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October, The Odd Ones

Romance

October I loved him with everything I had. From the moment I was a teenager scribbling his name in my notebooks, to the nights I waited up for him with cold dinners and colder silences. He was my first everything-my husband, the father of my childre...

#betrayal #forgotten #grovel #marriageintrouble #neglectedwife #otherwoman #workwife

Chapter Fourteen: The Shape of Home

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I waited inside the house, heart pacing in rhythm with the second hand on the wall clock. Then I heard it—the crunch of gravel beneath tires. Thomas's car.

It was strange. I felt... something. A flicker of joy. Not for him. But for Jimmy. Because Thomas—at long last—was trying. Becoming the father he should've been from the beginning. When he'd asked me if he could be the one to go to Jimmy after the party, I was surprised. But I said yes. Frankly, I could use the break. Time with the girls. Time to think. Time to breathe.

Still, I worried. Would Jimmy be angry with me?

I didn't wait for them to ring the bell. I opened the front door as they stepped out of the car. Jimmy saw me first. His little face lit up with a smile, and my chest loosened just enough to let me exhale.

He ran past me and into the house. I let him go, turning to Thomas instead.

"I missed him," Thomas said, rubbing the back of his neck. "We spent the evening together. Just the two of us. I forgot how funny he is."

"You forget a lot," I muttered, then instantly regretted the sting in my tone.

"I know." He nodded, looking exhausted. "I was hoping to see the girls too, but I know it's late."

"They're asleep."

He paused. Then: "I... I miss you, October."

I stared at him. Silent.

"I'm sorry. For everything I did wrong."

"That's gonna take a while," I said with a dry laugh, all snark and scabs.

"Yeah," he said softly. "You're right. But I'm back at work tomorrow. And we're doing it. We're making Father pay."

"And Laura?"

"If she's involved—yeah."

As if summoned by the mention of her, his phone rang. The screen lit up with a name that made my blood boil: Laura. I turned to walk away, but he caught my hand.

"Please," he said.

He answered. Put her on speaker.

"Hey, Tommy," she purred through the speaker, her voice all syrup and smugness. "Where've you been? I've been trying to reach you. I kinda need you. My cat's acting weird. I think we should take her to the vet, like, ASAP."

I rolled my eyes so hard I saw stars. Seriously? Her cat? AGAIN!

Thomas stiffened next to me. I could feel it—his shoulders locked, the slight twitch in his jaw. He tried to keep his voice level, but it came out clipped. "Hey, Laura. Yeah... I've been busy. Sorry about the cat, but can you call someone else? I'm... at home now."

A pause.

Then, her voice went sharp and sugary. "Well, that didn't stop you before."

Ouch.

The air in my lungs turned acidic. My gaze snapped to him, but he was already looking down—at his shoes, at the sidewalk, anywhere but at me. He didn't deny it. He didn't even blink.

"Yeah, I know," he muttered, barely audible. " I'm not feeling great tonight."

I hated how he said it—like it was a minor inconvenience. Like she hadn't just sliced me open in one sentence.

Laura laughed. Laughed. Like the whole thing was some inside joke and I was the punchline.

"Oh, wait—is the Mrs. upset because of the birthday party?" she said, dragging out the word like it tasted bitter on her tongue. "God, how insecure can she get?"

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