Page 124 of Happy Wife

She pulls herself together as we see Marcus’s perfectly refurbished vintage Defender come down the road. He parks in Este’s driveway and makes his way toward us. As he gives me a quick hug, that same hum of energy that’s always been between us lingers, but I do my best to ignore it. Maybe if we had met at a different time…But I was Will’s, and then I was a widow. I’m too fucked up with grief to know what happens next. These days, I’m working on earning his friendship after everything I put him through.

I grab my tote bag, and a Crealdé School of Art brochure almost falls out. Marcus picks it up, handing it to me with a satisfied grin on his face.

“Art school.” I nod. “Look at me not deflecting.”

It’s not a joke this time. There’s a great local program I’m hoping to start. I’ve been working through my grief with a paintbrush, and it’s made me more eager than ever to pursue art. Turns out, I care less about a graduate degree and more about doing the thing I enjoy. For the first time, I’m chasing something that’s just for me.

“Good for you, Nora,” Marcus says.

Este turns to head down toward their dock. It’s bittersweet. I still have so many days of unyielding and painful grief, but that’s to be expected. Leaving this house, though the right thing, feels like I am abandoning Will. Would Will and I have gone the distance if Gianna hadn’t been a housewife from hell? It’s useless to wonder. He’s gone, and while I’ll never regret our marriage, I needed to leave, too. In my own way.

I lock the front door and put the key in the Realtor box. I stand on the front step, staring at the door, taking it all in, and letting it all go at the same time.

“Come on,” Este calls from her yard. “Let’s take you home.”

Marcus picks up the few bags I held back from the moving crew, and we walk down to Este and Beau’s boat. My new place is on the water. Just a boat ride away. But as we step onto the dock, I can’t deny myself a longing look back at Will’s house.

Breathe, Nora. Take it in. Find what’s next. That’s the job.

All I can do now is focus on chasing my own happiness. He would have wanted that.

Beau turns the engine over, powering the boat forward toward the setting sun in the distance. When the breeze picks up, I takein a long, hearty breath. And another…and another. With each exhale, Will’s house shrinks in the distance.

I’ll miss you forever, Hot Mean Lawyer.

And for the first time in a long while, looking to the horizon, I feel steady on my own two feet.

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