All Chapters of No More Tomorrows for Us: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

By the time I got home from the hospital, it was past 8 p.m.I had barely stepped inside when I heard Zeke Evans laughing. He was on the phone with Hailey Moore, completely absorbed in their conversation."I loved that movie, too. We should go see it again sometime. Some of those scenes were incredible, especially the ending…"Zeke looked up and saw me standing by the door, pale and exhausted, but his expression barely changed. He covered the phone with one hand. "I'm gonna finish this call with Hailey in the study. I was too tired to cook, so just order whatever you want. Just get it from somewhere decent, okay? You're pregnant."Without waiting for me to respond, he put the phone back to his ear."Oh, that reminds me. There's another documentary I think you'd like. Have you seen…"He walked into the study and closed the door behind him.I stared at the closed door, then looked down at the discharge papers crumpled in my hand.A bitter laugh escaped me.I had planned to sit

Chapter 2

Zeke sat on the edge of the bed and studied my expression.Then he let out a long, tired sigh."Ruby, I've been working all day. I'm exhausted. I really can't deal with this right now. Let's just get some sleep. We can talk tomorrow."He lay down beside me, turned his back, and closed his eyes.The room fell silent. Before long, his breathing grew slow and even.Everything I wanted to say remained trapped in my throat as tears slid silently down my cheeks.A notification on my phone finally pulled me back to reality. My flight confirmation came through.I was leaving shortly after midnight the next night. I was going to leave Zeke, this city, and the seven years we had spent together behind.I wiped my tears with the back of my hand, curled up under the covers, and eventually fell asleep.The next morning, Zeke was up unusually early, moving around the kitchen in an apron. When he saw me, he smiled."You're up. I made breakfast. Come eat before it gets cold."For a moment, I

Chapter 3

I said nothing. I just stared at Zeke, waiting for an explanation.My silence quickly got under his skin. As he pulled out a chair for Hailey, he said, "I had to pick her up, so I'm a little late. Sorry.""Okay," I said flatly, lowering my eyes to the menu.Zeke looked surprised. He probably expected me to make a scene, but I let it go without another word.I raised a hand to get the server's attention. "I'll have the lunch special. Could I get water instead of the wine? Thank you."Hailey suddenly leaned across the table and pointed at the menu, her voice playful."This dinner-for-two special looks amazing! Too bad Ruby can't eat seafood. But Zeke, we both love it. Why don't we split one?"Then she turned to me."You don't mind, do you?"Zeke frowned.We had already fought over serving seafood at our wedding reception, and now Hailey wanted to order a meal for two with him. No matter how close they were, even he knew how inappropriate that looked."Hailey, maybe we shouldn'

Chapter 4

I stepped out of the bedroom.Before I could move aside, Zeke came rushing toward me and slammed into my shoulder. I hit the wall hard, pain shooting through my back.He didn't even look at me. He ran straight into the master bedroom and started rifling through the drawers and closet.Bracing one hand against the wall, I slowly pushed myself upright."Zeke, what are you looking for?"Without slowing down, he said, "Hailey's at the hospital getting fluids. I'm going to stay with her. It's freezing in there, so I need to bring her a blanket. Where do we keep the extras?"I ignored his question. "Didn't you say you were coming home early to spend time with me?"Zeke found a blanket, then rushed past me and started looking for something else. His voice sharpened with impatience."Did being pregnant mess with your hearing, too? I just told you Hailey's at the hospital getting fluids. I don't have time today. We'll spend time together some other day."But there wasn't going to be an

Chapter 5

The overnight flight was quiet.As I drifted in and out of sleep, I dreamed about the last thing my best friend, Mila Shelton, said to me when I got the abortion."You're not leaving Zeke because of one message. You're leaving because there have been countless messages just like it. Don't cry, Ruby."I had still taken a picture of the sunset that evening. I just hadn't sent it to Zeke or tried to start another conversation he didn't care about.I left it in my camera roll.Someday, I believed I would find someone who wanted to hear about the little things and share them with me.In my dream, I turned to Mila and smiled, finally at peace."I'm okay. I don't think I love Zeke that much anymore."By the time my flight landed in Grandview, it was 4 a.m.I was too exhausted to keep my eyes open, let alone check my phone. I found a hotel near the airport, collapsed onto the bed, and sank into the mattress. I slept so deeply that I barely moved.When I opened my eyes again, bright s

Chapter 6

When I stepped out of the hotel, Mila's car was waiting by the curb. The moment she saw me, she got out and hurried over.I gave her an apologetic smile."Thanks for driving all the way out here. You already flew in to take me home after the abortion because I couldn't leave alone after the anesthesia. Now I've made you come all this way to pick me up, too."Mila rolled her eyes. Without saying a word, she took both suitcases from me and loaded them into the trunk."Thank me again, and I'm going to be offended. Since when do you have to thank me?"She opened the passenger door and practically shoved me into the seat, but her voice softened."I never wanted you moving so far away for Zeke in the first place. You didn't have any friends or family there. He was all you had. If he treated you badly, I couldn't even get there fast enough to put him in his place."As she pulled into traffic, Mila reached over and squeezed my shoulder."But you're home now. If anyone messes with you a

Chapter 7

Zeke was escorted out of the building.His first instinct was to pull out his phone and ask his friends whether any of them had seen me or knew where I had gone.But as his finger hovered over his contacts, he froze.In that city, he was the only person I could rely on. I didn't know anyone else.The realization hit him all at once, nearly crushing him beneath the weight of his regret.In the end, he called Mila.Mila had never been one to hold back. The moment she answered, she tore into him before he could say a word."You've got some nerve calling me!"Knowing he was in the wrong, Zeke tried to explain. "I'm just worried about Ruby being alone…""Don't," Mila cut him off. "You're worried about her now? Where was that concern when you were cooking for another woman, going to the movies with her, and spending hours on the phone with her? Men like you make me sick! You blur every boundary, then act like it doesn't count because you never slept with her."She spoke slowly, mak

Chapter 8

I looked at Zeke and answered my own question."It started when Hailey came back, didn't it?"I lifted my cup and took a sip of milk. The warmth slid down my throat, but it did nothing to ease the cold inside me."Love makes you want to share your life with someone. All the things you were suddenly too busy to tell me, all the ordinary moments and meaningless little details you stopped sharing with me, you were sharing with her instead, weren't you?"Zeke lowered his eyes to the table, his shoulders beginning to shake.After a long silence, he took a deep breath."Hailey's my ex. I was the one who ended things, and I always felt guilty about it. When she came back, she asked me to look out for her, and I... I let myself get pulled back in. At first, I thought we were just catching up."Zeke suddenly became frantic. He reached across the table and grabbed my hand."Ruby, I'm sorry. I know I crossed every line."I swear, the moment I get back, I'll set clear boundaries with Hail

Chapter 9

I didn't text Zeke again until the following summer.His reply appeared almost immediately, his excitement obvious.[Ruby, you finally texted back. Does this mean you've forgiven me?]I stared at the screen for a moment before typing a blunt reply.[No. I'm only texting you because I've started seeing someone. Please stop messaging me. I don't want my boyfriend to get the wrong idea.]I sent him several photos.In them, I was wearing a pale apricot dress and standing beside Stephen Lawson. He looked down at me with such tenderness that it almost didn't seem real. I was grinning, my eyes bright with a happiness no longer touched by pain.Zeke didn't respond for a long time.That afternoon, the setting sun washed the street in warm gold. Stephen and I stood outside my office, arguing passionately over something completely ridiculous."You can absolutely tell whether a watermelon is ripe by tapping on it." I pointed toward the fruit stand by the curb, explaining my theory with co

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