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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Author: Mairee
last update Last Updated: 2025-07-26 00:08:06

#Dorothy’s POV#

Joel didn’t come home last night.

No surprise there.

I didn’t even wait up. There was no point. He’s not the type you wait for. Not when you know where he is. Not when you know who he’s with. Probably Hillary. Or someone else who doesn’t wear hospital bands and silk scarves to hide the bruising under her jaw.

I rub my temples and lean into the kitchen counter. My head feels full. My body’s sore in that weird, invisible way where you’re not even sure if it’s tiredness or grief or chemo or the fallout of someone else’s cruelty. I stir the tea. I don’t drink it.

I glance at the back door.

Still locked.

So he’s back. His car was in the driveway when I opened the blinds.

He just didn’t bother coming to me.

Not that I expected him to.

I’m not a wife anymore. Not even a roommate. I’m an obligation with ovaries. I’m the project he couldn’t fix so now he’s outsourcing it to his cousin.

I exhale. Shake my head.

What a fucking joke.

I grab bread from the pantry and shove it into
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