Chapter 9 Maybe You Should Just Get a Divorce

Whether it was out of trust or simply a clear conscience, Lucien never set a password on his phone. Or maybe he just assumed Talia would never go through it. In truth, Talia never had the habit of checking his phone. For one, he'd been a model husband over the years, never giving her a reason to doubt him. And for another, she valued personal boundaries. Yes, they were married, but that didn't mean every part of their lives had to be shared. However, the phone kept buzzing and wouldn't stop. The constant vibration made it impossible for her to sleep. So she picked up the phone and typed out a reply. "This is Talia. Lucien's in the shower. His phone's with me. I'll have him get back to you once he's out." The moment the message was sent, the phone went quiet. When Lucien stepped out of the bathroom, he saw Talia lying in bed, seemingly fast asleep. Her brow was slightly furrowed, like she was caught in the middle of a troubling dream. He walked over quietly and picked up his phone from the pillow. After scrolling through it for a while, he tiptoed out onto the balcony. Lying with her back to the balcony, Talia slowly opened her eyes. She'd always been a light sleeper. Especially when someone was nearby. The moment Lucien reached over and picked up his phone from the pillow, she was already awake. A faint scent of tobacco drifted in from the balcony. Lucien was a smoker. Not just someone who could smoke, but someone who used to do it often. He hadn't touched a cigarette in the past three years. There wasn't even an ashtray in their house. But ever since Thalia came back, she'd already caught him smoking three times in just a few days. Soon, she heard the muffled sound of his voice from the balcony. "I really was in the shower. I just saw it now." "You're overthinking it. Talia didn't mean anything by it." "No, she's not like that. Talia's actually a good person. She doesn't talk much, but she's not the type to hurt anyone." "Okay, okay. I believe you, alright? Please don't cry. It's not good for the baby." "Alright. Just wait a minute. I'll change and come down." Lucien hung up and returned to the bedroom. When he saw Talia sitting up against the headboard, he startled. "Did I wake you?" Talia shook her head. "Just felt a little cold." "Oh, I forgot to close the balcony door. Sorry about that." "What were you doing out there? Still trying to sober up?" she asked. Lucien's fingers tightened around his phone. "It's a work call. I didn't want to wake you, so I stepped outside. How long have you been awake?" "I woke up just as you came back. Everything alright at work?" "Yeah, it's fine," he replied. "You should sleep. I'm heading out for a bit." "Lucien." "Yeah?" Talia looked up and stared into his eyes without a word. Her gaze made him uneasy. He gave a nervous chuckle. "What's wrong?" She looked away and said calmly, "Ms. Griffin seemed to have something to talk to you about. I told her I'd pass the message along." Lucien froze for a second, then nodded. "Alright. Got it." "Not going to call her back?" He paused for a moment. Instead of answering directly, he said, "You should get some rest. You've been worn out lately. I'll give you a shoulder massage when I get the chance." Talia gave a smile. "Okay. Sounds good." Lucien waited until she lay back down and closed her eyes. He gently tucked her in, then changed into a set of fresh clothes and headed downstairs. A few minutes later, faint sobs from a woman echoed up from downstairs, followed by the sound of a car pulling away. Talia stood by the second-floor window and watched the white Cayenne trail off away from the Reese estate, disappearing into the night. … "You just let them go off like that?" Abigail's voice nearly burst through the phone speaker. "You didn't confront them on the spot?" Talia leaned against the headboard with a bitter smile. "Confront them with what? He was just comforting his 'best friend', not sneaking around with a mistress. What exactly was I supposed to accuse him of?" Abigail practically growled through clenched teeth. "And you believed that? Who calls a man in the middle of the night to go stargazing? Seriously? And that name of hers…" When it came to their names, Talia wasn't naive. Things had already gone far enough. At this point, there wasn't much left to guess. Jimmy had asked her the other day whether she believed men and women could ever be just friends. She used to think so. Back at the hospital, Talia had plenty of good male colleagues. They got along well, but the lines were always clear. If someone had a family emergency, the others would help cover shifts. Sometimes they'd grab a meal together during outings or exchange greetings during the holidays. But that was it. Everyone understood where the boundaries were, and no one crossed them. What Lucien and Thalia had didn't look like innocent friendship, but it wasn't quite an affair either. It was the same old story. One of them fell in love, while the other never even noticed. She told him they'd always be just friends, so he had no choice but to bury his feelings and step back into the role of a friend. After Thalia got married and moved overseas, Lucien returned to the life expected of him. He went on dates, got married, and settled into the routine of an ordinary man. Given Lucien's background and status, he could've easily married someone from another wealthy household. But instead, he chose Talia—a woman from a modest background. Talia used to think he picked her because she was attractive and had a good career and an easygoing personality. She seemed like a sensible choice for marriage. But now she finally understood. It never really mattered who she was. What truly mattered was that her name sounded like Thalia's. A chill ran down her spine. On those passionate nights when he whispered her name by her ear over and over, was he really calling out to her or to the woman he'd never let go of in his heart? Talia went to the window and gazed out at the night view. It was a beautiful evening. The moon hung bright, and a scattering of stars lit up the sky like diamonds, looking dreamy and surreal. She found herself thinking about where Lucien and Thalia might be, looking up at the same night sky. "Is it like something out of a movie? Two souls lost in conversation under a sky full of stars, quoting books, dreaming aloud about love and life," she wondered. Lucien was the devoted male lead, and Thalia was the runaway bride. Theirs was the kind of love story people couldn't look away from. Talia wondered if she was just a side character caught in someone else's love story. "Talia, maybe you should just get a divorce," Abigail said. "Those two have been entangled in each other's lives for over 20 years. You and Lucien have only known each other a few. It's less painful to end it now than to let it drag on." Talia had thought about it too, but something stopped her. "Abby, I'm pregnant," she said.