Ex-Wife Moving Wife Giving Birth? Congratulations, You’re Single Now novel Chapter 76

Chapter 9

Rainy season hits–weather gets unpredictable.

Sunny one second, pouring rain the next. Bakery’s slow because of it, way fewer customers.

Rhys is busy dealing with stuff for school too.

I just give my staff time off.

Little shop gets quiet.

I’m napping at the front counter–rain outside makes perfect white noise.

Then door opens.

Bell chimes.

Garrett folds up his umbrella, half his body soaked, water dripping onto the tile.

He doesn’t move. Doesn’t say anything.

Just stands there by the door staring at me.

Until his clothes dry out.

Until I slowly wake up.

I rub my eyes, ask what he needs.

Only then does Garrett come closer.

Haven’t seen him in days–he looks even worse. Body can’t fill out his white shirt at all, wrist bones sticking out like kindling, all yellow and bony.

Whole person’s got this damp, moldy vibe–like rotting furniture, like a spoiled apple.

“Just give me whatever.”

One hot chocolate.

Garrett cradles the cup–steam fogs up

his eyes.

We’re sitting across from each other.

Used to talk about everything. Now being together just feels awkward.

70.54%

Jane You’re Single Now

Chapter 9

“I quit my job,” Garrett starts. “The day I couldn’t find you.”

“I searched every neighborhood. Cass, Minneapolis is huge–took me a whole year to realize you’d left.”

He pulls a jewelry box from his inside pocket–red velvet, two matching rings inside.

“I carry these every single day, just waiting for the moment I find you so I can propose.”

“This ending I owed you for way too long.”

“But you don’t seem to need it anymore…”

He timidly puts the rings away.

“Too late, Cass.”

I’m a little stunned–didn’t expect him to be the one to say it.

Yeah. Too late.

Love’s all used up. Even the last shred of real feeling got tossed in the trash.

But I’m also relieved. At least he won’t keep harassing me, won’t mess up the life I’ve barely managed to get back on track.

I smile. “Try the hot chocolate. It’s really good.”

Garrett nods.

Hands holding the cup are shaking, lips trembling too. Finally gets it to his mouth, takes a few sips, then spits it all back up.

Brown liquid everywhere–table, floor.

Chocolate smell mixed with blood.

Garrett starts coughing violently, blood splattering everywhere.

“Cass, turn around, don’t look…”

He tries to push me away but doesn’t have the strength–can’t even move my apron before he collapses on the floor.

His face is ghost–white.

Moans spill from his throat–broken, barely holding together.

Then Garrett goes still.

Eyes locked on me but all the color’s drained out.

“Garrett!”

70.7%

the Cinala Now

“Wake up!!”

Doctor says Garrett’s got late–stage stomach cancer.

Can’t eat anything–just IV nutrition keeping him alive. Two months, tops.

His stomach problems never got better.

He just pushed through, never told me.

Doctor also said his condition’s complicated.

Could be from not eating on time. Could be long–term drinking.

Constant stomach bleeding, never healing before getting irritated again–over time it turned into cancer.

I asked Garrett’s assistant.

He said Garrett hasn’t been in touch with them in forever, just locks himself at home drinking. Landed times.

the hospital multiple

They tried talking to him. Didn’t work.

Even Lauren coming over didn’t help.

Actually made Garrett worse–that night he almost jumped off the balcony.

“No choice, man. Garrett kept screaming about finding you. We don’t even know you that well–how would we know where you went?”

Assistant mutters and hangs up.

I walk into the hospital room–little girl’s lying in Garrett’s bed. He’s sitting on the couch, face ghostly white, forcing a smile at

1. me.

“Little girl didn’t have a bed. Felt bad. Let her use mine for a bit.”

He’s always like this.

Used to not be able to afford food himself but would give his spare change to homeless people.

Saw stray cats and dogs and his heart would break–rip his bun in half to share with them.

One time someone fell in the river. Garrett couldn’t even swim but he jumped in anyway to pull them out.

Girl he saved didn’t cry. Garrett sobbed like crazy.

Terrified he almost didn’t catch that life in time.

71.0

Chapter 9

Curiosity gets the better of me.

I ask: “Garrett, why were you so good to Lauren back then?”