Page 104 of Broken Trails
Amelia nods, her voice barely above a whisper. “I genuinely can’t comprehend going through that. I’m so sorry.”
“Are you okay now?” Olivia adds. “I mean… are you safe?”
That question gets me. Not because I don’t know the answer, but because yes feels both true and unfamiliar. I do feel safe. Here back in my hometown. With these women. With… Michael.
“I’m getting there,” I say. “One day at a time.”
“Oh, I want to key his fucking car,” Isla snaps, sitting upright, eyes narrowed like she’s already visualising it. The laugh that bursts from me is startled, ungraceful, and laced with something that might be gratitude.
Imogen drains the rest of her wine. “I want to carve dickhead into his bonnet. In capital letters.”
Olivia crawls across the cushions and wraps her arms around me before I can stop her. Her hug is warm, completely dramatic, and entirely unsolicited. “I want to be you when I grow up,” she says, squeezing tighter. “Butttt… with less trauma.”
It’s clearly her attempt to lighten the mood. And it works. The laugh that escapes me is messy and cracked around the edges. But it tastes like something close to relief.
She continues, “But seriously, it’s because of the way you carry yourself. The way you’ve walked in here, held your head high, and kept going. You’re one strong fucking woman, Zoe.”
These women—loud, chaotic, beautifully unfiltered—haven’t just made space for me, they’ve folded me in. No hesitation. No judgement. Just love. Somewhere between my third—or maybe fourth—glass of wine, and Isla retelling the story of Xavier getting locked out of the house in nothing but a towel, my phone buzzes on the armrest beside me.
Michael:You alive, Freckles?
Michael:Need rescuing? They can be a lot, and let’s be honest…I’m way better company.
Michael:Need me to refresh your memory?
My smile must give me away before I can hide it. Amelia leans in. “Look at her—grinning at her phone like a teenager.”
Imogen’s eyes sharpen instantly. “Alright. Spill. What’s going on with you and my emotionally unavailable brother-in-law?”
I blink, wide-eyed. “Nothing.”
A popcorn kernel hits me in the forehead. “Try again.”
“I’m serious,” I say, swiping the popcorn off my lap.
“Mm-hmm,” Isla drawls, dragging out the sound like she’s heard this kind of denial before. “So, nothing… but you’re sitting here smiling like he just told you he misses you.”
“I’m smiling because I’ve had wine.”
“Bullshit,” Imogen mutters.
“Fine. He’s just… checking in.”
“Uh-huh. And did his checking in involve anything dirty?” Olivia arches an eyebrow.
My mouth opens. Then closes. She gasps. “Wait. Wait. Did you two…?”
I sip my wine. “I’m not confirming anything while I’m still sober.”
“Oh, shedefinitelydid.” Isla grins, kicking her feet up on the coffee table. “Look at her face. She’s glowing. I bet it was hot.” The teasing becomes relentless; hands on hearts, fake gasps, dramatic reenactments. And honestly? I don’t mind it.
The large white envelope sits on the table long after the girls leave. It arrived not long after they walked out the door—like the universe couldn’t wait a single damn second to remind me of reality. I’d been anticipating it, bracing myself, but still… seeing Jeff’s neat handwriting on the front made my stomach dip.
My fingers fumble with the flap until it rips, papers spilling across the wood in messy stacks. I skim. Just enough for the words to sting. Settlement. Assets divided. Decree absolute.Cold, legal language breaking down years of my life into paragraphs and clauses, as if a marriage could be dismantled with bullet points. My throat tightens. God, is this what it’s come to? The girl who once thought she’d found forever, now reduced to initials and signatures. A wife turned into a case file.
I steady my breath, then reach for the pen.
The scratch of ink is louder than it should be, and my hand trembles when I set the pen down. For the first time in years, my chest feels… lighter. Not free. Not yet. But looser. Like the rope that’s been strangling me has finally slackened a fraction. I press the papers flat with my palms, close my eyes, and whisper into the silence.
