No More Mrs. Forgotten novel Chapter 2

Adele's trembling voice made Sharon's own sorrow swell. She nodded, her throat tight. "I just found out. York told me."

Adele was falling apart. "How could this happen? Damn it, how could this happen? He was perfectly fine... and now he's just... gone?"

Sharon cried with her, shaking her head. "I... I don't know."

Through her tears, Adele sobbed, "He was a brilliant commander. Why did he volunteer for the Peacekeeping Corps? Didn't he know how dangerous it was? Was he trying to be a hero?"

Sharon's eyes widened. The word 'hero' made her chest tighten until she could barely breathe.

Was Caleb trying to be a hero? He wouldn't have...

Was it because of her??

Just then, a deep, heavy male voice came through the line. "What else did York say?"

Sharon stayed silent for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. "Emeline is pregnant. He's bringing her to live at our house, and he expects me to take care of her."

Before the man could respond, Adele shrieked. "What? He wants you to take care of Emeline? Is he insane? Is there no one left in the Monroe or Fletcher families? Or does he think all of us friends are dead? Only he could come up with something so messed up! He might as well just divorce you and marry Emeline himself! What a bastard!"

Adele's words made Sharon's blood run cold. She didn't say a word.

The other end of the line fell silent too.

Suddenly, the sharp click of a lighter broke the quiet, followed by a loud smack as the lighter was tossed onto a table in clear irritation.

The man's voice was ice-cold. "You're just going to let him bully you like this?"

Sharon frowned.

He continued, "Is he so used to bullying you that it's second nature? Or are you so used to taking it that you don't even care anymore?"

"I..." Sharon tried to argue.

"Useless," the man cut in.

Sharon snapped her mouth shut.

Sharon nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Adele hung up and looked at Josiah. The man, now widely feared as 'The Capital's Boogeyman', was the most successful and terrifyingly powerful figure in their circle of wealthy childhood friends.

Adele took a breath and forced a smile. "Is it about time we orchestrate our breakup too?"

Josiah lifted his gaze to look at her. Those fathomless eyes seemed slightly bloodshot, though whether from grief or cigarette smoke, she couldn't tell.

"Bored already?" he asked lazily.

Adele let out a laugh, though her eyes remained entirely devoid of humor. "You think you hide it well. But isn't it an open secret? You're just too stubborn to admit it. York is moving Emeline into his house, which means neither of them has moved on. They're probably going to rekindle their romance. So—"

She paused, staring right into his eyes. "Here's your chance."

Hearing this, Josiah stood up.

He was easily six-foot-two, with broad shoulders and a lean waist. His face, in particular, was strikingly handsome, yet so aggressively intimidating that most people didn't dare hold his gaze for more than a few seconds.