THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 1136

Caitlin paused for a moment before continuing, "The fact that Elsa could say something like that proves she never truly valued our friendship. We've said what needed to be said. Since this is the path she's chosen, we need to let go of our need to help her. After all, we have our own lives to lead."

They had to respect other people's choices, and stop trying to play savior.

Hearing that, something suddenly clicked into place for Gertrude. She looked up at Caitlin and nodded. "You're right, Catie. We have our own paths to walk. We can't let this hold us back. From today on, I'm going to learn to let go and make peace with myself."

Caitlin smiled. "That's the right way to think about it."

After having tea with Caitlin, Gertrude went home and, for the first time in a while, bought some groceries. She hummed a little tune as she started cooking.

Seeing her so cheerful, her husband Louie asked curiously, "Honey, did you and Elsa make up?"

Louie had seen how much Gertrude had been struggling the past few days. She would flip through old photos of the three of them, murmuring to herself, "How did it come to this? How did it all change so suddenly?"

For her mood to improve so drastically, he assumed she must have reconciled with Elsa.

"No," Gertrude said, shaking her head. "I made peace with myself."

Louie was taken aback.

Soon, it was time for the couple to make their rounds, toasting the guests. Traditionally, they would start with the groom's side of the family. But Xander said, "Honey, in my heart, no one is more important than you. To show you how much you mean to me, let's start with your family's tables."

In reality, Xander's reason was much simpler. During the ceremony, he had scanned the crowd for a long time but hadn't seen any sign of Caitlin. Not only was Caitlin absent, but Gertrude was nowhere to be seen either. When he had gone to Elsa's family home to pick her up that morning, neither of them had been there. A sense of unease began to creep over him.

Caitlin and Gertrude were Elsa's best friends. There was no way they would miss her wedding. So, he needed to find out for sure if Caitlin was in the banquet hall.

Xander's words filled Elsa with emotion. Her eyes welled up as she whispered, "Darling, thank you!"