They Came Back To No Home Chapter 09

They Came Back To No Home Chapter 09

On the exact same day, the disciplinary decision from his company was issued as well.

Peyton falsified his reason for leave, fraudulently used his paternity leave to travel abroad, and stayed absent

from work without permission for an extended period–a severe breach of conduct.

Terminated. All qualifications revoked.

In that line of work, his career was well and truly finished.

Someone took a photo of him standing at the company entrance and sent it to Paige.

In the photo, he stood with his head hanging low, clutching a copy of the termination notice in his hands, his

shoulders slouched, and his white shirt soaked through by the rain, clinging to his back.

Gone was the smug, selfassured man he used to be.

Rylie didn’t get off easy either.

With the affair confirmed, her reputation was destroyed across her company, her social circles, and the

family group chats.

The label “homewrecker” was pinned to her like a permanent stamp.

She hid at home, not daring to step outside, and nearly lost her job in the process.

Cathleen slumped on the old sofa back in her hometown, weeping her heart out.

Yet what she was crying over wasn’t her daughter–in–law, nor her granddaughter.

She was crying because her son’s future had been destroyed.

I stood by the window of my apartment, watching the rain outside.

Diagonal strands of rain slapped against the glass.

Three years.

It took me three years to see a person for who he really was, and to let go of a person.

But now, my name, my home, and my child were all returned to me.

Tanya woke up in my arms and Rashed a small grin at me.

I looked down at her, and tears instantly welled up in my eyes.

Not from hurt.

From the quiet relief of knowing it was finally over.

I moved us into a new place with Tanya.

It wasn’t huge, but it was clean, bright, and chosen entirely by myself.

The property deed, the divorce judgment, and the bank deposit records–all three items were locked inside my drawer.

I went back to my e–commerce business.

Shipments went out, payments came in.

Exhausting, yet grounding.

Tanya grew day by day–learning to roll over, learning to smile, and babbling soft little noises.

The first time she smiled at me, I froze for a long time.

So it turned out that in this world, someone really could love you unconditionally.

Peyton sent me a text message much later:

[Melody, I’m sorry. I only realize now what I’ve lost.]

I didn’t reply.

I blocked his number.

I heard Rylie moved to another city.

The “homewrecker” label was something she would carry for the rest of her life.

Cathleen lived alone back in her hometown, with none of her past glory of “flying first class to Europe.”

Her son had lost his job, his home, his wife.

She’d been so set on having a grandson, but in the end, there wasn’t a soul who bothered to check on her.

The July rain began to fall again.

I held Tanya in my arms, standing on the balcony of our new home.

Strands of rain fell on the back of my hand–warm.

Down below, people carrying umbrellas hurried past, splashing water onto the ground.

I looked down at the little girl in my arms.

She slept peacefully, her tiny hand clutching one of my fingers tightly.

I smiled, turned around, and walked back inside.

My steps weren’t hurried. But each one was firm, grounded.

This time, no one would ever be able to push me out of my own life again.