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Chapter 19
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The Christmas I Left Chapter 21
After Paris, life settled into a perfect rhythm.Work was busy, weekends were fulfilling.Everything was exactly as it should be.One night, my mom called."Evelyn, Mrs. Patterson called from the old building. She said the Whitmores finally sold the apartment."It was that neighbor who was close with Candace."Oh?" I said, my face mask on, totally indifferent."Apparently they needed the money for Harold's medical bills. What they got from the sale was barely enough to cover the debt and a few months of hospital care.""The whole family moved to some rental in the suburbs. Sounds like a godforsaken place."My mom didn't sound happy—just... detached. A "look how the mighty have fallen" vibe."Got it," I said flatly."And... Eric actually came to town the other day.""He went to Mr. Carlton's house, begging for a job recommendation. Henderson chewed him out and chased him off the porch.""Heard he looked terrible. Totally wrecked, older than his dad."I listened quietly.Not a ripple ins
The Christmas I Left Chapter 20
Time flew.Summer arrived.The apartment was fully renovated. After airing it out for three months, I finally moved in.Every rug, every lamp, every single chair—I'd picked them all myself.The gardenias on the balcony were in full bloom, filling the whole place with fragrance.I started my new job.Marketing manager at a top multinational. A massive pay bump.Great team, healthy office vibe.I'd cut ties with all the old circles. No more drama, no more gossip.Weekends were no longer about cooking and cleaning for six people.They were brunch with Rachel, solo trips to the Met, concerts, or sweating it out at the gym.I even signed up for French classes.Twice a week, stumbling through "Bonjour."I'd lost weight, my skin was glowing.Men were starting to notice, too.A few clients, the trainer at the gym—all sliding into my DMs.I politely turned them all down.I just wasn't ready to share my space with anyone yet.Or maybe my life was already full enough that I didn't need anyone to
The Christmas I Left Chapter 19
After Eric left, the first thing I did was call Rachel."He came.""Are you okay?! He didn't do anything to you, did he?!" Rachel's voice was immediately on edge."I'm fine. He's gone," I said, watching the city skyline in the twilight. "That man... he's completely broken. He didn't have an ounce of fight left in him."Rachel was quiet for a moment, then sighed."Makes sense. After the combo you hit him with, even an iron man would crumble.""Now, we just wait for his signature.""Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on it."I hung up and drew a bath with essential oils and bath salts.I soaked in the warm water, closing my eyes.Eric's face no longer haunted me. The years of disrespect and anger were gone too.Instead, I decorated my new home in my mind.A cream-colored sectional for the living room. Definitely a reclaimed wood coffee table.The balcony filled with gardenias and succulents.The bedroom walls? My favorite shade of pale blue.I even started browsing West Elm for curtain option
The Christmas I Left Chapter 18
Three days later, my phone rang from an unknown number.I knew immediately who it was.I didn't hesitate.I answered."I'm outside your new place," he said, his voice like broken glass. "I heard you got a new job, bought a new apartment. Wow, Evelyn. You really did it."The anger was gone. His voice sounded completely hollow."Let's talk," he whispered. "One last time. Please."I thought about it for a second. "Fine. Come up."Rachel said I was crazy for being alone with him.But I knew he was done. He had no fight left in him.He was a snake without fangs.I needed this last confrontation.I needed a clean end to this whole chapter.A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.I opened it.I barely recognized the man standing in the hallway.He'd lost at least twenty pounds. His eyes were sunken into his sockets, his face covered in scruffy stubble.That expensive coat hung on him like a wrinkled, ill-fitting costume.He stepped inside but stopped at the threshold, afraid to actually come
The Christmas I Left Chapter 17
Eric's POVThe past forty-eight hours had been hell for Eric.Ever since they'd slunk back from that small town, the atmosphere in the apartment had been suffocating.Candace was too scared to even open the door, convinced the neighbors were waiting to tear her apart.At the preschool, Brittany's coworkers whispered behind her back, gossiping about her "legendary" sister-in-law.And all that resentment, of course, eventually landed on Eric.He'd finally accepted the divorce.His lawyer had basically told him he had no case—his best bet was a clean break and a quick settlement.But his pride wouldn't let him accept it.He still deluded himself into thinking he could play the "sympathy card" and squeeze a hundred grand out of me.Clutching that fantasy, he walked into the office.The moment he stepped through the door, he knew something was wrong.Everyone he passed looked at him the same way.Not with office gossip or pity.It was pure, naked disgust. Like they were looking at something
The Christmas I Left Chapter 16
The next morning, I met with Rachel.She looked even more excited than I was, her eyes gleaming with mischief.She dropped a thick manila envelope on the coffee table."It's all in here. The whole damn treasure trove."I opened it. A thick stack of high-quality documents.Everything was full-color and crystal clear.Page one: A selfie of the girl.Long hair, white dress... she really did look like me from ten years ago. That same saccharine smile plastered on her face.Below the photo was her profile: name, age, university, major.From page two onward: bank statements.Two full years of a thousand dollars a month flowing from Eric's secondary card into her account.The memo line on every single transaction read: "Living expenses."Then came movie tickets, dinner receipts, even a reservation for a spa resort.The evidence was airtight. Absolutely ironclad.I flipped through the pages slowly.My face was a mask of stone.But inside, I felt sick.Not jealous. Not even heartbroken anymore.
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