Chapter 6 - Divorced
1059 Words
I shouldn't be bothering someone's wife.
Wife.
That single word lingered on the screen longer than it should have.
I hated that word.
Not because I had been one.
But because of everything it had taken away from me.
My thoughts drifted to Zayn and Zarra.
They had been too young to understand what divorce meant.
At first, I told them Papa was working.
Then I said he was out of town.
Eventually...
They stopped asking.
Sometimes that hurt even more.
Maybe it wasn't because they had forgotten him.
Maybe it was because he had rarely been around, even before he left.
Most weekends, family gatherings, school events, and festive celebrations...
It had always been just the three of us.
The silence in the room suddenly felt heavier.
I looked back at Adam's message.
My fingers hovered above the keyboard.
Should I tell him?
That I wasn't somebody's wife anymore.
That I was a divorced woman. That I came with two little hearts depending entirely on me.
Before I could decide...
My phone buzzed again.
Hey, Cupcake! Are you free right now?
I chuckled as I read the message.
It was Liam, my cousin.
He had been calling me Cupcake for as long as I could remember, no matter how many times I told him I hated that nickname.
Before I could reply, another message popped up.
I'm nearby. Care for some coffee? I'll pick you up.
Liam lived in the neighbouring town.
He worked in his family's construction company as the Deputy Chairman, constantly travelling across the state for meetings, site visits, and endless projects.
Sure. Honk once you're here, I replied.
A smile found its way onto my face.
Liam had always been the older brother life forgot to give me.
Growing up together, we were more like siblings than cousins.
He was the one who taught me how to ride a bicycle, scared away the neighbourhood bullies, and somehow still found time to lecture me about life every chance he got.
If there was one man I trusted without question...
It was Liam.
No matter what happened in my life, he always made time to check on me and the kids. The past few months had been especially hectic for him with several new projects underway, yet he still found time to call, video call, and occasionally drop by just to spend time with Zayn and Zarra.
And my kids absolutely adored him.
A few minutes later, a familiar honk echoed from outside the house.
I grabbed my handbag, slipped my phone into my jeans pocket, and headed out. Thankfully, I was already dressed after sending the kids to school earlier that morning.
As I opened the gate, I found Liam leaning casually against his black Hilux, flashing his usual grin.
"That was fast," I said.
He opened the passenger door for me.
"Is that a compliment or a complaint?"
I rolled my eyes.
Being around Liam always made me feel like myself again.
He had a way of making me laugh, no matter how bad the day had been.
At forty, standing well over six feet tall, he was undeniably handsome.
Thank goodness he was my cousin.
Otherwise, I'd probably have to spend my whole life swatting women away from him.
"How's life?" he asked as he pulled onto the main road.
"Same old, same old."
"Migraine still bothering you?"
"Yeah." I sighed. "I finally went to see a doctor."
"And?"
"Nothing serious. Stress, lack of sleep... the usual."
He shot me a brief glance before returning his eyes to the road.
"I've been telling you to slow down."
I smiled.
"And I've been pretending not to hear you."
He laughed.
A few minutes later, we pulled into our favourite café, just a few miles from my house.
The familiar aroma of freshly brewed coffee greeted us the moment we stepped inside.
"Your usual?" Liam asked.
I nodded.
"Double shot."
"I knew it."
"And yours?" I asked.
"Flat white."
"You're getting old."
He gasped dramatically.
"I'm only forty."
"Exactly."
"You'll be forty too one day."
"I still have a few years."
He laughed as we made our way to the counter.
A few minutes later, we settled into our usual corner by the window.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
We simply enjoyed the coffee.
With Liam, silence never felt awkward.
"So..." he finally broke the silence.
"How's business?"
"Pretty good, actually."
"Orders increasing?"
I nodded.
"That's good."
"You've always been stubborn enough to make things work."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is."
He stirred his coffee absentmindedly before looking at me again.
"You know..."
"You don't have to carry everything alone."
I smiled faintly.
"I know."
"No."
He shook his head.
"I don't think you do."
His voice softened.
"You're always taking care of everyone else."
"The kids."
"Your business."
"Your mum."
"But who's taking care of you?"
I looked down into my coffee.
Nobody.
The answer lingered quietly inside my mind.
But I never said it out loud.
"You've lost weight," Liam said, narrowing his eyes at me.
"I haven't."
"You have."
"I haven't."
"You literally have eye bags with eye bags."
I burst into laughter.
"That's the worst compliment I've ever received."
"I'm serious."
"I know."
"You need more sleep."
"I need another twenty-four hours in a day."
"You need a wife."
I blinked.
"...Excuse me?"
"So someone can cook for you."
"I can cook."
"Barely."
"I cook!"
"You survive."
"There is a difference."
Liam laughed and leaned back in his chair, exhaling as though he had finally released whatever weight had been sitting on his shoulders.
Or maybe he was reconsidering my suggestion that he should get married.
I smiled to myself.
Reaching for my phone, I snapped a quick photo of my coffee and uploaded it to i********: with a simple caption.
Coffee tastes better when someone insists you leave the house.
Within minutes, my phone buzzed.
Adam.
Coffee date with your husband?
I froze.
Wait.
What?
He followed my i********:?
My thumb hovered above the screen before I finally replied.
He's not my husband.
The three dots appeared almost instantly.
Boyfriend?
I couldn't help but smile.
No.
Then...?
I stared at the screen for a long moment.
There was no point hiding it.
I'm divorced.
The typing indicator disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Then...
Nothing.
- Writer
