Page 36 of After Everything
But now that it had actually happened, I felt... nothing.
No rage. No grief. No bitter satisfaction at seeing him brought low.
Just... nothing.
He was someone I used to know. Someone who'd hurt me, yes. Someone who'd shaped my life in ways both terrible and necessary. But not someone who had power over me anymore.
I started the car and drove to the restaurant.
Jess had commandeereda booth in the back and was already three spring rolls deep by the time I arrived.
"There you are!" She waved a spring roll at me. "I was starting to think you'd stood me up for vegetables."
I slid into the booth across from her. "Sorry. Got held up."
"By what? An exceptionally persuasive eggplant?" She grinned, then stopped when she saw my face. "Wait. What happened?"
"Nothing bad," I said quickly. "I just… Well, I, huh, ran into David. On the street. Outside that coffee shop on Walnut."
Jess's eyes went wide. "What?" She set down the spring roll. "Like, David David? Your ex-husband David?"
"That's the one."
"Oh my god." She leaned forward. "Are you okay? What did he say? Do I need to kill him? I will kill him, Emma. I have access to very sharp medical instruments."
Despite everything, I laughed. "I'm fine. Really. It was weird, but... fine."
"Define fine." Jess was studying my face with that particular intensity that camefrom years of friendship and medical training. "Are you going into shock? Do you need a paper bag? Should I order you something stronger than Thai iced tea?"
"Jess." I reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "I promise. I'm okay."
She squeezed back, then settled into her seat, still watching me carefully. "Okay. Tell me everything. What did he look like? Did he grovel? Please tell me he groveled."
"He looked..." I thought about it. "Tired. Thinner. He was wearing jeans instead of a suit. And he has his own practice now, apparently. Family law. Pro bono work."
Jess raised an eyebrow. "Pro bono? Mr. I-Need-to-Make-Partner-by-Thirty-Three is doing pro bono work?"
"That's what he said."
"Huh." She picked up her spring roll again, chewing thoughtfully. "Did he try to, like, reconnect? Ask you out for coffee? Pull any of that 'I've changed' bullshit?"
"No. He just... we talked for maybe three minutes. He asked how I was. Noticed my badge. I told him about the NP thing. Hetold me about his practice. Then I said I had dinner plans and left."
"And how did you feel?"
I paused, trying to find the right words. "Like I was talking to someone I used to know. Like running into an old coworker or something. It was strange but... not devastating. Not anything, really."
Jess studied my face for a long moment, then smiled. "You're really over him."
"Yeah." I smiled back. "I really am."
"Good." She raised her glass. "Because that man doesn't deserve a single second more of your emotional energy. Now, can we talk about my gossip? Because I did not drive across town in rush hour traffic to discuss your boring ex-husband."
"Please. What's the gossip?"
"Okay, so you know Connor, right? Sebastian's friend, the engineer you went on like three dates with last year?"
"Vaguely. We didn't really click."
