Chapter 16 Free Will
So I just randomly scored a smoking hot roommate who also happened to own the place?
I shook my head with a wry smile as I stared at Anne’s closed door.
It seemed like ever since I decided to leave Elizabeth, my luck with women had improved.
Back when I was trying to make Elizabeth feel secure, I’d turned down every woman who came my way, starting from when I first pursued her.
Truth was, I used to be quite the catch. I had plenty of girls interested in me back in school.
Too bad Elizabeth never appreciated any of that effort.
Well, screw it. As long as my future wouldn’t include Elizabeth, I was good with whatever happened next.
I shook my head and went back to my room to sleep, completely unaware that Anne had just answered a call from Lydia the moment she closed her door.
“Hey Mom, I met Julian,” Anne said. “You were right. Ile’s super hot, and he’s got an amazing body. He was shirtless when I saw him, and he’s all muscle…”
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As she spoke, the scene flashed through her mind again, making her fair checks flush slightly pink.
“Of course I wouldn’t steer you wrong! Did you think your own mother would set you up with someone lame?” Lydia replied. “I told you Julian was a catch.
“Earlier today he tried to lie to me, saying he was married with kids. I saw right through that.”
Lydia’s smug voice came through the phone. “So, are you happy with my choice this time?”
“Yeah, I’m definitely interested in him. When he rushed over to help me without hesitation, it really hit me. This time, it’s different. I’ve already worked things out with him and moved in. He’s actually pretty shy…”
Anne couldn’t stop grinning. She’d already made up her mind that she wasn’t going to let Julian slip away.
“I’m glad you like him. My instincts are never wrong,” Lydia replied with a laugh. “And I promise, if you can lock Julian down, I’ll stop pestering you about blind dates. How’s that sound? I really hope you two can be together, you know.”
They were thoroughly enjoying their phone conversation. When Anne heard the words “be together“, her face instantly turned red. “Yes, Mom. I’ll follow your lead on this one,” she said. obediently.
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“Yeah, right. Who are you kidding?” Lydia’s dismissive voice. immediately shot back.
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“When I tried setting you up on blind dates before, you went on about ‘free will‘ and how you’d never let me arrange your life. Now you’re suddenly this obedient daughter? I know exactly what’s going on here. You’re not fooling anyone!”
“Come on, Mom, stop teasing me! I should go. Staying up late is bad for my skin. Time for bed!”
Anne couldn’t handle Lydia’s taunting anymore and quickly hung up, her face burning red.
Moments later, she received a message from her cousin.
[So Anne, how’d it go?]
Anne: [Everything’s going according to plan.]
[I’m glad things went well. But seriously, I can’t believe you made me pretend to be some creepy stalker following you. You have no idea how terrified I was when he came charging out. I thought he was gonna beat me up! I played my part in your little charade, so you definitely owe me those shoes!]
Anne’s cousin had even added a scared emoji at the bottom of his messages.
She couldn’t care less about his complaints. She simply transferred the money to his account, made him promise never to blow her cover if they ever met in person, then turned off her
Chapter 16 Free Will
phone and settled in for the night.
In Anne’s mind, the whole act was worth it.
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She’d finally found a guy who was not only attractive but had a good heart to match. No way was she letting him slip away!
Meanwhile, I was lying in bed about to fall asleep, completely clueless that everything that had happened tonight was just Anne’s elaborate test of my character.
Just then, my phone rang. I picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number on the screen. Who would be calling me at this hour?
I frowned slightly as I answered with a hesitant “Hello?” only to hear a voice I knew all too well.
“Julian, why did you block my number?” Elizabeth’s slurred voice came through the phone, her tone accusatory yet somehow hurt at the same time.
“Julian, answer me!” she demanded.
“Elizabeth? Why are you calling?” I replied. “We’re getting divorced, so what’s the point of keeping each other’s numbers? That’s why I blocked you.”
Hearing her voice made my frown deepen as I recalled the video. my old classmate had sent me tonight.
She’d gone to the bar after all, and gotten completely wasted.
Chapter 16 Free Will
But with her precious Callum right there beside her, why the hell was she calling me in the middle of the night?
Wasn’t she worried Callum and Gideon would get the wrong idea?
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
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“You don’t get to block me,” Elizabeth snapped. “If anyone’s doing the blocking, it should be me blocking you! Unblock me right now. I mean it!”
Her angry voice blasted through the phone, clearly spoiling for a fight.
“Why should I?” I shot back. “I’m not your damn lapdog who jumps whenever you say so. Don’t bother me when I’m trying to sleep.”
I was about to hang up without giving Elizabeth any chance to respond.
But right then, maybe she finally realized I was no longer the husband who put her at the center of everything, because her tone suddenly softened.
“Wait, don’t hang up, Julian,” Elizabeth pleaded. “I’m drunk. Can you come pick me up and take me home? Please?”
“No way. Goodbye.”
I rejected her out–of–nowhere request without hesitation,
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laughing bitterly to myself as I ended the call.
At that moment, I couldn’t say I felt sad exactly, but there was definitely a bitter irony to the situation.
Back when my heart was full of love for her, I’d show up right on time outside whatever restaurant Elizabeth was at whenever she drank too much at her business dinners.
I’d wait for her all alone through the night, shivering in the cold, just so I could be the first to wrap her in a warm coat and offer her water.
When I watched her clutching her stomach, unable to sleep because the alcohol was destroying her gut, it truly broke my heart. Time after time, I begged her to stop drinking so much. It was wrecking her body.
But her reaction cut deep. At first, she’d snap at me to shut up with that irritated look on her face. Eventually, she flat–out banned me from picking her up altogether.
Elizabeth had no idea how it killed me inside–her own husband -having to watch other men bring my wasted wife home night. after night.
I tried to convince myself it was no big deal. They were just dropping her off, right? I was still the one taking care of her in the end.
Then came that night when I suggested having a few drinks to loosen up before getting intimate. Without a second thought, she
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shut me down with that ice–cold stare.
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“People who follow Buddhism shouldn’t be doing this kind of thing anyway,” she said. “Adding alcohol makes it even worse.”
She glared at me and told me I could get the hell out of bed, warning me never to make such an “unreasonable request” again.
The gut–wrenching pain I felt in that moment–I still remembered it clear as day.
And now that we were getting divorced, suddenly Elizabeth was begging me to come pick her up?
“Yeah right, dream on,” I muttered.
I put my phone down to sleep, but Elizabeth kept calling again and again, as if she’d keep it up until dawn if I didn’t agree.
This surprised me completely.
