nerves while making one realization increasingly clear: this time, Viv might truly be done with them.
