Semua Bab The Love That Faded Away: Bab 1 - Bab 9

Timothy Soloman grabbed my wrist. "Is this really worth getting a divorce over?""I've given you everything I have: the title of Mrs. Soloman, more spending money than you could ever use, and I've even been searching for a bone marrow donor to save your brother's life."It's just a child. I never meant to hide it from you. Does it really matter that much?"His brows furrowed, his displeasure plain.I wrenched my arm free. "I want you to cut things off with Cathleen. Let her take that child and leave Ciscosta Bay for good. Otherwise, don't ever expect me to forgive you.""He's my son, and I've raised him for five years. I can't bring myself to abandon him."Timothy sighed and lit a cigarette. The smoke curled toward me, stinging my nose and stirring up a bitter ache in my chest.Five years. We'd only been together for seven ourselves.So in our second year together, he'd already been unfaithful, and he'd had a child with someone else.Counting back, that was the same year my br

I never expected that after I turned him down, Timothy would go straight to Cathleen Rosenstein instead.I was just about to lie down on the empty bed beside Gary's when her taunting message came through.Cathleen: [Amanda, tonight's your wedding night, and yet Timothy came to keep me company instead. You're not mad, are you?]She'd sent along a few photos: Timothy sprawled on top of her, fast asleep with a thoroughly satisfied look on his face, his bare chest marked with a few faint scratches. It wasn't hard to guess how intense things had gotten between them just before.Me: [Cathleen, do you have any shame left at all?]Me: [You couldn't even afford your own tuition. I used the money I'd saved from part-time jobs to help you. And this is how you pay me back?]The Cathleen I used to know had been naive, sheltered from the world. We'd met through a club activity in school. She used to trail after me, calling me "Sis" all the time, and something about it always reminded me of my

The nurse's words hung in the air.My whole body went rigid. My heart felt like it had plunged straight into ice.I swayed to my feet, my legs barely holding me up.The next second, I lunged at Cathleen like something had snapped inside me. She was still nestled against Timothy.She stumbled backward at the edge of the hot spring, crying out, "Amanda, you've lost your mind! Timothy, help me..."Timothy's brows shot up, and he stood to pull me back.But it was as if I'd lost every ounce of reason. I fought against him with everything I had, and he couldn't hold me back.I ended up straddling Cathleen and slapping her, hard, again and again."You killed Gary!"One slap after another landed."This one's for your ingratitude, for eating off my kindness and stealing my husband, for tearing my family apart."This one's for framing me, for forcing me to kneel and beg, for stripping away my dignity."And this one's for killing Gary. I want you to pay for his life with yours..."Ca

That was when Cathleen finally panicked.She sprawled on the floor, tears and snot streaking her face. She scrambled over and threw her arms around Timothy's legs, sobbing out a plea. "Timothy, I'm sorry. Please don't send me away. I'll never do it again, I swear. I'll make it up to you, I promise...""Get out!"Timothy kicked her off without a shred of mercy, disgust practically radiating off him.Seeing that his mind was made up and there was no winning him back, Cathleen suddenly turned hysterical."Timothy, don't think for a second that this is going to win Amanda back! You think sending me away is going to make her forgive you? It never will."The two of us, we're both going to lose the ones we love. We're the same kind of person."She didn't even finish before Timothy had his assistant drag her out.But he knew she was right.It was his fault. He was the one who, with his own hands, had driven Amanda, the woman who'd loved him for seven years, further and further away.

Timothy, his eyes red, shoved Joseph aside and lunged for me again."What's between Amanda and me is none of your business.""Don't act like you're still her husband. You're the past now. Amanda's staying by my side from here on."The two of them, unable to agree on a single thing, ended up brawling right there, throwing punches and kicks until it turned into a full-blown fight.Watching them tangled up like that, all I felt was overwhelming annoyance.I pulled out my phone and called the police."Hello, is this the police? I need to report a fight happening at my house."The moment Timothy heard me, he froze mid-motion.He stared at me, stunned, disbelief written all over his face. "Amanda, you're actually calling the police on me, for his sake? Do I really not matter to you at all anymore?"I looked at Timothy coldly, with no warmth left in my eyes at all, the way you'd look at a total stranger."Timothy, there's nothing left between us anymore. Are you only just now realiz