I Spent Six Christmas Eves Waiting For Nothing Chapter 09

I Spent Six Christmas Eves Waiting For Nothing Chapter 09

Garrett ended up dropping all his work to come find me.

He must have gone to my old department back home and pried the information out of my former manager to get the address of my new office.

“Hey, look over there,” my coworker said, nudging my elbow. “Who is that sitting on the lounge sofa? A new transfer? No way, I haven’t seen a guy that hot in this company before.”

Only then did I look up from my phone and smile. “Why are you always fawning over random guys? Last time at the bar—”

The words died in my throat the moment my eyes locked with Garrett’s.

He rose from the sofa, running a hand through his messy, unkempt hair, exposing tired, bloodshot eyes. Tightening his lips in clear displeasure, he began walking straight toward me.

“You should head out first,” I whispered to my coworker.

She looked at him, then back at me, her eyes widening in realization. “You two know each other? Don’t tell me he’s your boyfriend?”

“Soon-to-be ex,” I said flatly.

Garrett arrived just in time to catch my words, and his face instantly darkened.

The moment my coworker hurried away, he opened his mouth. “Quit your job and come home with me.”

I honestly thought Garrett had lost his mind.

I lifted my corporate ID badge and flashed it right in front of his face.
“This is my own career, man. Where do you get the nerve to tell me to quit? Who do you think you are?”

Garrett’s expression turned incredibly ugly.

He stared at me, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard, taking a deep, heavy breath. “Elena, we need to talk. Properly.”

I glanced down at my watch. “Fine. I’ll give you ten minutes. Don’t waste my time.”

His brow furrowed deeply.

He clearly hadn’t expected me to speak to him in this tone.

The old Elena would never have done this. The old Elena would have fussed over how exhausted he must be after a transatlantic flight, asked if he had eaten, and handed him whatever he needed before he even had to ask.

But that Elena had been completely thrown away by him.

“Let’s go to the café downstairs,” I said, turning on my heel and walking away without waiting for him.

Once inside the café, I ordered a black Americano.

Garrett sat across from me, ordering absolutely nothing, just staring at me.

“Speak,” I said, taking a slow sip of my coffee.

“Did you block Chloe?” he demanded.

I instantly choked on my coffee.

A violent coughing fit racked my chest, bringing tears to my eyes before I finally managed to catch my breath.

“Garrett,” I said, setting the cup down and using a napkin to wipe my mouth. “You flew across the ocean for over ten hours just to ask me that?”

“I…”

“Yes, I blocked her,” I cut him off sharply. “So what? Do I not have the right to block her? What exactly is she to me?”

Garrett’s brow knitted even tighter. “She just wanted to explain things to you. She was terrified you’d misunderstand.”

“Misunderstand what?” I let out a mocking laugh. “Misunderstand the relationship between you two?”

“Why don’t you tell me, then? What exactly is your relationship?”

“I already told you, she’s like a little sister to me.”

“And what about your mother?” I pressed. “Does your mother see her as a little sister? Do all your relatives see her that way? When your entire family forces me away from the dinner table so she can sit in the hostess’s seat, is that just treating her like a sister?”

Garrett parted his lips, but not a single sound came out.

“Garrett, I’m not stupid,” I said, looking him dead in the eye. “I endured it for six years only because I loved you. Because I foolishly believed that one day you’d finally wake up and realize that your wife is me, not her.”

“But you never had that capacity.”

“I’ve had enough.”

“From now on, you can treat her like a sister, or a lover, or whatever the hell you want. It has absolutely nothing to do with me anymore.”

I pulled my phone out of my bag, opened the calendar app, and shoved it toward him.

“It’s been eight days. Have you signed those divorce papers or not?”

“If you’ve signed them, go home and mail them to me immediately. If you haven’t, we can walk down the street to a FedEx right now, print out a new copy, and sign them on the spot.”

Garrett’s hands rested on the table, slowly curling into tight fists.

His knuckles turned white, veins pulsing beneath the skin as he desperately fought to keep his emotions under control.

“Elena, you really are heartless,” he rasped.

I pointed a finger at myself in utter disbelief. “Me? Heartless? Are you completely delusional?”

“Garrett, in this marriage, from the very beginning to the absolute end, the only person who did anything wrong was you.”