The Day Silence Spoke novel Chapter 329

Latisha had only managed to pack two outfits before the suitcase was full. She was still trying to figure out how to carry the rest of her clothes when the suitcase was suddenly kicked, sending it sliding crookedly across the floor.

Startled, Latisha looked up at the man standing over her. Clifford’s face was a dark mask, his eyes fixed on her. She bit her lip and slowly got to her feet, signing, *What are you doing?*

His gaze was sharp, as if trying to see right through her. “What, you can’t wait to leave?”

She signed, *You were the one who said divorce.*

She just thought that if he was the one to bring it up, she should be considerate and not overstay her welcome.

Clifford laughed, a dangerous edge to his voice. “Then what are you taking all this for? Leave it!”

Latisha flinched, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Clifford grabbed her chin, his voice low and menacing. “If you divorce me, you’d better be prepared to leave with nothing.”

Latisha said nothing.

“Including,” he continued, “what you’re wearing right now. Take it all off.”

Her eyes shot wide open. He wouldn’t even let her keep the clothes on her back? Seeing the fury in his eyes, Latisha felt a wave of bitterness wash over her. Three years. Three years of marriage, and in the end, he wouldn't even let her have a single piece of clothing. He wanted her to walk out naked. How heartless could he be?

Her nose stung, and a swell of grief rose in her chest, blurring her vision with tears.

Clifford’s eyelid twitched. “What are you crying for? You wanted this divorce so badly, I thought you would have been fully prepared.”

Latisha let out a weary breath, collapsed onto the bed, and hugged the duvet in silence. Perhaps because she hadn't slept the night before, she drifted off into a hazy sleep.

...

When she woke again, it was afternoon. She sat up, her eyes falling on the clothes and the open suitcase on the floor. A wave of desolation, perhaps a remnant of her groggy state, washed over her.

She found a crossbody bag in the closet and an old notebook under the bed. Inside the notebook, she wrote: *I need to write down what happens every day.*

After finishing, she put the notebook and pen into the bag. She slung it over her shoulder and went downstairs, where she rummaged through drawers in the living room. She managed to find a handful of coins. With the change, she went out and took a bus to the hospital. The doctor had said she needed several days of IV drips. She wrote that down in her notebook too.

As the IV fluid dripped into her arm, Mortimer texted her again.