Chapter 9

"I'm going after him, Lucy. I'm sure he took that slut with him on this trip. Now tell me, how can I stay with a man like that?"

"I'm sorry, Candy. George really failed you. You don't need to think about it anymore. I support your decision about the separation. You don't deserve this. You're beautiful, a businesswoman..."

"And fat. Very fat."

"Don't talk about yourself like that, sweetheart. You need to change your self-esteem."

"How can I change it when all I see in the mirror is a whale?"

"You've already taken the first step. Diet. The second step too. The gym. Focus on your potential."

"I can't. At least not right now. I need to put an end to this story, Lucy."

I was furious. I grabbed that piece of clothing and set it on fire.

"You need to rest, Candy."

"No, I'm hitting the road right now."

"Are you crazy? You're going tomorrow. Not today, please. Talk to him first."

"How am I supposed to talk to him? I just destroyed the evidence I had."

"See? Doing things when you're angry isn't good. We always regret it."

"I didn't want to separate from him. Why am I going through all of this, my friend?"

I started crying uncontrollably. Lucy hugged me, trying to comfort me.

"I'm having to fight against two things. The first is the end of my marriage, and the second is this body, which I can't accept."

"You already know the first one can't be saved. Now, the second one only depends on you."

"You're right, my friend. I need to clear my head. I'm going to take a shower and sleep."

"Since you're going to rest, I'll head home too, Candy. Thank you for the sweets."

"Oh, my friend. I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to kick you out."

"Don't worry, I didn't take it that way. I really need to go home. It's late. Promise me you won't leave tonight?"

"I promise, sweetheart."

Lucy left the house carrying those cakes with her. I felt sick after eating so much.

As soon as she crossed the door, I fell apart. I felt like a child, abandoned. I sat on the couch and could do nothing but cry. I couldn't even breathe through my nose anymore; it was completely stuffed from all the crying.

I didn't have the strength to take a shower, or even make it to the bed. I fell asleep.

In my dream, I was arguing with George, who was kissing Chloe inside the car.

"Why did you do this to me, George?"

He and Chloe looked at me, mocking me. They shouted, "Fat, fat."

Suddenly, the two of them got out of the car holding hands and came toward me. The insults continued.

George pulled my ear and started eating it. Chloe grabbed my hand and ate it. I was made of marshmallow. I didn't understand anything when, suddenly, I woke up to my phone vibrating. It was George calling.

I looked toward the window, and the sun was already up. I had lost track of time after that nap. I had spent the night on the couch.

"How are you? And your mother?"

"She's not doing well, Candy."

He started crying on the phone. All I wanted to know was whether he was alone.

"Where is your mother? What did the doctor say?"

"She's in the hospital, sweetheart. I just got here."

He wouldn't take his mistress to the hospital. That would be an insult to his entire family. Everyone knew me, and I was still his wife.

But what about that blouse? Would it be too inappropriate if I asked him about it?

While he was suffering because of his mother, was I really being jealous?

I didn't know what to do. I kept asking about his mother.

"But she's already had tests. What did the doctor say?"

"Yes, Candy. He asked us to pray a lot. Her condition is serious."

He started crying even harder over the phone. I felt sorry for him.

"I'm going to come see you, sweetheart. I'll take the car and be there tonight."

"Don't do that, Candy. Who's going to take care of the gym or the bakery? I need you there for now."

His crying stopped for a moment. That answer didn't convince me.

"But is your mother awake? Let me talk to her."

"No, sweetheart. She's sleeping right now. I'll ask her to call you later."

That answer was even stranger. My mother-in-law was sleeping at that time of the morning? I looked at the clock, and it was almost noon.

She never slept until that late. I remembered when we used to visit her. My mother-in-law would wake up with the chickens in the morning, before six.

It seemed like George was hiding something from me. I said nothing and swallowed the tears that threatened to start.

"All right, sweetheart. I'll stay here and take care of things. But keep me updated about her health. We'll talk about what happened at the gym later."

"I was just about to talk about that, Candy. I'm sorry, but I can't discuss it right now. I'm feeling terrible. Imagine if I lost my mother. What would become of me?"

"Don't think like that, sweetheart. Everything will be fine. Kisses. I love you."

Without even waiting for his response, I hung up the phone. What if George had been telling the truth? Was he really alone?

But what about that top I found on the couch? I started crying again as I thought about Chloe. I voiced the thought that had been eating away at me:

"This isn't over, George. I'm coming after you."

I decided to call Lucy before making that decision.

"Hey, friend. Everything okay?"

"Hi, sweetheart. Have you left yet?"

"That's what I want to talk to you about. Help me. Do you think I should go after him?"

"Yes. Hadn't you already decided that yesterday?"

"But I got confused. George asked me not to travel and to stay here to take care of things."

"What do you mean, Candy? He asked you to do that? I'm appalled by him. What are you going to do? Cough, cough."

Lucy started coughing on the phone.

"I'm thinking about traveling there right now. What's wrong, my friend? That cough, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, friend. It must be a cold coming on. But are you sure you're going after him? Didn't he tell you to stay here?"

"I'm sure that girl is with him, Lucy. I'm going to catch them in the act and end this whole story once and for all."

"Friend, think about it. Is that really what you want?"

"No, of course not."

Lucy knew how to question me in a way that always left me in tears. I kept talking on the phone through sobs and cries of pain.

"Ah, friend. All I wanted was to wake up seventy kilos thinner, with my husband beside me telling me he loved me. I didn't want to be part of this story. I didn't want to live through this."

"If you want him, then fight for your husband."

"But I don't want to stay with him. I just want to be sure he's cheating on me so I can ask for a separation."

"Why do you need all this validation, Candy? Can't you make a decision on your own?"

"I know. I'm dragging this whole thing out. But deep down, I wanted all of this to be a lie."

"I understand, friend. It would be better to keep things the way they were, right?"

"Lucy, I need to hang up. I'm going to finish packing so I can leave."

"Are you driving? Be careful on the road."

"Yes, sweetheart. It'll take me about seven hours to get there because I'm going slowly."

"Call me if you need anything."

"Okay, sweetheart."

As soon as Lucy hung up, I started packing a small bag. I set aside some clothes and put the Candy Cake online store on hold.

I wasn't in any condition to fulfill any orders. I noticed that a few had come in that morning, but I had been asleep, so they were all canceled.

I closed the store for the day, zipped up my bag, and threw it into the car. I was anxious about the trip. I packed some food and two bottles of water.

I got into the car and drove it out of the garage. I felt a little sleepy, but I kept going.

A few minutes later, I was already on the road. I put on an upbeat song, but it didn't match how I felt. I needed something more melancholic.

Then I remembered the song My Immortal by Evanescence. I used to listen to it a lot when I was a teenager.

When I left home, the sky had changed in an instant. But once I hit the road, the weather changed.

The sky was cloudy when the first drops of rain began to fall. I hated driving on the road in bad weather. I wasn't as good a driver as George.

I was a little afraid, but I kept going. I changed the song when the phone started ringing.

No one was going to pick up the phone in my bag. It was on the passenger seat, but I couldn't reach it.

I shoved my hand into the bag and couldn't find the phone, which kept ringing. That made me anxious because I was trying to drive and grab the phone at the same time.

I couldn't take my eyes off the road, which was why I couldn't find the phone in the bag.

I only remember reaching for it when my steering wheel turned. Someone hit the back of my car. The tires started screeching against the asphalt. I tried to brake hard, but my car rolled over.

One, two... I counted until the third roll.

I couldn't see anything anymore. I hit my head and blacked out.