Eleven Years All to the Wrong Man novel Chapter 78

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.

How could he have the nerve to say such things? Was he so clean himself? What about all the women he’d found on the outside, all the times he’d messed around?

Anger simmered in Emma’s heart, but she had no energy to express it. Lately, she didn’t know if it was the chemo or something else, but she was always sleepy and tired.

She had spent too long at the park that afternoon and hadn't eaten a bite since coming home. She was cold and hungry, running on empty.

“Evan, I don’t want to fight with you. It’s pointless. If you want a divorce, we can file the papers tomorrow.”

Emma swore she meant every word. She truly didn’t have the energy for their old fights anymore. Ever since she got sick, every outburst left her utterly exhausted.

But to Evan’s ears, her words sounded like a threat.