“Really?”
Her mom nodded. “But don’t tell your dad. I’m not sure he’ll understand.”
“Oh, I understand,” her dad said, uttering his first words in a week.
“Harvey!” Adrienne’s mom bounced to her feet.
“Dad!” Adrienne called out, then, “Nurse! Nurse!”
Minutes later, the room was full of doctors, nurses, and the buzz of excited and hopeful conversations. Adrienne stepped back to watch while tears clouded her vision. Her dad caught her eye and winked.
#
The day her father was released from the hospital, something snapped in Adrienne. She put on her expensive business suit, pulled her hair back into a tight chignon, picked up her nearly empty briefcase, and marched into Seb’s office.
The secretary raised her eyebrows as Adrienne strode past the reception desk. A few people in their cubes looked up. Their gazes followed her into Seb’s office.
“Adrienne,” Seb said, leaning back in his chair. “This is a surprise.”
“Really?” She shut the door with a loud click and turned to face him.
“What’s this about?”
“You didn’t even call when my dad had his stroke.”
“So?”
“I thought you loved my dad. He loves you.”
Seb ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry, Adrienne, but I haven’t read the handbook on how to navigate family relations with your ex.”
“You shouldn’t need a handbook on how to be a decent person.” She put her briefcase on the desk and clicked it open. “But I’m not here to reform you. I’ve brought the divorce papers.”
Seb stared at her. “I thought we agreed to wait until after Abuelo’s death.”
“I don’t want to live a lie, nor do I want to wait with bated breath for the passing of a sweet old man that I happen to love before I can get on with the rest of my life.”
“What sort of life is that?” Seb asked with a smirk. “I heard you left Crenshaw and Meeks.”
“That’s right, I did.” She placed her fingers on the papers and edged them toward him. “And now I’m leaving you, too.”
“Listen, it’s in your best interest, you know, to wait. When Abuelo passes, this company will be mine, which will only increase your alimony settlement.”
“The company is yours already, and you know it. You should settle with me now and save yourself potentially millions.” She watched him calculate the risks. “If we can go through arbitration amicably,” she pressed, “we won’t need to incur unnecessary legal costs.”
“I’ll think about it,” he said.
“I wish it wasn’t like this,” she said. “I wish we could be friends.”
“We can be friends,” he said with a smile Aubrey would call smarmy.
She gazed at him, wondering what had happened to the boy she’d fallen in love with. “Sure,” she said, all the while hating herself for perpetuating another lie.
#
Later that night as she tried to sleep in her childhood bed, her phone buzzed with a text from Seb.
Can we talk?
