Chapter 4

The two of them turn to look at me, eyebrows raised, and, at least in my cousin’s face, a slight hint of fear.

“What are you doing here?” Ryan demands.

“Hearing you plan your new life.” I glower at my soon-to-be ex-husband. “You really think I’m this stupid?”

“Oh no, I don’t think it, I know it!” Ryan shoots back.

I look straight at my cousin, my eyes falling into slits as I speak the truth. “I don’t have children. No. But maybe that’s because this man’s got useless sperm.”

I jab a finger in Ryan’s direction. “I won’t let you parasites take a single penny from me! This is fucking war.”

I stomp out of the pharmacy with a new purpose and officially wide awake. I’m not letting this ship go down. Just the opposite: I’m going to ruin their lives.

I’m getting a lawyer, gathering all the evidence, and I’m taking them down every peg possible.

But first, I need to move the hell out of this place. The thought of Ryan and Melinda fucking in my bed makes me want to vomit.

I spend the night putting together what I can find, refusing to let sleep take me away from my work.

Once the sun comes up, I start chugging coffee, heading into the office to ask if any of my colleagues know anything about nearby rental options.

In the early evening, one of my coworkers, had just come out of Anderson's office. She offhandedly told me that our company had some subsidized housing and that I could apply for it.

__________

“You said this is company-provided housing?” Annie asks, incredulous.

e hair behind my ear and out of my eyes. “Yeah, it is.”

“How much is your rent going to cost?” Lily jumps in.

I think for a second, putting books into another box. “Uh, about two thousand.”

Lily throws a pillow at me, pursing her red lips in my direction as she waves her arms around in the air. “I’m going to kill you!”

“What?” I laugh, unsure what she’s talking about.

“I never envied your promotion; everyone knows how hard you work. If I worked late like you, my face would collapse!”

Annie says, “But this, I cannot forgive you for!”

“Why?” I question, hands on my hips.

The two girls look at one another before returning their gazes to me.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Annie replies, rolling her eyes.

“City center,” Lily ticks on her finger.

“One thousand square meters,” Annie says next.

“Fully furnished apartment.”

“Swimming pool, security, a gym downstairs.”

“Only 100 meters from the closest shopping center!”

“And we’re going to kick you out after you’ve signed the contract.” Lily crosses her arms with a satisfying smirk on her face.

I roll my eyes and sigh but understand they’re having fun at my expense. “Girls, this is the employee care system, okay? I’m getting a divorce.”

Then, I take off my wedding ring and place it on the kitchen table next to my house key. This is it. This is the end of my story here.

I grab my car keys off the counter by the front door, take one more look around, and then I finally make my exit, knowing there’s no chance I’ll ever walk through this door again.

I’m no longer Esme, Ryan’s wife.

Now I’m Esme, a strong, independent woman who is relearning the world around her.

The drive to the new apartment isn’t too far. It’s about ten minutes away from the house, and surprisingly, it’s pretty close to our favorite dive, Ransom’s Tavern. That’s pretty perfect since it’s the middle point for all three of us.

I look around the apartment, not sure where to start. Maybe the best step is to be neighborly and go greet the people who live next store.

I head out of the door and go to put my new key in my side pocket. However, I accidentally drop the metal onto the ground and crouch down to pick it up.

Suddenly, as I’m picking up the key, a little missile comes barreling toward me, and the blur crashes into my arms before falling to the ground.

Instincts take over, and I quickly pick up the small child, an adorable little girl with dark hair. Instantly, she begins to cry as I hold her close and stand back up.

“No, it’s okay!” I tell her, bouncing her. “Don’t cry!”

I look around for an adult, but I’m only met with another girl, a few years older than the first, who looks like a carbon copy. However, she is glaring at me.

“How dare you make my sister cry!” She shouts out. “I’m telling my dad on you!”

Then, as the older girl is yelling, a man in a bathrobe comes running out of the apartment next door, calling out his apologies for his daughter scaring me.

The first thing I see is a set of perfect abs, and I have a hard time pulling away from the sight. Wow, what a handsome set of abs.

My eyes move up from the abs to the eyes of the tall, tanned man. He looks incredibly relaxed and handsome as he stands in front of me, but it takes me about five seconds longer than it should to put it together.

I can’t help but gulp as I set down the girl in my arms.

My boss…he’s my neighbor?!