Late Blooms, Early Goodbyes

Madeline put on her coat and lay down on the lounge chair in the yard. It was late autumn, and the days had grown noticeably colder. At night, the temperature dropped sharply. Right then, a cold breeze cut through the still air. She curled in on herself and clutched the coat tighter. Every time they fought, Tristan would punish her like this, pretending it was some lesson she needed to learn. In truth, it was just another way to humiliate her.But now, Madeline felt nothing. A strange calm had taken hold. After all these years of holding on, what had it all been for? In no time, sleep crept over her. Just as she began to drift off, a pair of warm hands slipped under her coat. She jolted awake and locked eyes with Tristan, his gaze burning with desire. His breath was warm against her cheek, yet nothing stirred inside her. Once upon a time, Madeline would've leaned into him, eager to please, and agreed to do whatever he liked. But now, all she felt was revulsion. More than

Madeline had been hospitalized for a week, yet Tristan never visited her once. He didn't even call her. As Sophie peeled an apple, she grumbled, "Tristan doesn't even deserve to be called a husband. You were right to divorce him. Just promise me you're not going back to putting yourself last for him."Madeline and Tristan had argued more times than she could count. She had even thought about leaving him before. But somehow, it ended with her apologizing every time. Looking back, she felt pathetic and foolish."Not anymore," Madeline said. "After all these years, even a dog would've grown attached to me. Maybe, to Tristan, I'm not even worth that much."Sophie's heart broke hearing her say that. "Don't overthink it. There are plenty of men out there. Tristan's not the only one in the world."…On the eighth day, Madeline was finally discharged. But the thought of returning to that house made her chest tighten. The moment she opened the door, a rancid stench of rotting food hi

After dinner, Regina had invited Tristan back to her place for a drink. However, he turned her down. He felt a twinge of guilt but figured a bit of sweet talk would be enough to pacify Madeline. What he didn't expect was for her to completely ignore him. Fury surged through him, and he snapped, "It's Regina's birthday. I took Annabelle to celebrate with her, and you had the nerve to follow us? You've really outdone yourself. How shameless can you be?"Even then, Madeline didn't spare Tristan a glance. She just thought he was ridiculous and completely rotted from the inside out. He was the one tangled up with another woman, yet somehow, he managed to twist things around and make it her fault. If blame-shifting were an art form, he had perfected it. Tristan's brow furrowed as he stared at her. In the past, all it took was a flicker of displeasure from him, and Madeline would immediately apologize. Even if it were his fault, he would lash out without reason. That was how he kep

Madeline knew Regina was saying all that just to push her buttons. Even so, her expression didn't change as she replied, "I've already decided to walk away. I'm not going to fight you for anything."Regina let out a mocking laugh at that. "Oh, please. If you wanted to leave, you'd have done it a long time ago. But here you are, shamelessly sticking around. I know you're only after the money."By the way, how were the daisies I asked Tristan to give you? They were beautiful, weren't they?"As soon as those words settled, Madeline's expression darkened with something unreadable.Even Regina knew about her pollen allergy, yet Tristan had no clue. He had been used and didn't even realize it.Clearly, Madeline never mattered to him. In no time, Tristan came out with Annabelle. He glanced at Madeline before saying, "She's just a kid and didn't mean any harm. I've talked to her. We'll head out for the evening cruise soon."The moment he finished speaking, Regina quickly pulled out two

Tristan picked up the divorce papers, his expression grim. His signature was right there at the bottom. He still remembered the argument that sparked it. To get under Madeline's skin and to hurt her, he had gone as far as drafting the divorce agreement and signing it himself. Thinking about how different she had been lately, he flew into a rage. The next second, he tore the papers to shreds. So, she had been planning to leave him all along. In Tristan's eyes, Madeline was just a housewife. She didn't need to work and was living the life of a wealthy stay-at-home wife. But now, she had the nerve to ask for a divorce. He then pulled out his phone, ready to call her. He'd throw her a bone and give her one last chance. If she begged him, maybe he'd consider taking her back. The thought had barely crossed his mind before his body went rigid. He had no idea where Madeline was. On top of that, her phone was turned off. How was he supposed to find her now?Tristan grew increasingl