No More Mrs. Forgotten novel Chapter 19

She had fought with absolutely everything she had, but it had all been for nothing. York had made it perfectly clear: even if the sky came crashing down, nothing would change his mind. No one could change his mind.

Such unwavering devotion... was truly touching.

And her thinking she could actually compete with that was nothing short of hilarious.

What place did she hold in York's heart?

And what place did Emeline hold?

She really had thought far too highly of herself.

Consumed by a sense of absolute desolation, Sharon dragged her heavy feet toward the stairs.

Staring at her frail, slender back, York dragged hard on his cigarette until the cherry burned a brilliant red. He inhaled so deeply that it burned his lungs.

He narrowed his eyes, staring at Sharon through the thick haze of smoke.

She seemed different somehow. This version of her felt much more like the old Sharon—the fiery, prickly rose.

A moment later, in an incredibly rare break from his pristine habits, York dropped his cigarette directly onto the floor. The hardwood was soaked in wine, and the cherry hissed as it instantly died out.

"Sharon," York suddenly called out.

Her spine went completely rigid, and her steps faltered. Because, against all reason, she felt a sudden surge of panic... terrified that York was about to say, "I agree to the divorce."

What was... wrong with her?

How could she still be this pathetic?

She utterly despised this version of herself.

Or maybe, all she wanted was to hand him the divorce papers and have him sign them in complete silence. She just didn't want... to hear him speak!

But York didn't say anything like that. He just called her name, and she had no idea what he wanted.

Instinctively, Sharon picked up her pace.

But York's voice echoed behind her once again. "Are you making all this fuss because of Caleb?" he asked.

Sharon stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to look at him. Just in time to see him pulling out another cigarette, his head tilted slightly as he flicked the lighter. But his eyes were locked entirely on her.

Their gazes collided just as the lighter clicked off, the glowing red cherry of his cigarette burning fiercely.

Sharon smiled bitterly. "Then go make up for it. Nobody is stopping you."

With that, she turned and continued up the stairs.

York took another drag of his cigarette, watching her until her silhouette disappeared completely from view. He tossed the cigarette away, his brow furrowing as he muttered to himself, "So stubborn."

Just as stubborn as she had always been over the years, throwing herself into the fire for him.

*

Sharon bypassed the second floor entirely and went straight up to a guest bedroom on the third floor.

Their master suite was on the second floor. There were guest rooms on the second floor too, but Sharon didn't want to sleep anywhere near him.

Her hair was sticky with wine; she needed to take a shower. Tomorrow morning, they still had to go pick up Caleb. That was something she couldn't afford to delay.

After a long, hot shower, Sharon collapsed exhausted onto the bed. Her phone suddenly began to ring.

She glanced at the caller ID, then answered it.

On the other end of the line, Josiah asked, "What time should I pick you up tomorrow?"