No More Mrs. Forgotten novel Chapter 21

Before Sharon could respond, Adele chimed in, "Well, men are like seasonal clothes—just toss them when you're done. Feel free to take him off my hands."

Sharon laughed, the tight knot of discomfort in her chest easing up a bit, even making her stomach feel slightly better.

"Alright," Sharon said. "Don't you start spouting nonsense, too."

Adele deadpanned. "I'm perfectly serious. I'm bored of him anyway."

Sharon was speechless again. "What kind of crazy talk is that? Are you out of your mind?"

Adele let out a dry laugh. "None of us are exactly normal."

Sharon rubbed her temples. That actually seemed pretty accurate.

At that moment, Josiah interrupted. "Alright, get some sleep. We have an early start tomorrow."

Mention of tomorrow brought their moods crashing back down.

"Yeah," Sharon murmured. "Goodnight."

She was about to hang up, but Josiah stopped her. "Don't hang up. Just leave it on while you sleep."

Sharon was confused. "Huh?"

"You're probably sleeping alone," Josiah said. "It might help to keep the line open."

Sharon fell silent, touched by the unexpected warmth.

"Yeah, leave it on," Adele agreed.

"Okay," Sharon said. "But don't come pick me up tomorrow morning."

Neither Josiah nor Adele responded.

Assuming their silence was a reluctant agreement, Sharon didn't push the issue. After a brief pause, she set her phone on the nightstand.

Having her friends' support, even through this unconventional, quiet companionship, brought her a profound sense of peace.

Exhaustion quickly took over, and Sharon drifted off to sleep.

On the other end of the line.

Josiah was half-reclined in bed, silently smoking, his expression deadly serious as he weighed his thoughts.

Standing nearby, Adele grabbed her jacket and opened her mouth to mouth the words, 'I'm leaving.'

Before she could, Josiah raised an index finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.

She felt the urge to smile, to join the crowd's cheers, but she couldn't force herself into the moment.

Then, York actually leaned in to kiss Emeline. As Sharon watched, her heart tore open with agonizing pain, and suddenly, tears streamed down her face, entirely out of her control.

The cheering around her grew deafening, but her throat refused to make a sound, tight and unbearably painful.

Later in the dream, Caleb appeared. He dropped to one knee before her, offering a warm smile and reaching out his hand. "Sharon, look at me. Marry me."

Sharon's throat felt as heavy as lead. She tried with all her might to speak, but no sound came out.

Then Josiah was there, a cigarette pinched between his fingers. "Better to marry me than him."

Caleb glared at him. "Piss off."

Josiah flashed a wicked grin. "Nah. Why don't you show me how it's done?"

Watching the two of them bicker, Sharon felt an abrupt urge to laugh.

Yet, for some reason, her tears only fell harder.

Then, without warning, York abandoned Emeline and marched straight toward her. "All of you, get lost," he snapped. "Sharon is my wife."