One month before we were supposed to move back to California, my husband Adrian suddenly changed our job applications.
His best friend Marcus tried to talk him out of it over the phone.
“Just because Clara Thorne is in Geneva, you secretly accepted the position at CERN? Adrian, have you lost your mind? Your wife Evelyn already got the Chief Technology Officer offer from Nexagen, that quantum tech company in Silicon Valley. Didn’t you two agree to go back to the West Coast and build something together?”
“Back when you were both doing your PhDs at MIT, wasn’t the whole point to revolutionize the aerospace industry someday?”
Adrian shook his head slightly.
“Evelyn loves me. Once she knows I’ve made my decision, she’ll naturally come with me to Switzerland.”
“Clara is all alone over there. She’s too lonely. She needs me. Opportunities at Nexagen will come around again, but I’m all Clara has.”
I stood outside the door of our Cambridge apartment. A cold emptiness spread through my chest. I turned around silently and walked away.
Since he chose to chase his so-called love, I would choose to continue on my own path.
A month later, as my plane touched down at Los Angeles International Airport, his frantic call came through.
“Eve, have you arrived in Geneva?”
I looked out at the tall palm trees lining the road under the California sun. A storm of emotions surged inside me.
“I got here a while ago.”
West Coast East Heart Chapter 08 He was stunned. He didn’t understand. “Walk our own paths? What does that mean?” “I already sent you the electronic versions of the *Divorce Agreement* and the *Property Settlement Agreement*. Sign them if everything looks fine.” He was shaken. “You… you actually want a divorce?” “Evelyn, how dare you? […]
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West Coast East Heart Chapter 07 His breathing grew ragged with emotion. “Eve, you can’t do this… You promised me…” “Promised you what?” “You said you’d come to Switzerland!” “Did I ever say that?” He froze. “Did you ever ask me?” “Did you ever ask if I was willing to go to Switzerland? Willing to
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West Coast East Heart Chapter 06 I turned on my phone. The moment the signal came back, messages flooded in like a tidal wave. Adrian’s voice sounded frantic. “Eve, it’s only an eight-hour flight from Boston to Geneva. Why aren’t you here yet?” “Eve, did you get lost? Call me back right now.” “Eve, Clara
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West Coast East Heart Chapter 05 Three days later, I stood in the departure hall of Logan International Airport. Adrian sent a voice message. “Eve, Clara is in the hospital. Acute gastroenteritis. I have to stay with her.” “When you arrive, maybe just get an Uber to the apartment yourself.” I didn’t reply. A moment
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West Coast East Heart Chapter 04 “Eve, Clara hurt her foot. I need to go check on her first.” His eyes held urgency, but also a hint of unease. He was gambling. Gambling on whether I would lose my temper. But I was very calm. I just nodded lightly. “Okay.” He seemed surprised that I
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West Coast East Heart Chapter 03 And now, he was using this crystal sculpture to remind me. *You can finally go to Europe.* He had no idea. That sculpture wasn’t a gift to me. It was a knife. I didn’t engage with his words. I just quietly packed up our things. The trash bin was
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West Coast East Heart Chapter 02 That line was exactly why I decided to be with him. We were both engineers educated on the East Coast, but our hearts always longed for Silicon Valley—that land that birthed countless legends. I thought our dreams aligned. I didn’t realize he had stopped dreaming long ago. The place
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West Coast East Heart Chapter 01 One month before we were supposed to move back to California, my husband Adrian suddenly changed our job applications. His best friend Marcus tried to talk him out of it over the phone. “Just because Clara Thorne is in Geneva, you secretly accepted the position at CERN? Adrian, have
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