Chapter 2
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Elizabeth had been married to Franklin for three years, and in that time, she had put up with more than any woman should have to endure,
Yet she had borne it all without sor the most accommodating of spouses,
as a peep, earning herself a reputation as
Everyone in Yaville knew Franklin had a sweet wife. No matter how much he partied around, Elizabeth would always welcome him home with a smile, letting him maintain that same footloose and fancy–free lifestyle he’d led before they got hitched.
The last thing Franklin ever expected was for Elizabeth to suddenly bring up the topic of divorce. For a while, he thought he must have misheard her,
Furrowing his brow, he circled back to her question, “Okay, what’s so special about today?”
Elizabeth’s face remained impassive. “Doesn’t matter,” she replied,
“Who’s got you in a mood? Sharon?” Franklin asked.
But Elizabeth shut that down quick. “Divorce papers are all drawn up and signed, right here. Take a look – if you’re good with the terms, let’s get this sorted out”
Three years ago, Franklin had told her to get married to him using that same flat, matter–of–fact tone and phrasing.
Franklin was surprised and bewildered. Elizabeth rarely left Shiny Estate except to occasionally pick him up when he was drunk. He couldn’t wrap his head around how Elizabeth managed to get someone to draw up the divorce settlement. Elizabeth didn’t give him any time to dwell on it. With her head down and fingers fastening her coat, she exited the room, coming off like a visitor staying there overnight. She didn’t want to leave even a trace.
Franklin didn’t try to stop her. He just casually said, “If you’re heading back to your parents‘ place, I’ll have Jerry drive you there. Go have some fun and come on back in a few days.”
When she brought up the D–word, he just shrugged it off like no big deal. To him, Elizabeth was a total pushover who would never dare rock the boat. She wasn’t surprised by his reaction – she’d seen it coming a mile away.
“Franklin, listen up. I want a divorce, plain and simple. This isn’t about any trial separation or silent treatment,” Elizabeth said.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go have your fun,” Franklin replied, cool as a cucumber.
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It dawned on Elizabeth that getting through to Franklin was way harder than she had thought. She was bone tired, drained of all her energy, and didn’t have the patience to waste her time with him anymore,
With a heavy sigh, she clamped her mouth shut and high–tailed it out of that suffocating room without a single glance back.
Franklin watched his typically compliant wife’s fragile figure disappear into the distance. He still had no clue what had possessed Elizabeth to pull this stunt out of
the blue.
To be honest, he was feeling pretty wiped out himself. Rubbing his temples, Franklin cleared his schedule to deal
still called his right–hand man, Jerry
this mess. Even though it was late, he on.
“Jerry…” The phone connected. Then Franklin’s voice quickened with fatigue. “What day is it today?”
Jerry was utterly thrown by this sudden call. After a beat, he answered, “It’s… Wednesday.”
“Is it a special day or something?” Franklin pressed,
That question seemed to clarify things a bit for Jerry. After a moment of thought, he mumbled, “It’s not your wedding anniversary… and it’s not Ms. Taylor’s birthday either.”
Jerry’s eyes suddenly went wide as realization hit him. “Oh, I know what it is –”
“It’s what?” Franklin asked.
“Today’s the day Ms. Taylor’s donating blood to Ms. Yvonne Jones,” Jerry said. “Sorry, slipped my mind to give you a heads–up on that. You need me to send over the usual care package?”
Franklin realized why Elizabeth, who usually didn’t mind the cold, was all bundled up in thick layers. She seemed downright fragile, speaking to Franklin in a weak voice, but she was very earnest when she brought up the divorce, Franklin felt more troubled, but he still tried to keep up a tough front. “Nah, no need to worry about that. I’ve been spoiling her rotten. My bad for the oversight, but why’d you call her ‘Ms. Taylor‘?”
The abrupt question caught Jerry off guard. He stumbled over his words, “Weren’t you the one who told us to address her that way? Said you didn’t cotton to us calling her ‘Mrs. Jones“.”
Franklin furrowed his brow, racking his brain to recall that instruction. Truth be told, he’d plumb forgotten what he’d said about how to address Elizabeth,
After hanging up the phone, Franklin looked at the divorce papers neatly laid out
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Blindfold Of Love
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on the desk. He gave it a once–over, his gaze sweeping across the detailed property distribution section. To his surprise, Elizabeth didn’t seem to be angling for the house or the car, but she was setting her sights on a hefty sum of cash.
Franklin let out a scoff. ‘Guess I gave her more credit than she deserved. Filling for divorce is probably just her way of try o line her pockets. So much for any high–minded principles, thought he.
With a dismissive shake of his head, Franklin mentally jotted down the monetary figure she was demanding, then promptly crumpled up the divorce papers and tossed them into the trash can.
