LOGINShare
Chapter 10
Latest chapter
She Walked Away Chapter 10
Ethan went back home not long after that day.I heard that soon after, he reported Crystal's enrollment at Lincoln Elementary for being improperly arranged, and Crystal ended up expelled over it. Apparently, the day Crystal was expelled, Vivian stood outside the school gates sobbing hysterically, pointing a finger in Ethan's face and screaming that he was no better than an animal.He'd probably thought that clawing back the favor he'd once shown Vivian and her daughter could somehow make up for it, could somehow absolve him. But all his so-called compensation did was carve a fresh wound into an old scar.None of it changed anything.After that, things between Ethan and Vivian fell apart fast. Ethan wanted a divorce; Vivian refused at first, then later demanded he walk away with nothing. Ethan obviously wasn't going to agree to that, and the two of them ended up at the police station, then in court.Before the lawsuit was even settled, Ethan lost his job. Even with him out of work,
She Walked Away Chapter 9
The next day after work, I'd just stepped out of the office building when a familiar figure caught my eye.Ethan looked worn down, thinner than I remembered. The moment he saw me, something flickered to life in his dull eyes."Rachel, you transferred to Ashford and didn't even tell me? Is Nina in school yet?"At the mention of Nina, I stopped in my tracks. "Ethan, what business is it of yours whether Nina's in school?"Anger flashed across his face. "She's my daughter. How is that not my business?"I let out a cold laugh. "Did you think about her being your daughter when you handed Crystal Nina's spot at Lincoln Elementary? Did you think about it when Crystal made Nina call you Uncle Ethan?"His face went pale. He stammered before finally managing, "I—I'll make it up to you both."I didn't want to waste any more breath on him. I turned to leave, but he grabbed my hand. "Rachel, come home with me. Stop this nonsense."I'd barely wrenched my hand free when an angry voice rang out
She Walked Away Chapter 8
By September, Nina had gotten into Ashford Prep Elementary right on schedule, just as planned.I threw myself into work, determined to give her a good life on my own. But the more time I poured into the job, the less I had left for her.One day, I stepped out of a meeting to find three missed calls from her teacher. There'd been a field day at school, and classes had let out early—I'd forgotten to pick her up in time.I was rushing to head out when a message came in from Jason: [Figured you got caught up and couldn't make it. I've got Nina in my office.]Attached was a photo of Nina hunched over a desk, diligently working through her homework.I let out a breath of relief.After that, Nina and Jason grew closer and closer. Before long, it had become routine—the moment school let out, she'd head straight to his office to do her homework, and he'd drive her over to me afterward.Once I'd wrapped up a big project and finally had some breathing room, I offered to take Jason out to d
She Walked Away Chapter 7
On our second day in Ashford, I rented a modest little house near the branch office. Nina and I decorated it together. It looked simple, but warm.Then I took her to pick out a good preschool. After dropping her off on her first day, I finally sat down and saw the message Ethan had sent.[What do you want for dinner tonight? I'll go pick up Nina.]Even now, he apparently hadn't noticed that Nina and I were gone.I stared at that message for a long time.Pick her up?When was the last time he'd actually picked her up from school? It had been so long I couldn't even remember, so long that Nina had stopped expecting it altogether. He always said work was too busy, that he was too exhausted from overtime, and told us not to wait up for him at dinner.But Vivian's social media kept posting photos of those beautifully plated dinners of hers, always with a man's shirt cuff creeping into the corner of the frame—just enough of a reminder that he wasn't actually busy. He simply didn't wan
She Walked Away Chapter 6
After seeing Vivian off, Ethan opened his chat with Rachel and typed: [What do you want for dinner tonight? I'll go pick up Nina.]He sent it. No reply came.He scrolled up through their message history and realized, oddly, that most of their conversations had always started with her reaching out first.He locked his phone, an unease building in his chest. He waited all day at the office, but no reply ever came. Over and over, he opened that chat thread, but his pride wouldn't let him send a second message.So when school let out, he drove straight to the preschool himself.Vivian spotted him and lit up. "Ethan, what are you doing here?"He ignored her completely and walked straight up to the teacher. "Where's Nina?"The teacher looked at him, puzzled. "Are you Nina's dad? Nina's already been withdrawn from school."Withdrawn?The word hit him like a thunderclap.Withdrawn—and Rachel hadn't said a single word to him about something this big?Chest tight with anger, he called
She Walked Away Chapter 5
After the dinner, Ethan dropped Vivian and Crystal off at home first. Crystal had already fallen asleep in the car, so he carried her inside carefully. Vivian followed behind, and together they tucked her into her small bed.Once the door was closed, Vivian spoke, her voice soft. "Ethan, it's so late already. Why don't you just stay here tonight?"Ethan blinked, caught off guard. He watched a flush rise in her cheeks, and for some reason, Rachel's face floated up in his mind.He turned the car key over in his hand. "I'd better not. Rachel's still waiting up for me."Thinking about what had happened earlier that day gave him a faint headache. Rachel was gentle by nature, soft-spoken, kind—but she'd never had much patience left over for Vivian. As he drove, the disappointment he'd seen in her eyes came back to him, and an odd unease settled over him.These past months, he really had been neglecting Rachel and Nina. Once he'd wrapped up everything going on with the school situation,
You may also like
Eight Years to Goodbye
Grogan22.7K viewsMy Husband Regretted Causing My Miscarriage Due to Misunderstanding
Crimson Delay48.7K viewsI Became the Lover of My Ex-Boyfriend's Archenemy
Royal Shrine28.5K viewsYou're Not Hurting Me This Time
Verdant Mountain36.4K viewsNotes from a Broken Future
Levi82 viewsThe Price of Living Apart Together with My Husband
Lucky Frank19.7K viewsHe Borrowed My Porsche for My Wife
Silky Stars20 viewsMy Boyfriend's Plus-One Problem
Year on Year83 views
