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All Chapters of No More Room for Me in Your Dreams: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Through the narrow crack in the closet door, I watched Hailey Miller drape her arms around Barney Hayes's shoulders and laugh."I can't believe you're doing this to your wife," she teased. "Whatever happened to your sense of chivalry?"Barney shrugged. "If I didn't make it convincing, how would she ever believe me?"Hailey began unbuttoning his shirt. "What if she finds out?"His answer came without hesitation. "Then we make sure she never has a reason to suspect anything. I'll never give her the chance."I curled up inside the closet, too stunned to move.Biting down on my lip, I tried to keep myself from making a sound. For a moment, I'd almost forgotten why I'd come here in the first place.The anniversary cake rested in my lap, its carefully piped "Happy 6th Anniversary" already smeared beyond recognition. The whipped cream had collapsed, melting over the frosting and onto my palm.I'd spent the entire day making it for Barney, and now I could barely make out the words thro

Chapter 2

I barely remembered how I got home.The next thing I knew, I was opening the front door and finding Barney on his way out. The worry in his eyes eased as soon as he saw me."I was just about to go look for you," he said. "Where have you been?"If I hadn't seen what happened with my own eyes the night before, I might have believed he was genuinely worried about me."Nowhere special. I had some things to take care of at the studio." I lowered my eyes, then asked casually, "Did you sleep well last night?""No nightmares." He nodded with a satisfied smile. "Thanks to Hailey, I slept like a baby."Before I could respond, Hailey's sweet voice came from behind him."Barney, if the chowder is ready, I'll set it on the table.""Don't burn yourself. I'll get it."Barney quickly took the oven mitts from her hands, and Hailey stuck out her tongue playfully."But your seafood chowder smells so good, and I'm starving."Then she grabbed my hand and pulled me inside as if we were old friend

Chapter 3

My friend, Irene Hogan, called later that day."Alba, I've found someone who can put you in touch with one of the best psychiatrists abroad.""There's no need. I'm getting a divorce."Silence settled over the line.Irene didn't press me for an explanation or ask what had happened. After a moment, she simply said, "If you've made up your mind, I'll be waiting for you here."I thanked her and ended the call.Outside, dark clouds hung low over the city, threatening rain."It's going to rain," I murmured.For the rest of the day, I focused on wrapping up the studio's affairs and arranging to dissolve the business. Once everything was settled, I returned home to pack my belongings.By nightfall, the rain was coming down in sheets, just as I'd predicted.It was nearly ten when Barney finally returned. He was soaked through, but he'd kept Hailey tucked safely under his arm to shield her from the rain."The weather is awful," he muttered as he stepped inside.He barely glanced at h

Chapter 4

Perhaps the sight of me standing there in agony finally got through to Barney.After a moment, he said, "Go get your burns treated first. I'll join you in a bit."I didn't bother looking back at him or Hailey, who was still clinging to him. Instead, I walked straight out into the pouring rain. The icy drops struck my already injured skin, sending sharp stings through my burns with every step.At the hospital, I took care of everything myself, from getting my wounds treated to paying the bill and picking up my prescriptions.The rain continued all night, but Barney never showed up.By the time I had rested enough to leave the waiting area, pale morning light was filtering through the windows. Clutching the divorce agreement, I headed home with one thing on my mind: getting Barney to sign it."Barney, I..."The words died on my lips when I entered the bedroom and found him still asleep.His brows were knitted together, as though he were trapped in a nightmare. I hesitated, then a

Chapter 5

"Don't worry. The patient's vocal cords haven't suffered any permanent damage. With enough rest and proper care, she'll recover."The doctor's reassurance finally eased Barney's worries.Over the next few days, he stayed by Hailey's side almost constantly, barely allowing her to speak. Even so, she managed a sweet smile from her hospital bed."Please don't be angry with Alba anymore. You should go home and make things right with her. I really just want you two to be happy together.""All right. Save your voice. You need to rest."Only then did it occur to him that he hadn't heard from me in three days.Normally, even after our worst arguments, I was always the first to give in. I'd send him a message, apologize, and find some way to smooth things over.This time, however, three full days had passed without a single call or text.Looking down at his palm, which still tingled faintly, Barney felt a pang of regret. He hadn't meant to hit me so hard.He tried calling, but the phon

Chapter 6

"I never thought you'd come back after all this time," Irene said.Standing in the old fashion design studio, I was overwhelmed by emotions I couldn't quite put into words.Irene handed me a cup of coffee and sat beside me. "Six years ago, when you gave up your career for Barney, I honestly thought you'd found your happy ending.""So did I." I let out a bitter laugh and took a sip of coffee.But time proved I had chosen the wrong person.Just then, the receptionist called."Ma'am, there's a Mr. Hayes here asking to see you."Irene started to get up, but I stopped her."I'll handle this."When I reached the lobby, Barney was standing there with a bouquet of white lilies.His suitcase sat beside him, still packed, and his windblown hair made it clear he'd come straight from the airport.The moment he saw me, he straightened up and hurried forward, holding out the flowers."I remembered this flower is your favorite.""We're divorced. What are you doing here?""I want you to

Chapter 7

By the second week of throwing myself into work, my body finally gave out.On our video call, Irene paced back and forth, looking frantic."I'm still on location with a client. Even if I catch the earliest flight back, it will take me at least a day and a night to get there. How are you doing on your own?"I lay in bed, too weak to do much of anything. My throat felt raw, as if someone had scraped it with sandpaper, and I could barely get the words out."Irene... help me... call an ambulance..."The room began to spin. My vision blurred, and I could no longer keep my eyes open.Through the haze, I heard the front door open, followed by quiet footsteps approaching my room. A large, cool hand settled gently against my forehead.The touch brought me a moment of clarity, but I still couldn't make out the face of the person standing beside my bed."Who are you?"Without a word, he carefully lifted me into his arms. His hold was unexpectedly gentle, as though he were afraid that I m

Chapter 8

"Just because I signed the divorce agreement doesn't mean you can move on with someone else overnight," Barney said, narrowing his eyes."The moment I got back that day, I checked the security footage. I was wrong about you. Hailey had put that stuff in her own drink. I gave her a serious warning and cut off all her financial support."The veins in his eyes were bloodshot, but I felt no sympathy for him anymore."And? What's your point?""Come back to me." His voice was hoarse and strained. "Ever since you left, I've been suffering from insomnia. I have to take sleeping pills just to get through the night."I can't undo what happened, but I don't want to give up. Maybe your voice was what I needed all along."I stared at him for a moment, then let out a dry laugh. He looked confused, unable to understand what was so funny."What happened to Hailey's singing?" I scoffed, unimpressed. "Wasn't that what helped you sleep so peacefully? For six years, you never spent a single night b

Chapter 9

After wrapping up my work, I took a few days off and flew back to the States.Three months had passed since I'd last seen Barney. He tried to hide how badly he was doing, but his bloodshot eyes gave him away."Alba, did you come back because you want to get back together with me?" he asked, his eyes sparking with hope."Do you think that's possible?" I replied evenly. "I'm here to finalize the divorce. Once we have our final decrees, there'll be nothing left between us.""Without your voice, I can't sleep at all.""What about all those voice memos I used to send you?"The question seemed to hit a nerve. He lowered his head in shame."I... deleted them a long time ago."I raised an eyebrow, not surprised at all."All these years, I was wrong," he whispered. "I was too greedy. I fooled myself into thinking I could have both your love and Hailey's at the same time. I thought that as long as I kept sweet-talking you, you'd always come back to me. But now..."He looked at me, falt

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