Forgive My Ex-husband novel Chapter 143

"Yulia, I’m not feeling well." Melinda’s tone was cold. "I’m afraid I can’t accompany you any further."

Yulia knew the reason, of course. She didn’t really need Melinda’s help anyway.

Her purpose was an entirely different matter, and she had accomplished that already.

She didn’t protest, but she could see that the encounter had a physical effect on the other woman.

If they came back to mansion and the rest of the family saw the state Melinda was in, they would no doubt blame it on Yulia. "Let me take you back home."

"There’s no need for that," Melinda’s reply was swift. "You need to continue checking out your shop."

She needed a moment of peace. The bustle of the city was giving her a headache, and she was feeling close to suffocating.

She wanted to explode.

Yulia bit her lip and examined the situation. Her main concern was the certainty that Nelson and Queena would think she had done something to Melinda if she returned like this. She couldn’t let that happen.

"No, it would be better if I stayed with you," she tried again, her intent genuine this time, albeit somehow two-faced.

It gave Melinda pause. ‘It looks like Yulia really cares about me,’ she mused.

But she had suffered enough in the hands of this girl to let herself be fooled over repeatedly. ‘She’s only putting up appearances.’

"I want to be left alone," she told Yulia firmly. The younger girl was too embarrassed to insist any further after such an absolute denial, so she said nothing. Melinda walked away and Yulia let her.

As she passed by the spot where she saw her husband and another woman earlier, Melinda was assaulted by the pungent smell of tobacco and the cloying scent of Emily’s perfume.

The pounding on her temples grew stronger. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened her eyes again, she raised her chin, and walked to the parking lot with her head held high.

As soon as she was seated inside her car, however, her facade cracked, and the dam broke. She hunched over the steering wheel and sobbed quietly.

How many times had she told herself that her husband was never worth crying her heart out? Countless times. Too many times.

And yet there she was, her tears falling uncontrollably as she let her heart be wrenched and gutted yet again.

She allowed herself a good cry, and it took her the better part of the hour before the tears subsided.

The seat beside her was littered with dirty tissues, and the tissue box on her dashboard was almost empty.

She pulled out a couple more sheets, and took a final dab at her eyes. They felt swollen and puffy, and they no doubt looked just how they felt.

She glanced at her reflection on the rearview mirror, and could see that her cheeks were red as well.

She took a sip of water from the tumbler she always packed in her car, and then rummaged for her makeup kit. After a couple of beats, she realized she hadn’t brought it with her, which was a total bummer.

If she came home looking like this, Grandpa Nelson would definitely question her. She really didn’t have any more energy for confrontations and explanations.

Still, there was nothing to do about it, so despite her worry, she started her engine and made the long drive home.

Thankfully, the living room was empty when she arrived. She sped up the stairs, locked the bedroom door behind her, and then headed to the shower to clean herself up.

When she came out, her phone was vibrating rather insistently on the table. She picked it up, and froze as she saw her husband’s name on the screen.

She steeled herself, and took a long, calming breath.

Jonas had been calling Melinda in what felt like forever. He had dialed her number several times already, but he never got through to her.

An anxious dread came over him. He remembered that his wife was supposed to be out with his sister that afternoon.

He was contemplating on dialing Yulia’s number next when his ongoing call was finally answered.

"Hello." Melinda’s voice was a little hoarse from all her crying, but in his relief, Jonas wasn’t able to notice that detail.

He sighed gratefully to the phone. "I’ve been calling you so many times, why did it take you so long to answer?"

It was a fair enough question, but Melinda was feeling a tad too sensitive at the moment. And in light of her witnessing one of her husband’s adulterous deeds, she naturally harbored an animosity towards him.

"Do I need to have my eyes glued to the phone all the time, and my time so free and flexible that I have to answer it every time it rings?" There was a wealth of sarcasm in her tone, and Jonas did not miss it.

It was at this moment that he realized something was wrong. Very wrong.

"That’s not what I meant at all," he said carefully. "Is everything all right, Mellie? Are you unwell?" His mind was already racing with the possibilities. ‘What happened? Wasn’t she all right this morning? Did something happen when she went out with Yulia?’ His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No, I’m fine." Melinda’s voice was weary and cold. She sounded as if the past few days they shared in bliss didn’t happen at all.

Something had changed. Jonas's worry grew. He scrambled for something to say. "Mellie, I... I’ve made a clean break with Emily earlier today."

To his memory, every time his wife was upset, it always had something to do with the actress. Perhaps such was the case now. He'd better go ahead and say it outright.

It had been part of the reasons he had been trying to reach his wife in the first place anyway. He had considered it quite an achievement for himself, and couldn’t wait to share it with Melinda.

If they had been talking face to face, Jonas would have known what an utterly terrible idea it was. It was exactly the wrong thing to say at the moment. If Melinda were with him now, he would have shivered at the chilly expression on his wife’s face.

"Is that supposed to mean anything?" she shot back over the phone. ‘So a so-called clean break now constitutes a kiss between lovers?’

She recognized the beat of confused silence over the line, but before Jonas could say anything more, she ended the call.

After everything, Jonas was still lying to her face. To say she was disappointed would be a great understatement.

And yet... it shouldn’t have been. She had been in this situation more times than she cared to count. It had become a cycle, and she had always submitted herself to it, never once breaking from it with a firm resolve.