Chapter 20
The evening breeze still carried the lingering heat of late summer, tinged with the smoky scent of dinner being prepared in the neighborhood market.
Leonard froze the moment he caught sight of the scene before him.
Evelyn was walking back from the market, dressed in a light blue button-up shirt, smiling as she chatted with a young man beside her. He was carrying a large bag of fresh vegetables, and the two looked every bit like a
newlywed couple.
They walked side by side at a leisurely pace, occasionally leaning toward each other to talk. Evelyn’s smile curled gently at the corners of her lips-sharp and sudden like a needle stabbing Leonard straight in the
chest.
“Evelyn!”
His voice rang out loudly enough to draw the attention of passersby.
A few people glanced over, but the commotion quickly faded as the produce vendors resumed their calls- food supplies were limited and time-sensitive, after all.
Evelyn turned at the sound, her smile vanishing instantly. What replaced it was a cold, distant calm, as if the
man calling her name was nothing more than a stranger.
The man beside her, Daniel, stopped as well and turned to face Leonard. His demeanor was calm, eyes steady, exuding quiet confidence.
He glanced at Leonard, then back to Evelyn, saying nothing-but he shifted slightly, stepping just a bit closer
to her.
“Who is he?” Leonard’s eyes raked over Daniel like a searchlight before settling back on Evelyn. His tone was
sharp. “You two live together?”
Evelyn looked momentarily surprised-she hadn’t expected him to show up here, let alone ask such a
question.
“What are you doing here, Leonard?” she asked coolly, stepping back. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“What do you mean, nothing to do with me?” Leonard took a heavy step forward, the heel of his boots hitting the pavement with a dull thud. “Evelyn, don’t forget-you’re my wife!”
“Ex-wife,” she replied without flinching. “The divorce was finalized last month. The paperwork is in the closet of our old bedroom. We’re not connected anymore.”
Leonard’s expression darkened.
He had seen the folder, sure, but he’d been preoccupied with Lillian Bennett’s recovery and hadn’t thought
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much of it.
He assumed it was just another of Evelyn’s emotional reactions. In the years they were married, she’d always been sensitive about Lillian’s presence.
“I never signed anything.” he said tightly, his fists clenching until his knuckles turned white. “You know the regulations-both parties have to sign for a military spouse to be removed. A unilateral divorce isn’t-”
“Form 073.”
Evelyn cut him off, her voice calm and precise, as if reading from a formal memo.
“It was filed and approved by the Personnel Command last week. Leonard, whether you believe it or not-
Evelyn is no longer listed in your military family records.”
She looked up at him. The eyes that used to brim with warmth now held only ice.
“That’s not possible.” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “If I didn’t sign, it doesn’t count.”
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