Thanks. You're a lifesaver. She stared at the words longer than she should have. Marcus used to text her orders disguised as requests. Reminders that she was there to serve a function, not because he valued her.
Adrien's messages were different. Straightforward. No passive-aggressive subtext. It shouldn't have mattered, but it did. She spent the morning doing things that needed doing.
Laundry. Because three kids generated an obscene amount of dirty clothes. Tidying the playroom that somehow exploded overnight despite everyone being at school. Small tasks that made her feel useful instead of like a freeloader. The grocery delivery arrived at 1:50.
A guy in his 20s with a dolly full of bags, way more than Lena had expected. "This for Cole?" he asked, checking his tablet. "Yeah," he started unloading. "Six bags? 8?
12." Lena stood there trying to figure out how much food a family of four went through in a week. This looked like enough to feed an army. The delivery guy must have seen her expression. Mr. Cole always orders like this.
Says he likes having options. or he was feeding an extra person now and adjusting accordingly. The thought made her stomach twist. She put away the cold stuff like Adrien had asked, then started on the rest out of habit. Fresh vegetables, fruit that actually looked ripe, fancy cheese she'd never heard of, bread from a bakery instead of the grocery store. The pantry was already well stocked, but Adrien had ordered more anyway. crackers, pasta, canned tomatoes, soup, enough food that no one would go hungry, even if the world ended tomorrow.
Lena had grown up with a mother who bought day-old bread and stretched hamburger meat with oatmeal. Had married a man who spent more on his car payment than most families spent on rent, but monitored Lena's grocery receipts like she was embezzling. This abundance felt wasteful and comforting in equal measure. She was putting away the last of it when her phone rang. Unknown number.
She almost didn't answer. Hello, Mrs. Carter, a woman's voice professional. This is Rebecca Chen from Morrison and Associates. I'm calling regarding your divorce proceedings. Lena's hand tightened on the phone.
How did you get this number? Your husband provided it. I understand this is difficult, but we need to schedule a meeting to discuss asset division, and I don't have any assets. Nevertheless, there are papers that need to be signed. Mr. Carter is hoping we can expedite this process.
Of course, he was probably already had someone else lined up, someone whose body worked the way his mother thought it should. I'll call you back, Lena said. Mrs. Carter, I really must insist. She hung up, then immediately regretted it because now this lawyer would call back and keep calling until Lena dealt with it like an adult. But she wasn't ready.