Chapter 3
On Friday evening, my mother–in–law, Margaret Hayes, texted me out of nowhere.
[Madeline, this divorce is between you and Colton, but until it’s finalized, my grandson will not be affected in any way.]
Affected? By what? Ethan was the one who’d urged me to divorce his dad in the first place.
Before I could respond, more messages came rapid–fire:
[Madeline, if you don’t want this divorce to cause trouble, you’d better show up at the Hayes house this weekend to spend time with my grandson–same as always.]
Ever since Ethan was born, we’d made it a ritual to visit the Hayes house every weekend. And knowing Margaret’s bulldozer personality, I wasn’t about to invite another battle.
So Saturday morning, I drove over, passing the neat, identical houses of the Fort Sentinel Family Housing Area, the distant thud of military drills carrying on the wind.
When I stepped inside the Hayes house, I froze. Colton was already there, sitting in the living room.
In his pressed Army dress uniform, posture rigid as always, he didn’t even look at me.
“Ethan’s in the study, working on a craft for Vanessa,” he said flatly. “Go help him.”
I scoffed under my breath and walked past without answering.
As I passed the study, I found Ethan hunched over his desk, carefully sanding a bullet casing. My footsteps must have startled him, because he jerked his head up–and just as quickly, he snatched the half–finished craft and hid it behind his back.
“This is for Aunt Vanessa!” he snapped.
The guarded glare in his eyes cut straight through me.
“Relax,” I said, crouching so we were eye–level. “Mom’s not here to steal anybody’s gift.” I forced a smile. “When your dad marries Aunt Vanessa, you can give her whatever you want.”
“Madeline!”
Colton’s voice cracked like a whip behind me.
He grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet, his eyes blazing. “Is this how you talk as a mother? Running your mouth like that in front of our son?”
I tilted my head, studying the tense line of his jaw, and let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Guess I’m just not cut out to be Mrs. Hayes.”
“Why don’t you just marry Vanessa already? She’s clearly better at parenting than I’ll ever be.”
I turned and headed for the door.
“Madeline.”
His hand shot out, catching mine, his grip unyielding–like there was more he wanted to say.
But then Ethan’s smartwatch chimed. “Dad, it’s Aunt Vanessa! She’s video–calling!” he said, his voice lighting up.
In an instant, Colton let go.
I watched him stride over to answer, his face–frozen and cold moments ago–softening into a warm smile the second her face appeared on the screen.
Without a word, I slipped into the guest room and locked the door.
June sunlight streamed in through the thin slits of the curtains, but I felt as if I’d been buried under an avalanche, the cold biting all the way to my bones. I collapsed onto the bed, too drained to think, and shut my eyes, willing myself to sleep.
Chapter 3
MoboReels–Short Dramas&Movies Every twist in the series is surprising
4.7 FREE
Google Play
INSTALL
30.00%
Chapter 3
In my dreams, I was twenty–one again, sobbing in front of a fire pit as my climbing gear went up in flames. Colton stood in the doorway, expression like stone. “Military spouses can’t engage in high–risk activities. It’s the rule.”
The scene shifted to the day I gave birth to Ethan–hours of agony, massive blood loss, a fractured pelvis. The doctors warned I might never handle intense physical activity again.
Before that, I’d scaled glaciers, conquered the highest peaks in the world, plunged into the deep to swim alongside sharks. But one childbirth had wiped out every dream I’d ever had.
In the dream, every version of me was crying, their voices overlapping, urging me: Keep moving forward. Don’t look back.
I wouldn’t. The moment I handed Colton the divorce agreement, I’d already steeled myself for a fight to the bitter end.
3
www
Auto–added to the Library
MoboReels–Short Dramas&Movies 4.7* FREE
Every twist in the series is surprising
