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All Chapters of Nothing Left For Us: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

22 Chapters

Chapter 1

I stared at the number "3" for a long time.Lucas Bolton took off his coat, hanging it on the right side of the entryway just like he always did, before bending down to slip into the gray slippers I had bought him.Every single move he made was identical to the past seven years.Had it not been for that glowing, blinding red number, I might have believed everything I’d just seen was a complete hallucination."Why aren't you asleep yet?"He walked over and reached out to stroke my face.His palm was warm, his fingertips slightly calloused from years of flipping through legal files.I didn't pull away. I just looked at him and asked, "Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. Do you still remember?"Lucas let out a soft laugh, affectionately pinching my cheek."Of course I remember. I've already booked the restaurant. 7 p.m., at that waterfront table you love so much."My phone will be turned off. No work talk, no clients. The entire night is all yours. How does that sound?"The ne

Chapter 2

Lucas didn't come home that night.At 6 a.m., he sent a quick text saying that Hallie Clark’s ex-husband had been taken away by the police, and that he had to stay behind to help give a statement.At the end of the message, he added a note telling me to remember to eat breakfast.I didn't reply.At 7 p.m., I arrived early at the reserved restaurant. I waited for an hour before Lucas' call finally came through."Emma, I'm so sorry. Something urgent just came up on my end."In the background, I could hear a child crying alongside Hallie's soft voice."Is it because of Hallie again?"He went silent for a moment."Hallie’s son has a high fever and went into convulsions. She can't handle this all by herself. Let's cancel dinner tonight, and I'll make it up to you another day."Without waiting for my answer, he hung up.Listening to the dead dial tone, I looked down at the anniversary cake sitting on the table.I had chosen it with meticulous care. On top sat two small figurines

Chapter 3

The moment I got back home, I opened the closet and started packing.I gathered my documents, art portfolios, and the jewelry my mother had left behind. Everything else, I placed neatly back where it belonged.Most of the decorations in the living room, the vinyl records in the study, and the matching dinnerware set in the kitchen had been bought together over our seven years.I took only what was strictly mine and left everything else behind.At 2 a.m., Lucas texted to say that Ben’s fever had finally broken, but Hallie was still emotionally unstable, and he wouldn't be coming home tonight. When the hospital door closed behind me earlier, our second-to-last meeting officially came to an end.As of now, Lucas and I only had one final meeting left.The next afternoon, the front door lock beeped. I was in the living room organizing my sketchbooks when I looked up and saw Lucas pushing the door open. Following right behind him were Hallie and Ben."Emma."Lucas set down another

Chapter 4

I kept a firm grip on the silver comb, refusing to let go."You can't play with this."Ben probably didn't expect to be turned down and instantly pouted."Mr. Lucas said I can use anything in this house!""This belongs to me." I pulled the silver comb back toward myself.Instead of letting go, he suddenly yanked hard with both hands, clutching the handle."I want it!"In the middle of our tug-of-war, a sharp snap rang out. The silver comb broke clean in half, with one piece dropping straight to the floor.I froze.When I was ten, my grandmother sat by the window, using this very comb to braid my hair for the last time. Back then, I even complained that she was taking too long, nagging her to hurry up so we could go buy candy.The next morning, I could never wake her up again.Over the past twenty years, I had moved four times, and I always kept this comb close. Now, it was snapped in half by a total stranger's child.Seeing the look on my face, Ben panicked and took a step

Chapter 5

At 11 p.m., I finally finished packing my last suitcase.I was looking down, double-checking my passport and documents, when a soft knock sounded at the bedroom door.Hallie walked in holding a cup of tea, wearing my slippers."Mrs. Bolton, I am so truly sorry about what happened earlier today."She placed the cup on the edge of the table, her eyes falling upon the open suitcase."Are you going on a long trip?""None of your business."I zipped my document bag shut.Instead of leaving, she turned around and closed the door behind her."You really don't have to be so guarded against me. Mr. Bolton is only helping me because he pities us, that's all."As she spoke, she raised her hand to adjust her hair. Her sleeve slid down, revealing a men's wristwatch on her slender wrist.It was the gift I had given Lucas for his birthday last year. Engraved on the back of the watch face was our wedding date.I stared at it for a few seconds before extending my hand."Take it off."Hall

Chapter 6

The injury on my arm throbbed all night long.The moment day broke, I got up to wash my face and brush my teeth, putting on a long-sleeved shirt to cover the bandages.My last suitcase stood by the entryway, and my passport and the signed divorce agreement were safely tucked into my handbag.When Lucas stepped out of the guest room, he was still wearing the same shirt from last night."Hallie's ankle is swollen. I need to take her to the hospital for an X-ray this morning."He pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone dripping with the exhaustion of someone who hadn't slept a wink."Get ready and come with me to apologize to her."He looked at me like a lawyer handling an annoying but simple case."Emma, I don't want to make a big deal out of this. You were in the wrong here. Hallie isn't pressing the issue only because she's showing consideration for my feelings."I looked at this man I had shared seven years of my life with.He knew how to catch a lie from a slight pause in

Chapter 7

The hospital results came back quickly.Hallie had only suffered a minor ankle sprain, and Ben had a mild fever.Lucas glanced at his watch and sent a message to Emma.[The checkup is done. Why aren't you here yet?]A red exclamation mark immediately popped up next to the message.Frowning, he dialed her number, but all he got was a mechanical, automated voice."Is Mrs. Bolton still angry with me? How about I go back and explain things to her?" Hallie asked tentatively."No need." Lucas put his phone away, his voice entirely certain. "She’s just doing this on purpose to make me anxious."In their seven years of marriage, Emma had never truly left him. No matter how tense things got, as long as he went home and apologized, she would always give them both a way out.He had already planned everything in his head. He would buy her a bouquet of white roses on his way home tonight and reserve a table featuring all her favorite dishes.Every single argument in the past had played

Chapter 8

"What do you mean, the last time?"Lucas rushed out the door after her, but Ava didn't even turn around."It's exactly what it sounds like."The elevator doors slid shut right in front of his face.He refused to believe it.A seven-year marriage couldn't just end over a few days of arguments. It was far too absurd to think she wouldn't even give him one last chance to explain himself.So Lucas tracked down the property management office and pulled up that morning's security footage.On screen, he walked into the left elevator carrying Ben, with Hallie leaning on his arm right behind him. Ten minutes after their front door closed, the right elevator doors opened.Emma walked out, dragging her suitcase behind her. She was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, her left arm hanging stiffly by her side the entire time. When she reached the front gate of the complex, she struggled several times to lift her luggage into the trunk before Ava finally got out of the car to help her load it.Luc

Chapter 9

Lucas didn't sleep a wink all night.He had asked people to search Emma's college campus, the art gallery where she used to work, and the cemetery where her grandmother was buried. At every place she could go, not a single soul had seen her.The moment daylight hit, he contacted Ava again."I accept all the divorce terms. She can have the house and all our joint assets," he said, his voice hoarse."I just want to see her one last time."Ava hesitated for a moment before pulling out an envelope."Emma said that if you were willing to accept the divorce, I should hand this to you."Lucas signed the confirmation papers on the spot without a second thought.He even took the initiative to withdraw his legal objection regarding the divorce agreement's validity, signing over his share of the house in the supplementary clauses.As the tip of his pen pressed onto the paper, a ridiculous flicker of hope actually welled up inside him. It was as if losing all these material things would s

Chapter 10

Three days after the call hung up, Lucas still hadn't left the empty house.He listed every single place Emma might go on a sheet of paper.College classmates, art galleries she had collaborated with in the past, her grandmother's hometown, and even a small coastal town she had mentioned in passing seven years ago. Every single lead ended in a dead end.He stopped using private connections to trace flight records, instead refreshing public websites over and over again, terrified of missing any name related to her.A month later, the City Art Association published its selection list for the Young Illustrator Support Program.The very last line of the list read: [Emma Swift, Selected for the South City Residency Group.]Attached to the page was a picture of one of her old artworks.Lucas recognized that painting immediately.During their second year of marriage, Emma had excitedly mentioned wanting to submit it to a competition. But because of his back-to-back court trials, he

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