Left in the Flooded Kindergarten for His Childhood Sweetheart Chapter 11

Left in the Flooded Kindergarten for His Childhood Sweetheart Chapter 11

The day we signed the official divorce settlement papers, Tristan’s hands shook violently. His pen skidded across the signature line in a jagged scrawl.

Once he finished signing, he lifted his gaze to lock eyes with me. “Nova Scott.”

It was rare for him to address me by my full legal name without a trace of anger in his voice.

“Do you ever think you’ll regret this decision down the line?”

I folded all my legal documents neatly and looked back at him calmly. “I won’t.”

Tristan’s face drained of all color. He appeared utterly drained, as if every ounce of strength had been ripped straight from his body, and remained slouched in the courthouse chair for ages without moving a muscle.

I turned and walked out the courthouse doors alone. Bright warm sunlight spilled over the sidewalk outside.

My parents sent over a photo text moments later: Anna laughing with her whole face atop a merry-go-round horse, her yellow raincoat vivid against the gray playground metal, a fluffy cotton candy stick clutched in one small hand.

Staring at that picture, a heavy weight lifted from deep inside my chest at last.

I hadn’t lost my family. I’d simply taken the people who truly made a home with me, and walked away from the wrong man who never belonged in it.

Weeks later, Kylie sought Tristan out once more. By then, he’d been suspended pending investigation over a costly work error. He stood smoking a cigarette out front of his office building when she found him.

She wore a pale flowy sundress, still delicate and pretty as always—yet sharp restlessness lingered in her eyes this time.

“Tristan, Paige needs to switch schools, and the admissions office needs personal connections to make it happen.”

Tristan glanced at her, weariness etched deep into his face. “I can’t help you with this.”

Kylie froze. “How can you not? You used to know everyone.”

“That was before.” He stubbed out his cigarette on the concrete curb, voice rough and worn thin. “Kylie, I can’t carry your weight anymore.”

Kylie’s expression turned icy. “What are you saying?”

Tristan squeezed his eyes shut. “Don’t reach out to me again.”

Kylie let out a scoffing laugh, as if he’d told her the most ridiculous joke imaginable. “Now you want to cut me loose?”

“Weren’t you the one who volunteered to look after me and Paige from day one? Didn’t you say Nova was reasonable and would never make a fuss over us? Didn’t you claim single motherhood was brutal for me, telling me to call you whenever trouble hit?”

Tristan’s jaw locked rigidly. “I already lost my marriage because of you.”

Kylie raised her voice sharply, furious. “Because of me?!”

A bitter, mocking laugh burst from her throat. “You’re truly unbelievable, Tristan Lawson. You lost everything because you’re foolish, spineless, and completely unable to draw proper boundaries with other women.”

“I shed a few tears and you’d rush over. I said I was scared and you’d stay the night. I mentioned I had no place to live and you’d hand me the keys to your family’s apartment. How many times did Nova warn you to back off? Did you ever listen to a single word she said?”

“Now you’ve lost your wife, your daughter, your house, your car, and you’re about to lose your career—and somehow none of this is your fault, it’s all mine?”

Her rant grew sharper, more unforgiving by the second.

“You just loved the ego boost of having two women revolve around you. Nova cooked all your meals, gave birth to your child, and built a stable home for you to come home to. All I had to offer was a little pitiful admiration, and you thought you were some kind of savior hero.”

“You never loved either of us, Tristan. The only person you’ve ever cared about is yourself.”

Tristan stood rooted to the pavement, his face gray and hollow.

This time, he had no retort to fire back. Because her brutal accusations were completely correct.

He’d never truly loved either woman wholeheartedly. He’d cherished the quiet stability Nova provided for him. He’d fed his ego on Kylie’s constant dependence. He’d treated both women as tools to satisfy his own selfish wants and ego.

Only after Nova walked away for good and Kylie dropped her soft act did he finally see how pathetic and empty he truly was.

Once she finished tearing into him, Kylie spun on her stiletto heels and stormed off without a backward glance.

Not long afterward, word reached me she’d attached herself to another businessman. She never contacted Tristan again about Paige’s school transfer issues.

It finally sank in: he’d imagined himself her rock, but the moment he ceased to be useful, she discarded him without hesitation.