Chapter 20:
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When Emma arrived at her family home, Jack had taken their mother away, leaving only a drunk James in the mansion.
Opening the door, she found chaos everywhere. James had smashed all the
expensive items in the house.
He lay on the couch, surrounded by cheap beer cans.
Emma raised an eyebrow, surprised to see the usually picky James drinking such cheap beer.
Seeing Emma enter, James squinted, unsure if this was real or a dream.
“Emma… is that you?”
Emma nodded: “Yes, James. What are you doing at my family’s house?”
Emma thought James had truly lost it.
He’d stalked hospitals, attacked someone at a party over a misunderstanding, and now was causing scenes at her family home.
She barely recognized this man anymore.
The usually proud James had such a side to him..
James’s eyes filled with tears.
Like a child who’d done wrong, he immediately started apologizing..
“I’m sorry, Emma. I really know I was wrong. Can we not divorce?”
“James, twenty–eight days ago, you told me to sign divorce papers.”
Emma set down her bag and found a clean place to sit.
“You wanted the divorce. Why the sudden regret?”
James’s mouth opened and closed, his dry throat unable to form words.
Before, he would have given Emma attitude, but now James had no temper left, only pale excuses.
“I told you, it was because
Or was very i
Emma clenched her fists, nails almost breaking skin.
Even now, James chose to lie to her.
In this moment, Emma felt complete disappointment.
She’d spent ten years loving a man full of lies.
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Emma looked down with a bitter smile.
It was too ironic.
Seeing Emma’s smile, James didn’t see happiness but felt chills. He realized Emma might know something.
Emma stood up, tired of talking to this man, ready to leave..
James panicked, stumbling off the couch, completely losing his usual dignity.
“Emma…” James’s voice choked, “Let’s not divorce, please? I’ll do anything your
want. Are you jealous of Lucy? I’ll have nothing to do with her anymore, never contact her again, okay?”
Emma turned back, looking at this pathetic man.
She spoke slowly: “Even now, you think I’m just throwing a tantrum? James, I’m not
a child anymore. I’m not throwing a tantrum – I want a divorce.”
Such a calm statement, like when Emma used to ask James what he wanted for
dinner.
This knife slowly cut James’s heart to pieces.
He became incoherent.
“Don’t leave me, Emma, don’t leave me…”
James grabbed Emma in a hug, his hot tears falling on her.
“By winter’s end, I’ll have known you twenty–eight years, Emma. How many twenty- eight years do we get in life? I can’t be without you. You’re the only person I’ve
truly loved in my life. I can’t be without you.”
Emma was sick of these words. She pushed James away hard, shouting: “I said I don’t love you anymore, don’t love you! Can you hear me? Do you understand?”
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