Chapter 26: A Talk in the Garden
Cassandra’s POV
“What?”
He repeated himself with the same, calm voice.
“I don’t want a divorce.”
I was speechless!
Speechless and angry! Where was this coming from? Who did he think he was? What did he mean ‘he didn’t want a divorce?’
I stared at him, bewildered, unable to mutter even a single syllable.
“I believe we can save our marriage,” he continued. But I held up my hand to stop him.
I didn’t want to hear this. I didn’t want to hear ANY of this.
“Jordyn,” I said, regaining my composure. I gently placed Stanley’s hand down on his blanket and stood up, to face Jordyn. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”
“Please listen to me,” Jordyn pleaded. “I can explain. I can…”
“Stop,” I shook my head. He did. He furrowed his brows and swallowed hard. Then he waited for me to continue. My mind was
reeling. I didn’t even know where to start.
“It’s not…it’s not that simple,” I said. “You neglected me for years. Do you know how many nights I sat alone, waiting for you to come home? Craving your affection? You treated me like an object. Like I was just this ‘thing’ you lived with. You didn’t care about me or my feelings. You completely neglected me.”
“Cassandra,” Jordyn started but I cut him off.
“I’m. Not. Finished,” I warned. He nodded and shut his mouth. “You betrayed me, Jordyn. You broke my heart.” I could feel the tears brimming in my eyes. I tried to blink them back. Damn it! I didn’t want to cry. But all the pain and hurt of the past few years was coming back to me. “You SLEPT with someone else. That was it for me, Jordyn. The final nail in the coffin that was our marriage. I lost all hope when I found out. You can’t come back from that.”
I was breathing heavily. He was looking at me, wide-eyed.
“You can’t fix this,” I said finally, my voice low. “You love Ellie. You told me so yourself. You and I? We’re done. Go and be with her.”
Jordyn looked away. He fell silent.
I was done. I didn’t have anything left to say, not at that moment. And I really didn’t want to argue anymore. I was exhausted from all of this.
“I don’t think he’s going to wake up tonight,” I said, glancing at Stanley. “So I’m gonna go. I’ll come back first thing in the morning.”
“Cassandra, wait,” he said, reaching out.
But I ignored him and headed for the door. Just as I grabbed the handle, though, he called out to me.
“What about the collaboration?” he asked. “Has your boss made a decision?”
I stopped, my hand still on the handle.
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him.
And this is what he asked about?
“It’s late, Jordyn,” I sighed, not turning around. “It’s after work hours. We can talk about it tomorrow.”
And without another word, I left the hospital.
Dillon was still waiting for me in the parkade.
“How is he?” Dillon asked, his eyes flooded with concern.
He was so sweet, waiting all this time for me. But I was too tired to talk.
“He’s stable, but Dillon, I’m exhausted. Can you please take me home?”.
He looked at my weary face and nodded.
“Of course,” he said kindly.
He respected my need for silence all the way to my house. He really was considerate. I felt bad for a moment. I should have told him to go home a long time ago. I don’t think he would have, but I at least could have tried. And now here he was, driving me home in complete silence.
He really was a good friend.
He pulled up to my driveway and I thanked him for the ride.
“Call me tomorrow?” he asked as I got out of his car.
I nodded.
“And try to get some rest.”
Again, I nodded, then I went into the house.
“Cassandra, dear? Is that you?” It was my mother’s voice. She and my father were outside in the garden, drinking wine. I went outside. It was a beautiful evening, the garden lit up with twinkle lights.
My mom was wearing her silk pajamas from France and my father was wearing his silk robe from Italy. They were quite the pair, sitting out there in the garden with a $200 bottle of wine and designer pajamas.
I smiled to myself.
“Dillon told Cameron that something happened to Stanley? How is he, love?” my mother asked, patting the seat beside her. “ Come, sit and talk with us.”
I was tired. Like, bone weary tired. I’d run the emotional gambit that night, from dinner with Dillon to the surgery, to the confrontation with Jordyn. I’d felt pretty much emotion there was to feel and now I was exhausted.
But my parents’ happy faces welcomed me and the night was so lovely. It would feel good to sit and unwind with my parents for a bit, I realized. I needed to settle down anyway before I could go to sleep.
My father poured me a glass of cabernet sauvignon and I told them all about the hospital, the surgery, and Stanley’s condition. “Myocarditis?” my father asked, his face pensive. “Do they know what caused it?” –
I shook my head. I remembered then that the surgeon had said something about a potential virus.
Suddenly, something felt very off about the whole thing. Stanley had been perfectly fine only a few nights ago at his birthday. In
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fact, Stanley was in optimal health for a man his age. He worked out regularly and ate very healthy.
Jordyn said he’d just collapsed. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I had this overwhelming feeling that something wasn’t quite right about this whole situation.
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