Page 18 of Heartbroken Husband
“Good luck with that.”
Amber grinned, but it dimmed a little around the edges when she reached out to squeeze my hand. “They’ll be okay. I promise. Good night, Adeline.”
“Goodnight.”
I stayed exactly where I was, too tired to move and too emotional to think, just sipping my wine until it was done. Then I rinsed my glass, set it in the sink, and went down the hall. When I checked in on the girls, Jennifer still hadn’t moved.
The divorce had been difficult on both of them. Jennifer was taking it in stride a little more than Lu, but she also didn’t really understand what was going on. It almost seemed like she thought we were on an extended vacation and everything would snap back to normal eventually.
She kept asking when her daddy was coming back so we could go home, like this was all just temporary. I didn’t know how to answer her questions yet. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I ever would.
Lu had kicked her blankets off again, sprawled diagonally across the bed, and even in her sleep, there was tension in her small body. Unfortunately, at five, she understood more than she should about what was happening.
Louis had never been around for her as much. She was still going through it with that as well, knowing that her father didn’t really care enough to pay much attention to her. It broke my heart and I was doing my best to be there for her in every possible way, but then I’d upended all our lives when I’d chosen to leave New York instead of sticking around and watching Louis parade his pregnant mistress around our social circles.
After backing out of their room once more, I showered and changed into my pajamas, praying for peaceful, dreamless sleep.
Early the next morning, I was up and moving through my routine on autopilot, making coffee while I was still brushing out my hair and sliding a mug to Amber when she walked in.
“Good morning,” she said, gratefully lifting the mug off the counter. “Thanks for this.”
“No problem.” I picked up my own coffee and headed back down the hall to make sure the girls were finally moving.
Like all kids, they always dragged their feet when they didn’t want to start the day. Jennifer was quiet but cooperative, slipping into her shoes without much fuss, but Lu had already decided she wasn’t participating today.
“I don’t want you to go,” she said with her arms crossed tightly across her chest and a sharp scowl on her little face. “I want to be with you.”
I crouched in front of her, keeping my voice tender and soft. “I have to go to work, baby.”
“No,” she said immediately. “You don’t.”
“I do, my love.”
“You don’t,” she insisted loudly. “You can just stay.”
“I can’t, but I’ll be back later, okay? You and Amber are going to have a fun day.”
“No,” she snapped. “I don’t want a fun day. I wantyou.”
My chest tightened with the pain of having to deny her when all she was asking for was me. “I know, but grown-ups have to wor?—”
“No!” Her voice cracked, frustration spilling over into rage. “You always leave now. I hate it.”
“Lu—”
“I hate you!” she yelled.
My eyelids slammed shut, my heart cracking in half as I tried to breathe through what I knew was only a meltdown. I knew not to take it personally and that she didn’t mean it, butGod. That hurts.
Amber stepped in smoothly, almost like she’d been expecting this at some point, and reached for Lu’s hand. “Okay, we’re not saying things we don’t mean right now.”
“I mean it!” Lu insisted, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I do. I mean it. I hate it.”
Jennifer hovered nearby, seemingly uncertain about where she fit into all this. I swallowed past the tightness in my throat and reached for her hand and Lu’s. Jennifer took it, but Lu practically melted into Amber.
“I don’t want you,” she shouted through the tears.
I felt like I’d suffered a gunshot straight to the chest, but Amber didn’t give me time to respond. “Alright, that’s enough. Shoes on. Grab your jackets. Let’s go.”
