Evan picked up the jacket and brought it to his nose. A faint, cool scent mixed with the smell of disinfectant filled his nostrils, and an image of the man standing close to Emma outside the hospital flashed in his mind.
In an instant, Evan knew the answer.
At that point, things changed. If he could have pretended not to know last time, could have chosen to give her one more chance and forgive her, this time, that was no longer possible.
Imagination is a strange thing. It can conjure up endless scenarios, both terrible and wonderful, without knowing any facts.
Emma didn’t come back all afternoon. Evan waited from dusk until it was completely dark.
He started to wonder, why wasn’t Emma home yet? Was she out messing around with that doctor again?
He remembered how, not long ago in the woods, she had promised him they would build a good life together. Why, after such a short time, was she involved with that doctor again?
The rage in his heart burned hotter and hotter. Just as it was about to consume his reason, he heard a sound at the door. Emma was back.
“Emma, you’ve really got some nerve. What, getting lonely at home? Decided to go sleep in someone else’s bed?”
Evan had completely shed the pleasant mask he’d been wearing. His eyes were cold and resolute, his words dripping with mockery and sarcasm.
Even in their worst fights, Evan had never been this cruel.
Emma looked calmly at the man she had loved for so many years. Something inside her, already fragile, shattered completely. She couldn’t say a word, as if all her strength had abandoned her.
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