Chapter 7

Before, whenever Manuel's stomach hurt, Shiloh dropped everything and made chicken soup.

Once, she'd even broken her arm at work. It was still in a cast, but when Manuel complained, she went straight to the kitchen and made it herself.

But now, when his stomach hurt again, she turned away, giving him only her back.

A crushing ache gripped Manuel's chest. His voice nearly broke.

"Shiloh, why are you so cold to me lately? You were never like this."

Still facing away, Shiloh said, "Before? Weren't you always annoyed by me? Now that I don't bother you, what could you possibly be unhappy about?"

Her words left Manuel speechless.

The old Shiloh had always clung to him. She wanted to know where he went and what he did. She cared about everything.

He found it annoying. Hated how she got jealous over the smallest things. He'd scolded her more than once.

"You're the lady of this house. Act like it. Rainee is family, and you're jealous of her? That's embarrassing."

Now she'd finally given him what he wanted.

She didn't follow him around. Didn't ask about his life.

So why did it feel like his heart was being ripped apart?

"I know you're still upset about Zach," Manuel said with a sigh. "Trust me. I'll make it up to you. We have a long future ahead. I have plenty of time to win you back."

He leaned down and kissed Shiloh's forehead.

Then he left.

What he didn't know was that the second he walked out, Shiloh got two texts.

The first was from the court clerk:

[Ms. Schaffer, your divorce has been finalized. The judge signed the decree this morning. Your certified copy is ready for pickup.]

The second was from the aerospace agency:

[Prof. Schaffer, the Space Elevator Project officially begins tomorrow. Send us your location, and we'll arrange pickup.]

Shiloh stared at the messages for a long time.

Then she finally smiled.

She'd made it.

The day she could finally leave had come.

But first, there was one last thing to do.

Shiloh got out of bed and made her way to Rainee's room on her crutches, one painful step at a time.

It was late. Manuel wasn't there with Rainee.

'Good. He'd only get in the way.'

"What are you doing here, Shiloh?"

Rainee's usual helpless act was gone. She looked Shiloh over with open disdain.

"Looking for my brother? Pathetic. You're hurt this badly, and Manuel doesn't even care. I had a few scratches, and he stayed with me all night. He only left because I said my stomach hurt and made him cook for me. If I hadn't, he'd still be here. You've been married to Manuel all these years. Has he ever cooked for you?"

Shiloh said nothing. She was done fighting over a man.

There was only one thing she needed to know.

"I want the truth. The day you took Zach surfing... did he fall off his board, or did you push him?"

Rainee burst out laughing. "You really want the truth? Fair warning—you might not be able to handle it."

"I can," Shiloh said through gritted teeth.

Rainee's smile widened. "Really? Then here it is. Manuel was there that day too. When the waves hit, Zach and I both fell in. Manuel didn't hesitate. He went straight to me... while your poor son got swept away."

Every nerve in Shiloh's body went numb.

The dim hospital room felt like a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

Manuel had been there when Zach died.

"And you know the funniest part?" Rainee laughed. "Manuel knew I could swim, but I was still the first person he saved. To him, you and your son together never mattered as much as me."

Tears blurred Shiloh's vision.

She swore this was the last time she'd ever cry over Manuel.

She wiped her face and hobbled out of the hospital on her crutches.

Slow, but steady.

'Manuel, there's no tomorrow for us. There was never a long future.

'All that's left is never seeing each other again.'

Shiloh took a cab to the courthouse.

She waited outside all night. At daybreak, she finally got her divorce decree.

She tucked away her copy, then asked the clerk to mail Manuel's to the Preston estate.

After that, she waited outside until the aerospace agency's military jeep came for her.

She got in without hesitation.

Then she pulled out her phone and uploaded the recording from the night before.

When she confronted Rainee, she'd secretly recorded everything.

Zach's death had been ruled an accident. The law couldn't punish Rainee or Manuel.

But the internet could judge them.

It was the last thing she could do for Zach before she left.

Then Shiloh threw away her phone.

The military jeep drove toward the endless horizon.

For the first time in a long time, she felt free.