Chapter 243
The next morning, the clatter of a spatula against a pan d
drifted from the kitchen.
I pushed open the door and saw Jonathan wearing my pink apron and frying eggs.
The sight was so absurd that I froze on the spot!!
In seven years of marriage, he’d barely stepped into the kitchen.
“You’re up?” He turned around, his fringe a little messy. “I remember you like soft–boiled eggs.”
“There’s no need for this,” I kept my face cold as I poured myself a cup of coffee. “What time is the lawyer coming?
Jonathan turned off the stove and suddenly grabbed my wrist. “Daphne, what if I said I don’t want a divorce anymore?”
“Let go
“Give me three months” “His fingers tightened. “Just three months. If I can make you fall in love with me again, we’ll get back together, okay?”
I yanked my hand back hard, spilling coffee across the floor. “Jonathan, what makes you think i’d give you another chance?”
Pax was frightened by the noise and ran into the bedroom.
He suddenly pulled out a small bok from his pocket Inside was a gold ring shaped like a rose.
“Daphne, you once said you liked gold rings. I bought you one and I bought you so many. And the bags you like and the jewelry–I bought them all for you – ‘”..
I listened quietly, the memory of all the times I’d wanted a gift and Jonathan had forgotten, flashing through my mind. It felt bitterly ironic.!! Only after I left did the gifts start to appear
“Enough“” I cut him off. “Do you think I’m still that twenty–year–old girl who would be touched by a paper rose?”
His eyes dimmed. “Then what would it take for you to forgive me?“B
“Nothing,” I said clearly. “Sign the papers and get back to your family
He stood frozen, snapping the ring box shut with a loud click.
The lawyer Jonathan mentioned never showed up and he inexplicably disappeared for the entire day.
I didn’t bother to ask. I simply continued preparing the divorce lawsuit in silence
After work that afternoon, I curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee, watching Julian and Pax playing on the balcony.
The orange cat was leaping up after a feather toy while Julian laughed like a carefree boy, golden sunlight casting a soft halo around him. “Careful, don’t let him fall off, I reminded him.
Julian turned back and winked at me. “Don’t worry, I’m a…”
His voice trailed off, his gaze fixed on something behind me.
I turned to see Jonathan standing in the hallway shadows, his face as pale as a ghost!
He stared at the scene on the balcony like it was stabbing him in the heart. His fingers gripped the doorframe so tightly that his knuckles tumed white.
Julian was the first to break the awkward silence, his tone light as if he didn’t notick the tension. “Want some coffee?”
Jonathan swallowed, his voice hoarse. “No, thanks
An oppressive silence hung over the dinner table.
Julian naturally placed a fried egg on my plate and poured cat food for Pax.
These everyday gestures of intimacy were like knives twisting in my gut. I noticed Jonathan’s hand holding his fork was trembling slightly
“I agree to the divorce.”
almost inaudible
Jonathan’s voice was so soft it was a
He had gone out to think for a long, long time. He couldn’t see any way to win me back in a foreign country where he knew no one.” He decided to coax me back home to find our shared memories.
Julian and I looked up at the same time.
“What?” I thought I misheard him.
“I said” He set down his fork and met my eyes. Til agree to the divorce, but we’ll finish the paperwork back home.”
“Okay” Lagreed. ‘Ill go back once I’ve finished things here.”
A flicker of light appeared in Jonathan’s eyes, only to be quickly extinguished. “There’s a flight next week. I’ll wait for you.”