His Number Changed So I Changed My Life Chapter 14
A week after I started the new job, Parker messaged me, asking where I had gone.
I told him I’d moved out.
He called immediately. The long days of shooting had frayed his voice, and his impatience was obvious.
“Lottie, how long are you going to drag this out? The Westchester house is in your name too. Leaving doesn’t change the property division.”
“I know. My lawyer confirmed that. When the court is ready to finalize the judgment, just make sure you don’t delay it.”
“Charlotte.” His voice suddenly rose. “Do you really have to go through with this? If you would just take one step back, we could move past this. This kind of thing happens in actors’ marriages all the time. Why are you the only one who can’t accept it?”
I hung up.
The cursor on my computer screen was still blinking, but I couldn’t bring myself to write.
A ten-year relationship doesn’t just vanish from your memory in a few days.
He really had been good to me once.
I chose him because the number above his head was 0. What happened with my father had made it impossible for me to believe that any marriage could be safe.
But as we built a life together, I fell in love with him. I truly believed we would grow old together.
A few years ago, we were in a car accident. Without a second of hesitation, Parker threw himself in front of me, shielding me from the shattering glass.
And that same man chose someone else.
Life settled into a new rhythm. I thought once the court signed the papers, there would be no connection left between us.
Then one afternoon, in the office kitchen, the smell of a coworker reheating fish soup made my stomach clench.
I ran to the restroom and was sick for a long time.
At first, I told myself it was just a stomach bug.
But a coworker, a mother of two, took one look at me and asked if my period was late.
“Charlotte, you should probably take a pregnancy test.”
I didn’t want to admit what I already suspected. After work, I stopped at CVS and bought two test kits.
I sat on the closed toilet lid in my apartment and waited for three minutes.
Both tests showed two pink lines.