Page 24 of In the Lonely Hour

“Don’t say that again,” she commanded softly. “It would have been a lot worse if you weren’t there.”

“We don’t know how seeing me act that way is going to affect her in the long run though.”

“You’re right, but what we know for sure is that Dior knows she’s safe with you. That’s all I care about.”

He nodded, accepting that he might just need some time to come to that same conclusion.

“If you need anything call me, otherwise, I’ll see you both the day after tomorrow.”

“Okay. Let me know when you’ve made it home safely.”

Andres placed a kiss to the center of her forehead before kissing her lips and releasing her… which was a hell of a lot easier to do physically than mentally and emotionally.

As Carlos headed to Layla’s table, she had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. She never thought a time would come where she’d look at her husband and not feel anythingbutlove.

Even the first time he cheated, she still loved him. Loved him so much it hurt, and she questioned how she could love him after what he’d done. But as she looked at him now, the main thing she felt was indifference. Not hate and definitely not love… but indifference. At that point, Layla didn’t give a damn how Carlos felt. She was going to do what was best for her and Dior. He could agree and they handle this with peace or they could take it to court.

Carlos’s smug grin had Layla sucking her teeth and twisting her mouth to the side to keep from calling him out on it. She stared at him, head tilted, as he sat across from her.

“Where’s my daughter?”

“At the community center. I find it funny that you love asking where she is when she’s not with me, yet you don’t even call to check on her or speak to her on a daily basis. Do you really even care about her wellbeing, or do you just hate seeing me out and about without her?”

Carlos grinned with one side of his mouth as he relaxed in his seat. “So what if I don’t like the idea of my wife living life without me? Is that really such a bad thing?”

“Yes, it is. You’ve made it clear that you do not want to be with me. I no longer belong to you, Carlos.”

With a sigh, he looked around the halfway crowded Panera Bread dining room.

“Honestly, I guess I’m just used to how things used to be,” he confessed. “You being home with our daughter. I wasn’t hands on because I didn’t have to be. You took care of every-fucking-thing.”

“You don’t think I deserve a break?” she asked quickly, voice slightly raised. “For fourteen years now, my life has revolved around the both of you. And I’ve been okay with that because you were at least giving the bare minimum of your presence. Now that I’m getting some help and living for myself you’re acting a whole ass! I could understand if Dior was being abused or neglected but she’s not. She’s progressing and happier than she’s ever been. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

His head shook softly before he pinched his chin. “Is that what you wanted to talk about?”

Layla chuckled as her irritation rose. She was unsure why she thought this conversation would offer her some insight on the man she thought she knew better than anyone else once upon a time.

“No.” Layla paused, wanting to make sure she was ready to make the offer that was about to come out of her mouth. “I’mwilling to give you the divorce now instead of waiting for Dior to finish her first year of high school. I do have a few stipulations, though.”

He grimaced before his expression went blank. Rolling his tongue over his cheek, Carlos blinked rapidly.

“I didn’t expect you to be so willing to end our marriage.”

“Our marriage has been over for a while now, Carlos. I’ve been trying to hold on to it because I thought things would get better, but we’re beyond that now.”

“Why? Because of him?”

Layla squeezed the back of her neck and looked away briefly.

“Because I deserve to be free and so do you.”

Carlos’s head bobbed once. “What are your terms?”

“You put the house in my name and never try to put us out again. That’s my daughter’s safest space. You will not take that away from her.”

A few seconds passed before Carlos agreed with, “I was out of line for that. Done.”

“You have to pay the mortgage and property taxes for the next two years. I want to go back to school and finish my degree but I will find a work from home job in the process. It would help me out if I didn’t have to pay all the bills so I could find a job that won’t be super draining and mentally taxing because I will still have Dior full time. I was able to make your house a home for all these years because it, along with Dior, was my only responsibility. If I have to work now, I won’t have as much time and energy.”

---