Chapter 2: Maddison
1078 Words
I’m brought back from my memory with the sound of a scoff. I turned to look at Ethan and somehow this one felt a little worse than the one before. Maybe, because I fostered this life for myself, I picked this man instead of letting fate decide for me.
I could feel my wolf stir inside me, lending me some strength to process his rejection. His revelation. His betrayal. I hated that this happened. That I repressed my wolf to stay here, with this weak-willed man. To try to procreate with this man. I leaned on the strength of my wolf. I pulled myself together and signed the divorce papers. I didn’t tell him about my purchase of the bakery, or how I was a wolf. He didn’t need to know that now. I prayed that I wouldn’t have to see this man again. And I promised myself that I would no longer suppress the urges of my wolf again. To always listen to her, to trust her and then maybe she would speak to me again. She hated that we left our mate and our pack, but I couldn’t stay there. My mate had rejected me in favor of another she-wolf, who was of higher rank than my warrior family, so I left. I declared myself a rouge and left my family. My mother, my father and my siblings. I haven't seen them since. It’s been ten years. I am twenty-eight now, and I have no idea where my family is or how they are doing. It’s sad really and one of the reasons my fur girl stopped talking to me. Along with the marriage of this human man, who I thought would be ours forever even though he was not picked for me by the moon goddess.
That was almost half a year ago. Six months and six days to be exact. Our divorce wasn’t even finalized yet, and he had already moved her into the house and welcomed his new baby. It was a baby girl that they named Ember. That cut deep because that was the name we agreed to name our daughter. Now he had a baby girl with his mistress who was farther along than he led me to believe. He was living his life with someone else. The life we were supposed to be living. My heart hurt deeply.
The only solace in my life is the bakery and my new apartment over it. It was finally mine. Renovations were underway in both places. They were moving slowly but moving, nonetheless. My apartment came as a surprise. I didn’t really have a place to go after I signed the divorce papers. I was working on folding dough when Mrs. Shaw, the old owner, and my boss came to me. She said that since I had given her the final payment before my life blew up in my face (she didn’t say it like that, but you get the point), it meant that she was free to retire early. She had wanted to go live near her children who lived in South Florida, so she was leaving the apartment above the bakery as well. She told me I could have it. That was six months ago and now my apartment is pretty much done. The walls had once been a bright sky blue but were now a calming sage green. I had redone the floors, where there was once an old, stained carpet now stood a beautiful hard wood flooring. I bought all the new furniture and window treatments. I purchased a pale burnt orange sectional and light wood side tables. I got a new 70-inch television mounted to the wall with the help of my best friend's brother. The kitchen and bathrooms have also undergone light renovations. A fresh coat of white paint on the cabinets and a deep clean on the floors and appliances. I got a new bedroom set and painted the walls to match the sage walls I continued from the rest of the apartment. My new apartment and my new life were coming together.
After a fitful night of memories turned into nightmares, I decided to get up and get ready to finish painting downstairs. My best friend, Kamy, and her brother, Jason, had already helped me install the new floors. That really helped me stay on the budget. Their family owned a construction business here in Oak Haven, and they used to help me with keeping up the house I lived in with Ethan. When they found out about the divorce and his infidelity and pending nuptials along with the birth of his new daughter just weeks after announcing the divorce to me, they immediately jumped to help me even though they were busy with the Motel 6 project. I was living with Kamy when Mrs. Shaw approached me about the apartment. So, they were eager to help me settle in.
I tied my black curls into a ponytail away from my face and threw on some old overalls. Looking at myself in the mirror, I started to see who I was before marrying Ethan. My caramel skin was back to my normal vibrant color. After I signed the divorce papers, it was like life was sucked clear out of me. My eyes were dull, and I honestly couldn’t recognize myself. But now, I could see life in my face, a brightness in my eyes that I once thought was long gone. I was feeling truly happy. With that thought, I finished getting ready and went downstairs to finish painting the rest of the dining room.
I had been repainting the walls in the small dining room of the bakery, and I moved to paint behind the counter when I turned to the window. That's when I saw them. Ethan and his new fiancée and their daughter were walking across the street pushing the stroller. She was about three months now if the grapevines were correct. I was lucky enough to not have to witness the family. Our town was big enough that I was blessed with that. But now, of all times, they decided that today of all days they would walk by my bakery. Even if he didn’t know it was mine now, he knew I worked here. I watched in horror from behind the counter where I was painting as he approached and pulled on the glass doors to enter and it opened.
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