Congratulations, Lena said, and meant it. Marcus blinked. You're not angry? Why would I be angry? You wanted kids.
You're getting kids. She picked up the pen. I hope it works out better for you than we did. She signed every page without reading them. Her lawyer had already reviewed everything, confirmed Marcus wasn't trying to screw her over.
She was walking away with nothing, but she'd come into the marriage with nothing anyway. Fair was fair. When she slid the papers back, Marcus gathered them quickly, like he was afraid she'd change her mind. "For what it's worth," he said, standing. "I'm sorry for how I handled things.
You deserved better." "Yeah," Lena said. "I did." He left without another word and she sat there with her lukewarm coffee feeling lighter than she had in months. Not happy exactly, but free.
Her phone buzzed. A text from Adrien. How'd it go? It's done. You okay?
More than okay. Be home in an hour. We'll be here. Home? She'd said it without thinking.
And this time, it didn't feel like a lie. The house was chaos when she got back. Sophieie was crying in the kitchen because someone, probably Marcus, had eaten the last of her special cereal. Thomas was practicing piano so aggressively the whole downstairs rattled. Marcus was nowhere to be found, which meant he was either hiding in his room or had climbed out a window to avoid whatever family drama was unfolding.
Adrien was in the middle of it all, looking harried. "Tell her she can have regular cereal," he was saying to Sophieie. "But it's not the same. It's cereal. It's literally all the same.
You don't understand anything. Adrien saw Lena and his whole face changed. Relief, affection, something else she was still learning to name. Thank God you're back, he said. I'm losing this argument.
Lena sat down her purse and crouched next to Sophieie. What's wrong, sweetheart? Marcus ate my cereal, and Dad won't buy more until the weekend, and I need it for breakfast. Why do you need that specific cereal? Sophieie's face crumpled.
Because it's the one mom used to buy. The room went quiet. Even Thomas's piano playing stopped. Adrien knelt down next to Lena. Sophie, you know we can get more.
We just need to go to that store across town, and I don't have time until I'll go, Lena said. Right now. You stay here and make sure the boys don't kill each other. Sophieie's eyes went wide. Really?
Really? But you have to eat regular cereal tonight. Deal? Deal. Lena grabbed her keys and headed back out.
The store was 30 minutes away, and the cereal in question was some overpriced organic thing that came in a box the size of a paperback. She bought three boxes just in case and made it back before dinner. Sophieie hugged her so tight Lena could barely breathe. Later, after the kids were in bed and the house had finally settled, Adrien found her in the kitchen putting away dishes. "You didn't have to do that," he said.