The End of a Marriage (Colette and Matheo) novel Chapter 35

The End Of a Marriage

Chapter 35

Chapter 24

As they settled around the cramped dining table, Matt’s sister greeted Colette with a warm smile and a light kiss on the cheek. “Hello, Colette,” she said, her voice soft and welcoming. Colette returned the smile, though her heart wasn’t in it.

Matt’s brothers followed suit, offering their customary kisses on the cheeks before moving on to chat with their brother. Colette watched them, noting the similarities they all shared–those almond–shaped eyes, dark hair, and that familiar crooked smile that had once made her heart Butter. She couldn’t help

but wonder, as she had so many times before, if their children would have looked like that too. The thought now brought an ache to her chest, a bittersweet

reminder of what could have been.

As the room filled with voices, everyone joined in to sing “Happy Birthday” to little Danny. The boy, now fully decked out in his Superman suit and cape.

beamed with excitement as he blew out the candles on his homemade cake. Laughter and cheers erupted around him, but Colette’s gaze drifted to a woman

across the room, one of Danny’s friends‘ mothers. The woman seemed particularly interested in Matt, batting her eyelashes and sneaking glances at him

whenever she could.

Evie, Matt’s sister, sidled up to Colette with a playful nudge. “Aren’t you going to protect your territory? Mama’s hormones over there are in overdrive,” she

whispered, nodding subtly toward the woman who was trying her best to cozy up to Matt. He, however, seemed completely uninterested, his attention

elsewhere.

Colette knew Evie was joking, and she was supposed to laugh it off, maybe even throw back a witty remark. But something inside her snapped, a bitter wave

of frustration rising to the surface. “Good luck to her then,” Colette muttered, unable to mask the sarcasm in her voice. “She’ll have Iris Layson to duel with

if she wants his attention.”

Evie’s smile faltered, her brows knitting together in concern. “Is everything alright between you and Matt?” she asked, her tone more serious now.

Colette straightened up, realizing too late that she’d let her guard slip. Panic bubbled up in her chest as she forced a smile, trying to appear nonchalant. “Of

course,” she lied, shrugging as if it were nothing. But she could feel Evie’s eyes on her, probing, searching for the truth as Colette turned away, desperate to

escape the conversation.

As evening settled in, the chaotic energy of Danny’s birthday party gradually dissipated. The guests had trickled out, leaving behind the remnants of cake

crumbs and torn wrapping paper. Danny, exhausted from playing with his new toys–including the shiny new bike Matt had given him–finally succumbed to

a nap. But not before extracting a promise from his older brother that he’d be there when he woke up to teach him how to ride it.

Inside the house, the atmosphere was quieter, but a strange tension lingered in the air. Colette, Evie, and Roxy busied themselves with cleaning up the mess

left in the living room, while the men were outside, folding up tables and chairs in the garden. Colette noticed that Roxy and Evie exchanged strange glances

every time they thought she wasn’t looking. Their eyes would flit to her, then to each other, as if silently conspiring about something. Whenever she caught

them, they quickly averted their gaze, pretending nothing was amiss.

It was unnerving, and as the moments dragged on, Colette’s patience wore thin. When she walked into the kitchen to put away some dirty plates and found

the mother–daughter duo whispering in hushed tones, their expressions tense, she’d had enough. They stopped talking the instant she entered, guilt written

all over their faces.

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