Chapter 15 - “Was I Ever Enough?”
We met in a café.
Public.
Neutral.
He looked older.
Not dramatically.
Just tired.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
I waited.
“For what?”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“For everything.”
“That’s not an answer.”
He looked down.
“For signing your name.”
I waited.
“For lying to my parents.”
I waited.
“For the development deal.”
Still I waited.
Finally he whispered, “For threatening our marriage because I thought you’d be afraid to lose me.”
That was the first apology that sounded real.
I nodded.
“Thank you.”
He looked almost hopeful.
“Can we ever—”
“No.”
The hope disappeared.
I didn’t enjoy hurting him.
But clarity sometimes hurts.
“Was I ever enough for you?” he asked.
I thought about that.
“Yes.”
His eyes lifted.
“You were enough when I married you. But somewhere along the way, being loved stopped being enough for you. You needed control too.”
He looked away.
We sat silently.
Then he asked, “Do you hate me?”
“No.”
That surprised him.
“I don’t want to spend the rest of my life carrying you around as hatred.”
I stood.
“Goodbye, Javier.”
This time, when I walked away, he didn’t threaten me.
He didn’t follow me.
He simply watched me leave.
And two months later, the divorce became final.
May you like
But the most unexpected chapter began when I returned to the beach house and found twenty-three people waiting outside.
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