The End of a Marriage (Colette and Matheo) novel Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Chapter 13

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Carlotta arrived exactly at six–thirty, right on cue, as though she had rehearsed her entrance to perfection. Her presence disrupted the

fragile quiet of the morning like a gust of cold wind. As Amber buckled little Nico into his high chair, she deliberately avoided looking up.

But out of the corner of her eye, she caught the sight of Carlotta leaning in and pressing her lips to Luc’s. That familiar, searing pain she

had become accustomed to over the past few days flared in her chest, but she swallowed it down, burying it beneath layers of forced

indifference.

“Hello, Amber,” Carlotta greeted with a bright, overly cheerful voice as she settled into her seat.

Amber forced a smile, her voice hollow as she replied, “Good morning, Ms. Forentino.” She could feel Luc’s eyes on her, studying every

tiny reaction, every flicker of emotion. But Amber had become an expert in masking her feelings–she kept her expression blank, her tone

steady, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing how deeply this hurt. She didn’t want to give him anything.

Carlotta turned her attention to Nico next. “Hello, Nico!” she said with forced enthusiasm. But Nico, unlike his mother, didn’t have the

patience for false niceties. His small face scrunched up, his brows furrowing as he spat out the word he had learned to wield like a

weapon.

“No!”

Amber and Luc reacted at once, their voices colliding in their reprimands.

“Nico!” Luc’s tone was sharp, but Amber’s was sharper.

“That was rude, Nico!” Amber scolded, her frustration at the situation bubbling over. “If someone says hello, you greet them back. What

you just did was very rude.”

“Now, greet Ms. Forentino.”

Nico’s lip wobbled, a pout forming as his big eyes flickered uncertainly between his mother and father. After a moment, he relented, his voice small and hesitant as he muttered, “Hello, Ms. Foen–Foen–tino…”

Carlotta, in her desperate attempt to smooth over the tension, smiled brightly. “Hi, Nico,” she replied, her voice light as though nothing had happened. But the awkwardness lingered, heavy in the air like a dark cloud.

The rest of breakfast passed in uncomfortable silence. No one seemed interested in conversation, and the strained atmosphere weighed on everyone. Nico remained grumpy, scowling at his plate, while Luc mirrored his son’s mood, his own expression dark and brooding. It was almost comical–father and son sitting there like twin versions of the Grinch, plotting to cancel Christmas. And then there was Carlotta, awkward and unsure, clearly struggling to find a way to break the ice but not quite knowing how.

Amber kept her gaze down, focusing on her coffee cup, the dark liquid swirling as if it could pull her in and drown her. She didn’t want to be part of this scene. She didn’t want to witness this charade of a breakfast.

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18:30 Sat, Jan 31

Chapter 86

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