Chapter 10

Before Emily even finished speaking, Jenson yanked his arm free. “I’m going to find Estie. Stop getting in my way. Once you’re discharged, move back to your house and find a time to finalize the divorce.”

Without another word, he bolted out of the hospital and hailed a cab straight to their home. The entire ride, he frantically dialed Estella’s number. But every call was met with the same cold, robotic response: “The number you’ve dialed is unavailable.”

He still clung to a shred of hope, thinking maybe her phone had just died, so she couldn’t pick up his calls. As long as he made it home, he would see the one he longed for. Jenson kept urging the driver to go faster.

But when he finally pushed open the door, the sight before him sent a chill down his spine. The living room—once warm and familiar—now felt empty. The couch was missing her favorite throw blanket and the pillow she always hugged. The ceramic mug she used every morning was gone. The display shelf that had once held her cherished collection of figurines was now barren. Everything that belonged to Estella was gone.

Jenson staggered to the cabinet, his hands trembling as he yanked it open. This was where Estella had kept their wedding preparations. The custom wedding ribbon she’d designed and the wedding vows she’d carefully written were each a testament to what the wedding had meant to her. Now, it was all gone.

Refusing to give up, Jenson tore through the house. Maybe Estella had just moved her things somewhere else. But the more he searched, the more frantic he became. In just a few days, every trace of her had been wiped away. In their place, Emily’s belongings were everywhere.

Then he opened the master bedroom door. The moment he saw the massive wedding photo above the bed, his chest tightened so painfully that he could hardly breathe… No. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. This was supposed to be his and Estella’s home. For the first time, he truly understood what Estella must have felt when she’d seen that picture. But now it was too late. Estella was gone. She didn’t want him anymore.

A violent rage seized him. He lunged forward, yanked the photo off the wall, and slammed it to the ground. His fists crashed down onto the image of himself embracing another. Even as shards of glass tore into his knuckles, he didn’t stop. He felt as if breaking it to pieces could somehow erase the past and undo his mistakes.

It wasn’t until the wedding photo was nothing but a mangled mess that he finally stopped. He stared at the chaos around him before trudging toward the living room. As he passed the trash can, his steps faltered. With trembling hands, he picked up a few torn fragments of paper. The moment he saw the words “Marriage Certificate” on them, his mind went blank. A deafening buzz drowned out everything else.