The Bride Widow
Chapter 176 - 174: A Sensible Apology - Part 2

Chapter 176: 174: A Sensible Apology - Part 2

Lucy’s erratic behavior had become the elephant in the room at the bakery. Her sudden mood swings, snapping from cold detachment to intense hostility, left everyone walking on eggshells. The staff noticed but chose to remain silent, fearful of adding more stress to Lucy’s already precarious state.

Layla, one of the more empathetic workers, felt the tension but understood the collective reluctance. Lucy was struggling, that much was clear, and confronting her could push her further into distress. Layla decided to shoulder Lucy’s outbursts, believing that showing patience might offer some relief to her troubled colleague.

Lucy herself seemed caught in a tumultuous storm of emotions. One moment, she would appear contrite and distant, and the next, her anger would flare, leaving her co-workers bewildered and uneasy. Layla sensed that Lucy was grappling with inner demons, perhaps a mix of guilt, confusion, and fear. Yet, despite Layla’s understanding, there was no resolution in sight.

In the midst of this emotional chaos, a letter arrived for Lucy from the court, setting the date for her divorce hearing that weekend. The sight of the envelope sent a jolt through her. It was a stark reminder of the life she was leaving behind, a finality she wasn’t sure she was ready to face.

The envelope lay unopened on her kitchen table, a silent witness to her spiraling thoughts. That night, as the world outside her apartment quieted down, Lucy tried to drown her anxiety with a glass of wine, then another, and another. The alcohol didn’t numb her fears; it amplified them.

As the clock struck midnight, her phone buzzed on the countertop. The screen lit up with a familiar name—Daniel. Hesitating for a moment, Lucy let the phone ring before finally picking up.

"Lucy," Daniel’s voice slurred, thick with alcohol. "Lucy, I know it’s late, but... can we talk?"

She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Daniel, it’s not a good time," she said, her voice weary.

"I’ve been thinking," Daniel continued, ignoring her response. "Maybe we can... you know, call off the divorce? Just go back to how things were?"

Lucy felt her heart tighten. His words, laden with desperation, pulled at something deep within her. "Daniel, we’ve talked about this," she replied softly. "It’s not that simple."

"But why not?" His tone shifted from pleading to frustration. "We had something good, Lucy. We can have that again."

She closed her eyes, leaning against the counter. "Daniel, it’s not about what we had. It’s about what we lost, and why we lost it."

"I can change," he insisted. "We can work through this."

Lucy sighed. "You say that now, but we both know it’s not that easy. We’ve hurt each other too much."

There was a long pause on the other end. When Daniel spoke again, his voice was softer, almost broken. "I don’t want to lose you, Lucy."

Her heart ached at his words, but she knew that going back wasn’t the solution. "Daniel, sometimes loving each other isn’t enough. We need to love ourselves first, and we haven’t been doing that."

The line went silent for a moment, and Lucy thought perhaps Daniel had fallen asleep or hung up. But then, he spoke again, quieter this time. "I miss you."

Lucy’s eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away. "I don’t miss you, Daniel. And this... this is what’s best for both of us."

Another silence followed, and this time, Daniel didn’t respond. The call ended with a click, leaving Lucy alone with her thoughts and the quiet hum of her apartment.

She stood there for a while, the phone still in her hand, the weight of the conversation settling in. She knew Daniel meant well, that he was struggling just as much as she was. But the path they were on now was one of healing, and she couldn’t let nostalgia pull her back into a relationship that had left them both broken.

The rest of the night passed in a haze of restless pacing and fleeting moments of sleep. When morning came, Lucy felt drained but resolute. She had made her choice, and as painful as it was, she knew it was the right one.

At the bakery, Layla noticed the shadows under Lucy’s eyes, the slight tremble in her hands as she worked. She wanted to reach out, to offer comfort, but she sensed that Lucy needed space, not pity. Instead, Layla did what she could to ease the workload, silently supporting her friend from a distance.

Lucy appreciated the unspoken gesture. In her heart, she knew she wasn’t alone, even if she felt like it at times. She had people who cared, who understood, even if they didn’t say it out loud.

The days leading up to the hearing were tense, filled with quiet moments of reflection and a few more late-night calls from Daniel, which Lucy didn’t answer. She needed to stay strong, to remind herself why she had made this decision in the first place.

On the morning of the hearing, Lucy dressed carefully, choosing an outfit that made her feel confident and calm. As she looked in the mirror, she saw a woman who had been through hell but was still standing. She saw strength, resilience, and the faint glimmer of hope for a new beginning.

She didn’t know what the future held, but she knew she was ready to face it, one step at a time. With that thought, Lucy took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and walked out the door, ready to close this Chapter and start a new one.

______

James had been watching his father, Daniel, crumble under the weight of his emotions ever since his mother, Anabella, had left.

The house felt colder, the air heavier, filled with silence that was only occasionally broken by Daniel’s frustrated mutterings or the clink of bottles as he sought solace at the bottom of a glass.

James, only six years old, could sense the deep sadness in his father, and it scared him. It wasn’t just the absence of his mother that hurt him; it was seeing his father fall apart, unable to cope.

He decided that he couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore. James had to do something. Though young, he understood that talking to his mother might help.

Maybe, just maybe, if he could find her and talk about a solution, his father would stop hurting himself. He knew Anabella wasn’t coming back to live with them—he wasn’t naïve—but he thought there might be other ways to mend what was broken.

Early in the morning, while his father was still asleep, James quietly slipped out of the house. The streets were unfamiliar and vast, a labyrinth of noise and movement that was daunting for someone so small.

Yet, driven by a child’s determination and a heart full of hope, James pressed on, convinced that finding Anabella could somehow fix things.

The world, however, is not kind to a child wandering alone, even if that child is an alpha. The early hours were teeming with dangers that James couldn’t fully comprehend.

Cars sped by, oblivious to the tiny figure on the sidewalk, and the shadows seemed to stretch longer, more menacing as he ventured further from home.

James walked on, clutching a small toy in one hand, a reminder of the family he once had. His small legs grew tired, but the thought of his father, alone and broken, spurred him forward.

He turned corners, crossed streets, and wandered through alleyways, trying to remember places his mother used to mention. He knew she worked at a bakery, and his plan was to find it.

The bustling sounds of the city soon became overwhelming. Horns blared, people shouted, and James, small and vulnerable, felt lost amidst the chaos. A few passersby noticed the lone child and glanced, concerned, but in their rush, they moved on, assuming someone else would help.

As the sun climbed higher, James began to feel the pangs of hunger and the weariness of his journey. He found a quiet corner to sit and rest, his small frame trembling from exhaustion.

Fear began to creep in, replacing the courage he had felt when he first left home. He was far from the familiar, in a world too big for him to navigate alone.

Just as James was about to give up, a kind woman noticed him. She was a florist, arranging the day’s bouquets in her shop window when she spotted the small boy sitting alone, looking lost and scared. She approached gently, her voice soft and reassuring.

"Hey there, sweetheart. Are you okay? Are you lost?" she asked, kneeling beside him.

James looked up, his eyes wide and tearful. "I’m looking for my mom," he whispered, clutching his toy tighter. "I need to find her to help my dad."

The woman’s heart ached at the sight of him. She didn’t know the full story, but she could see the urgency in his eyes. "Come with me," she said. "Let’s get you something to eat, and we’ll figure out how to find your mom, okay?"

James nodded, his small body relaxing slightly at her kindness. He followed her into the shop, unaware that his journey had only just begun and that there were still many challenges ahead. Yet, for now, he was safe, and there was hope in the kindness of a stranger.