Page 90 of One More Chance
“This isn’t about revenge,” she added, “or some weird kinky polygamy plan.”
I blinked. “Well, that’s oddly specific.”
She cracked a small smile. “Just wanted to cover all the bases. In case you thought this was some long game where I show up one day with a boyfriend and a spreadsheet titled‘Polyamory Pros and Cons.’”
“That’d actually be the most organized emotional disaster I’ve ever been part of,” I said, trying to smile through the ache.
She shook her head, the amusement evident in her voice. “This isn’t about making you feel what I felt when you cheated. It’s about finding out if there’s still a version of me that can breathe, without the weight of everything you and I have been through.”
“And… if there isn’t?”
She shrugged. “Then I guess I suffocate quietly in a well-decorated apartment with Charlie and a rescue dog named Peanut Butter.”
I surprised myself with my own laugh; it felt foreign in my throat. “At least name the dog after me if that happens.”
“Only if he is a leg-humper who needs constant validation,” she shot back with a smirk.
Good fucking god, I love this woman.
“Ouch.”
She turned to leave the kitchen, pausing in the doorway. “I’m not shutting the door on us, Levi. But I need to do this.” And with that, she was gone, back into the room we used to share.
I looked down at the table, down at my hands; my thick fingers and scarred knuckles. Those were the hands of a lifelong carpenter, mechanic, mason, builder. Those hands were meant for creating… yet they had destroyed so much.
Some things had to be broken before they could be rebuilt. But damn if it didn't hurt to be the one holding the hammer.
She will come back. You are doing everything you can to prove you are worth coming back to.
Chapter 30
Sloane was finally past the worst of her nausea, looking more herself again, more human. Meanwhile, I juggled virtual classes with the kids and stayed glued to the news, watching the world unravel by the hour. Cities were locking down. Hospitals were flooding. People were scared and so was I.
The next few days were hell for me as I struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy with my family.
That afternoon the weather was too nice to ignore, so I fired up the grill. Steaks hissed over the flames while Rufus lounged on the deck, his head tilted toward the sun. The kids shrieked and laughed in the backyard, running wild through the sprinklers. It was a brief, precious break from the hum of online school and the weight of the world.
Sloane stepped out onto the porch, shielding her eyes from the light. She inhaled, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “Smells amazing,” she said, walking over. “Too bad I still can’t really stomach it.”
She looked beautiful, hair pinned up, a touch of makeup, dressed in a way that made me ache inside. A pit formed in my stomach before she even spoke again.
“I was going to go out for a bit,” she added, her tone casual, like it didn’t carry a thousand pounds of implication. “You okay to stay with the kids?”
I nodded. “You know they’re still asking people to stay home, right?”
She shrugged, half-apologetic. “I wanted to walk in the park. Charlie’s meeting me there and we’ll keep our distance from others. We'll be safe.”
The tension between us grew taut like the slow draw of a bowstring. She was going on a date. I had promised I’d be understanding and I meant it… even if it hurt.
“Okay,” I said, voice even. “Can you… text me when you’re on your way back?”
She smiled and nodded, but it didn’t settle the unease gnawing at me.
“Mommy, you look so pretty!” Violet came barreling toward us, dripping wet, hair stuck to her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around her mom’s waist, admiring her styled hair and pink-tinted lips.
Sloane laughed, hugging her back. “Thanks, Violet.”
She waved to Liam who was crouched at the edge of the yard, refilling a water gun. He gave a nod and shouted, "You look nice Mom."
