Chapter 99

Fiona

My eyes fly to the door, but there’s no escape unless I go through Jack. Maybe I should’ve eaten with Ethan. Anything would be better than Jack showing up. In fact, he shouldn’t even be in this building.

“What are you doing here, Jack?” I demand, putting as much confidence into my voice, like how Ethan sounds when he’s ordering people around. I know I don’t sound like him, but it’s worth a try.

Jack tilts his head, smirking.

“Can’t I come visit my wife at work?”

“Your wife?” I scoff. “What are you really doing here? Don’t you have work to be doing?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. It doesn’t do anything, but having my arms in front of me makes me feel a bit better somehow.

I don’t know what kind of game he’s trying to play, but I’m not in the mood. The last thing I want to deal with right now is Jack and his idiocy.

“Oh, come on, Fiona. We’ve fallen on bad terms, but that doesn’t mean we can’t fix things,” Jack offers, stepping forward.

My hand shoots out instinctively trying to keep him back.

“Fix things?” I ask incredulously. Is he serious? “There’s nothing to fix here, Jack. You cheated on me, stole from me, embarrassed me, tried to hurt me, and did God knows what else!” I scream, the anger turning to a bright hot raging fire in my belly.

Jack’s eyebrows rise to his hairline at my tone. I’ve never truly yelled at him, so this is a new development in our busted up relationship.

“Fiona—”

“Stop, Jack. There’s nothing you could say or do that would fix the relationship you tore to shreds and set on fire,” I tell him, narrowing my eyes. If he thought he could come in here and fix things, he’s more stupid than I thought he was.

Most likely he’s trying to salvage what he can before he’s sent to jail.

“I want another chance at this,” he says, motioning between us. “I’ve been thinking over the last few days and our marriage was so good in the beginning. We could get back to that.”

“Did you not hear what I just sa—”

“Do you remember how happy we were on our wedding day? You’d been waiting so long, and we finally came together, Fiona. It was so beautiful,” he says, moving closer. “The whole day was a tornado of stress, but it was also filled with love and fun.”

My heart squeezes at his words, the fire inside me tapering down to a small flame. The fact he’s bringing our wedding up to try to convince me not to divorce him is pathetic. Does he not remember what he’s done? Does he not care?

“What about when we went to the south on vacation and picked enough blueberries to make twenty pies?” He asks softly. Again, he steps closer. “You loved those blueberry fields and wanted to stay there for days, but we had enough berries. I thought you would never leave or would want to plant some bushes of your own when we got home.”

Why is he doing this?

Is this some sort of twisted revenge for daring to go against him?

“Oh, there was also the time when we went picnicking and it rained,” he says and chuckles. Who is this man? I blink back tears as the pain in my chest grows. If he thought fondly of these times, then where was that care and kindness when he cheated on me?

“I remember that you told me three times it was going to rain, but I knew you loved picnics. We went out anyways and ate in the park even as the rain started pouring. The way you smiled and laughed when I got soaked as I—”

“STOP!” I cry, gasping through the pain. “What is wrong with you?!”

Jack’s eyes widen.

“Have you forgotten everything you’ve done, Jack? You’re the one who ripped our marriage apart, not me,” I growl, stalking forward. “You chose to do the exact opposite of what you vowed on that very beautiful wedding day. You’re the one who stopped putting time and effort into our relationship like you promised to do when we made those blueberry pies.”

My voice cracks as emotion claws at me.

“And you’re the one who created a massive storm that tore my life apart the way that rainy day ruined our picnic. I see nothing but pain when I look back at our relationship, and that’s all your fault, Jack, so don’t come in here trying to fix things,” I growl, stabbing my finger into his chest. He needs to realize that this will never happen again, not even if I’ve gone crazy.

He’s made his bed, so now he must lie in it.

“There is nothing you can do to fix something so irrevocably broken. It’s gone, spread like ashes on the wind with no chance of coming back,” I tell him. My eyes bore into his, trying to communicate the permanency of my words. If he doesn’t understand this, then there’s no helping him.

The disgusted anger that clogs my throat keeps me quiet for a moment as he watches me.

“You need to leave,” I insist, pointing at the door. Or maybe I should leave. Yeah. That’s a better idea.

Grabbing my bag, I turn to walk to the door, but Jack moves between me and my exit. He holds his arms out to his sides to stop me.

“I can get better. You were such a good wife and—”

“You’re right. I was a good wife, but that didn’t keep you from sleeping with another woman or stealing from me. Did you lose your mind, Jack?” I ask incredulously. “How are my words not getting through your thick skull?”

When he doesn’t answer, I scoff again. All these excuses but no actual answers. Just like always. I pinch the bridge of my nose then rub my forehead, an idea finding me.

“Where were you before you came here?”

“What do you mean?” He asks confused.

“What made you come here to beg for a second chance?”

He gulps nervously, and I know I’m right.

“You found out that you could go to jail for what you’ve done, so you came here to try to smooth things out with me so your problems could go away, didn’t you?”

That’s the only reason he would be here, that and the fact that his mistress is gone. He realizes how much trouble he’s in, and he doesn’t know what else to do to get out of the mess he’s made.

Surprise, Jack. You can’t.

Jack reaches out to me as I try to move past him again, saying, “Wait, I could go to counseling, and we could get past this.”

“I put everything I had into our marriage, and what did I get in return?” I ask, spinning on him and pinning him with my hardest glare. He jerks back and stares blankly at me, making me laugh wildly. “I got empty promises and a husband who would rather think with his dick than his heart or head. After you’ve lied and cheated, Jack, do you really think I’d believe anything you ever said again?”

“You weren’t perfect either, Fiona!” He shouts, grabbing my arm. “If you won’t listen to me, then fine. You won’t be happy with anyone else because no one wants a weak and pathetic—"

My palm cracks against his cheek, sending his face snapping to the side. His fingers slip off my arm as I push past him and run out of the room. His words sink into my chest, squeezing my lungs until I’m breathless as I run down the hallway.