Lahat ng Kabanata ng When His Love Changed, I Let Him Go: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

We'd dated for three years and had been married for almost five. Evan's number, the measure of how much he truly cared about me, had always been 100 percent.It didn't change when we fought. It didn't change when his career hit a wall. Even at our worst, when we only talked once a month, it still didn't change.This ability had shielded me from a lot of fake kindness as I grew up. After my father died, a relative said he'd take care of me, but the number above his head was pitifully low. I didn't tell him how much we had in savings, and sure enough, he kept asking my mother for money later on. There was also a friend who was warm and friendly to my face but shared my secrets with others to win them over. Once I saw her number, I stopped confiding in her.I couldn't read minds, so I never knew exactly what anyone had done. But when it came to who truly cared about me, the numbers never lied.Evan was the first person who made me believe I could love someone without being afraid.That Fr

I didn't want to keep guessing like this, so I suggested going to see the show at the hotel.Evan agreed right away. He even said that afterward, we could pick out a place for the vow renewal dinner together. I brought an invitation with me, planning to remind him of the exhibit date one more time.Chloe was reworking part of her routine.Her old injury meant she couldn't do the original turn anymore, but she didn't ask anyone to work around her. She simply showed Daniel the alternative she'd prepared and ran through it a few times until the transitions flowed with the music. Only then did she step aside to wipe away her sweat.Evan waited for the production staff to approve the changes before confirming when the space would be available. He didn't make decisions for her, and she didn't come running to him about everything.Watching that made me feel a little better.Chloe really was working hard, and Evan really was helping someone who needed a chance. For three months, none of that h

On the last Friday in June, the restoration exhibit opened at an independent bookstore in Boston.Walter and June arrived early. June pulled out a recent photo and held it up next to a picture of her younger self in the album. Laughing, she asked Walter if she'd aged so much he could barely recognize her."Not a chance," Walter said. "You still complain I can't take a decent picture of you."I laughed along with them and led them to the front row. The seat beside theirs was saved for Evan, with his name already taped to it.The flowers he'd sent arrived right on time. The florist told me he'd come in yesterday to pick them out himself and had made a point of asking when they'd be delivered.I looked down at the card.It read, "So proud of you, Nora."Just then, my phone rang.A pipe at the hotel had sprung a bad leak. An entire floor of guest rooms was out of commission, and the performance space downstairs had been affected too. Guests had already arrived, and Evan had to be there in

When we got back to Boston on Sunday, I got out my suitcase.Evan hadn't mentioned the night before during the entire drive home. It wasn't until he saw me actually start packing that he followed me into the room and asked how long I was planning to stay away."I want a divorce."Evan stood in the doorway and didn't move for a long time.I couldn't keep looking at him, so I looked down and put clothes in the suitcase. I picked up a sweater we'd bought together. He'd said it looked great on me. Suddenly, I couldn't think of a single thing I owned that had nothing to do with him."Can you stop packing for a second?" Evan came over. "If you want a change of scenery, we'll go together. I can take time off work. If a few days isn't enough, I'll take more.""I already worked it out with Ruth. I'm going up tomorrow."Evan sat down on the edge of the bed with his forehead in his hand. When I saw his eyes had reddened, my heart ached too."At least wait until after our anniversary," he said. "W

When we met on Friday, Evan brought a thick stack of work records.Ruth had cleared out the meeting room at the back of the bookstore for us. He sat down and asked if I was willing to look through them. Only after I said yes did he spread out the photos and emails, page by page.In the photos, the hotel hallway was flooded, and a few guests were standing in the lobby holding their luggage. In the emails, the partners were pushing him to confirm the show's cancellation, and the manager was waiting for him to decide where to move the guests."All of this is real, Nora. I had to go back that day."Evan talked fast, as if he'd rehearsed it over and over in his head. As if explaining it all in order would make me believe him.I didn't interrupt. When he got to the third page, I finally spoke up quietly. "I never once thought the leak was made up."Evan stopped."When you told me on the phone, I believed you.""But you're still blaming me for not showing up."Evan picked up the email about t