From His Wife to His Uncle's Wife novel Chapter 243

She’d just wanted to comfort that poor woman, but Sydney had snapped at her, accusing her of getting a kick out of using people. Jessie rolled her eyes. So what if she did? It wasn’t her fault Sydney was so gullible.

“Jessie, where are you?” Peter sounded breathless, like he could barely hold in his excitement.

Jessie pouted, a little amused. “I’m at home. What’s up? Did you win your chess game with George today?”

She could practically hear him grinning through the phone. “Jessie, Grandpa George is finally letting me back into the family!”

“Seriously?” Jessie's eyes went wide, a smile breaking out on her face.

“I mean it. It’s really happening. The date’s already set — it’s the day after tomorrow. You’ll come with me, right?”

“Of course.” Jessie felt herself relax. Turns out, betting on Peter was the right choice after all.

“Peter, when are we getting our marriage license?”

He laughed, all soft and warm. “How about the day after the ceremony? Seems like a lucky day.”

Jessie couldn’t stop herself from grinning. “Perfect. I’ll go tell my dad.”

Otto had never really liked Peter, but now that Peter was officially becoming part of the Clarkson family, maybe he’d finally come around. There shouldn’t be any more objections.

...

Max took Eleanor out for dinner, then suggested they check out some wedding dresses. Everything about their wedding plans was falling into place.

As their car rolled past the lake, Eleanor spotted a woman sitting on the railing, her back turned. Something about that silhouette looked familiar. She turned to get a better look and then froze, recognizing the face.

“Stop the car.”

The driver pulled over right away.

Max glanced at her. “What’s wrong?”

Eleanor frowned. “There’s someone by the lake. She looks like she’s in trouble. I’m going to see.”

“It’s that woman.”

Max’s expression shifted, concern etching his features as he turned to look. Sure enough, it was Sydney.

Something flickered in Sydney’s eyes, but it faded fast. “I can’t see a future. There’s nothing left for me.”

“Thanks for saying all this. I want to apologize again for what I did before. I really was just… stupid.”

Eleanor’s heart clenched. “I don’t want your apology. It’s just a divorce. Are you really that scared? I’ve been divorced. It’s not the end of the world. Once it’s over, you’ll realize how much good stuff there is out there. You’ll just wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.”

She didn’t push further. Max slipped his arm around her, guiding her away, but Eleanor kept listening for any sounds behind her. Would Sydney figure it out?

A sudden thump made Eleanor spin around in alarm. She saw Sydney jump down from the railing, landing safely on the ground. “Thank you,” Sydney said, bowing before she slowly walked away.

Eleanor let out a long, shaky breath.

Back in the car, Max looked at her, confused. “Why did you help her?”

“I don’t even know if I was helping,” Eleanor said quietly. “She just… reminded me of myself. I wish I could’ve told the old me that divorce isn’t the end. Everything really does get better.”

Max pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “No more worrying. I’m here now.”