Chapter 5

On my second day, I stopped at the Skyridge Monastery.

Andrew was terrified of altitude sickness and always refused to go. I begged him for years, eventually working myself into the ground, closing 20 projects in a single year just to earn the trip.

He finally agreed. But right before we were supposed to leave, Chloe got sick. Andrew said she didn't have any friends here, that, as her boss, he needed to look after her.

So, the trip was canceled.

I kept heading north. On the last day of my vacation, I reached the final stop, the one Andrew and I had originally planned together, Lake Serenity.

Standing there, it hit me. The places I'd spent three years dreaming about, the ones that kept getting pushed back for one reason or another, only took seven days to see.

I changed my return flight to two days later and called the county clerk's office to have one copy of the divorce decree mailed to the guesthouse where I was staying.

The vacation was over. I was ready to start my new life and not look back. I wasn't planning on seeing Andrew one last time, either.

But life had other ideas. That evening, I walked out of the guesthouse to check out a local bonfire gathering, and there they were, Andrew and Chloe.

The two of them were sitting around the fire, eating barbecue. Andrew was all smiles, feeding Chloe a piece of meat fresh off the grill.

The same man who was so particular about cleanliness took the cup she'd been drinking from without a second thought and finished her mulled cider.

Even during our honeymoon, Andrew insisted on serving spoons at every meal. He never shared a cup with me. He said it was a hygiene thing, that sharing utensils killed his appetite.

But here he was, eating without a care in the world.

I knew I should've just turned around and left. But these bonfire gatherings only happened once a month, and I wasn't going to let them ruin my plans.

I started looking for a spot far away from them.

Andrew saw me first. He got up and walked over, already annoyed. "What are you doing here? I told you I'd bring you next time."

I didn't answer. My eyes went to the beaded bracelets on his and Chloe's wrists, the kind the local shops sold as souvenirs.

A long time ago, I'd told him that if we ever made it out here, I wanted to buy a matching pair and have our names carved into the beads.

Now I could see the one on his wrist. One of the beads had Chloe's initials on it. Chloe noticed me looking and gave her wrist a deliberate little twist, showing off the bead carved with Andrew's.

I almost laughed. None of this surprised me anymore.

Andrew must have caught where I was looking, because he tucked his hand behind his back and glanced away. "Chloe and I were on a work trip and happened to pass through. I remembered you always wanted to come here, so I figured I'd scout it out for you.

"Anyway, since you're here, sit down and eat something."

Then he turned to Chloe. "Change tomorrow's flight. Push it back two days."

A flicker of irritation crossed Chloe's face, but she covered it with a playful tone. "Wendy, your timing is something else. Showing up right on the last day of vacation.

"But Andrew, I really need to get back to work. Just change one ticket. You stay here and show Wendy around."

She pulled out her phone.

Andrew frowned slightly, and sure enough, he said exactly what she wanted him to say. "Forget it. Don't change anything. Work comes first."