Page 132 (1/2)

Present Day

HOUSTON, TX

The Jezebel’s Undoing

Regan

“I need to speak with you”

The unexpected sound of asp draws soap and water into h violently to clear it I turn the water off and aze in the mirror

The burn ofhim stan

ding in my bathroom when he should be on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean

I grab a towel from the small pile on my counter and wipe the soap off haphazardly and turn to face him “Why are you here?” I demand

He raises one gray flecked eyebrow as if surprised by my question “This is s a possessive gaze over my towel clad, shower damp body

I resist the urge to cross lower at him “Please leave, now”

He shakes his head slowly; one side of his thin mouth curls upward in a sneer “I’ll wait for you in the bedroom” He informs me, and then he turns and walks out of the bathroom

I release the breath I was holding, and rush into my closet, slide the door closed behinddread coe either

Since our confrontation after he received the divorce petition, he’s been radio silent I’ve been praying, unceasingly, he’d stay that way Marcel being here today is a very, very bad sign and even worse ti

The State of Texas gives a respondent twenty days to respond before granting a divorce by default This , I woke up and drew the nineteenth red “X” on the s a key slide into the lock of a door that had been sealed shut for years

Just one day left I could taste ine welcole woman

It was stupid to think Marcel would make this easy

I glower atin my eyes from tears I won’t allow to fall There’s no reason to cry Marcel will drag it out andto stop the divorce This is just one battle in a war that, ultimately, I know I’ll win

I take s and a t-shirt Stone boughtpast hi at hi irritation and impatience “Whatever this about, I wish you’d called first I have a very busy-”

“Who is he?” Marcel speaks in a quiet, insouciant voice, but his question lands with the potential lethality of a grenade before it detonates I have no idea if it’s a dud or if o up in flames

I quell that flare of panic There’s only one he that matters, and Marcel can’t know about hiuarded secret With that certainty as nore the explosive question, turnmy bed