After the Last Tear: Rising from the Ashes of a Broken Marriage novel Chapter 47

I ended up having to call a taxi home.

Despite everything, Luke must have felt some guilt because he showed up not long after. He walked in while I was sorting through my belongings.

Clothes were strewn across the bed as I methodically stuffed them into garbage bags.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked, hovering uncertainly in the doorway.

"Just decluttering," I replied neutrally, silently willing him to shower and wash off that sickening perfume.

He hesitated, missing the underlying tension.

Then, completely tone-deaf, he continued, "That's probably for the best. We can buy new things after we're married. Maybe even move to a new place. What do you think?"

Luke was playing his favorite card – dangling our future together.

He kept stealing glances at me, gauging my reaction. I noticed but pretended not to.

In the past, such words would have moved me to tears.

Now? I wouldn't waste a single drop on him.

My lack of response seemed to unsettle him.

He knew I was angry but wasn't willing to make any real effort to fix things.

His presence tonight was probably the extent of his concession.

While Luke showered, his phone wouldn't stop chiming.

Fed up, I picked it up.

Mandy had bombarded him with wedding photos of them together – traditional poses, contemporary shots, even bohemian-style settings.

A dull ache spread through my chest.

I looked down at the fresh scratch on my palm.

Blood had started to well up.

Truthfully, even if Luke hadn't interrupted, I wouldn't have scrolled further.

I'd already spent the entire night reading through their thousands of flirtatious messages.

My eyes were swollen, but I'd had to pretend I'd just woken up.

Seven years together, and our WhatsApp chat was just my monologues, occasionally graced with his emoji responses when he felt like it.

I was such a fool.

"Sorry, I won't do it again," I mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

Luke froze.