Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
Philip’s response came with a knowing smile.
“I always defer to your mother’s judgment.”
Madison added, “I can tell Cliff doesn’t like Juliet at all. The engagement was merely to put our minds at ease. That foolish boy- all we want is his happiness. He’s always orchestrating everyone else’s life but neglects his own.”
She ended with a heavy sigh.
Her words struck a chord in Gerry’s heart.
“I retract my comment about him losing his mind.”
Shortly after, Cliff descended the stairs, car keys jingling in his hand.
“Where are you headed?” Gerry asked, feigning innocence.
“Work,” Cliff replied, his face an expressionless mask.
“At this hour? What kind of work demands your attention now?” Gerry’s lips curved into a teasing smirk.
“Better hurry, or Merrick’s car will be long gone.”
Cliff stormed out, the door slamming behind him with enough force to rattle the frames.
Gerry shouted after him, “Hey! Do you even know where Merrick lives?”
Cliff’s sleek vehicle tailed Merrick’s car with practiced precision, maintaining enough distance to remain undetected.
The chase ended when Merrick’s sports car finally pulled up at the entrance of an upscale apartment complex.
As Merrick lifted Laney’s suitcase from the trunk, he made one last attempt, his voice tinged with concern.
“Are you absolutely certain you don’t want to stay with me? With all this online harassment, living alone could be risky.”
Laney replied calmly, “It’s precisely because of the situation that I can’t accept your offer. I refuse to let you become entangled in this mess.”
A glimmer of hope flickered across Merrick’s features.
“So once this whole situation blows over, you’ll consider staying with me?”
“No.”
The hope in Merrick’s eyes dimmed into disappointment.
Despite Laney’s subtle protests, Merrick insisted on accompanying her upstairs. Exhausted from the day’s events, Laney relented, hands buried deep in her coat pockets, her gaze fixed on nothing in particular. Sensing her somber mood, Merrick thought better of mentioning her distress.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow for some fun,” Merrick offered with his usual gentlemanly charm as they reached her door.
Laney deflected his invitation with a murmur.
“You should focus on your own affairs.”
Merrick accepted her response gracefully and turned to leave.
As the elevator doors slid shut, the motion sensors triggered the hallway lights, revealing Cliff’s shadowy figure. His eyes fixed on the apartment number: 1102.
Cliff finally released a sigh of relief. Laney’s awkward fumbling with the new lock earlier betrayed that this was a recently acquired residence. The fact that she hadn’t invited Merrick inside at this hour suggested she lived alone. They weren’t living together after all-her previous words had been nothing more than bait to provoke him.
Relief washed over Cliff, followed immediately by self-derision. Here he was, approaching thirty, skulking in darkened hallways like a lovesick teenager, tracking Laney’s every movement. He couldn’t even rationalize his own behavior. The irony wasn’t lost on him-when she had harbored feelings for him, he’d pushed her away. Now that he’d wounded her deeply and she’d turned to another, jealousy gnawed at his heart.
After lingering in the shadows a moment longer, Cliff descended silently to his car. Recalling her pallid complexion from earlier, he suspected she hadn’t eaten. He placed an order at her favorite restaurant and contacted Gerry for the delivery.
Gerry complained over the phone, “I asked for the address, but Laney won’t share it.”
Cliff responded by sending a money transfer.
“Find a way.”
Gerry replied resolutely, “Food will be at her doorstep within thirty minutes.”
Persistence was Gerry’s forte, and it served him well.
Without much effort, Gerry managed to secure Laney’s address and deliver the meal she hadn’t asked for. The moment Laney opened the door, familiar aromas wafted through the air, stirring memories of her time with Cliff. Her eyes clouded with emotion.
“Thank you, Gerry. Would you like to come in for a moment?” she offered.
Gerry shook his head, knowing he needed to report back to Cliff promptly. As Cliff’s brother, his loyalties were clear.
“Laney, please eat well. It tears Cliff apart to see you like this.”
His words caught her off guard, but she managed a slight nod. Something in her demeanor made Gerry reconsider.
“On second thought, I’ll stay until you’ve eaten something.”
She looked as delicate as morning frost, and he doubted she’d touch the food once he left. Perhaps his presence would encourage her to take a few bites.
Not wanting to fuel anyone’s concerns, Laney forced herself to eat.
When half the bowl was empty, Gerry discreetly captured the moment with his phone. He then revealed, “Actually, Cliff bought this meal. He asked me to deliver it, worried you might reject it coming from him while you’re still upset.”
Laney wasn’t surprised. It was quintessentially Cliff-never letting their disputes interfere with his protective nature.
“Please convey my thanks,” she murmured, her voice somehow distant.
An uncomfortable weight settled in Gerry’s chest.
“Is there any hope for reconciliation between you two?”
“He will always be my cousin,” Laney replied, her tone final as a closing door.
Back at Cliff’s car, Gerry displayed the photo and relayed Laney’s message.
“Well, there you have it,” Gerry remarked, giving Cliff’s shoulder a knowing pat.
“You’ve successfully untangled yourself from what you claimed was such a burden.”
Cliff detected the bite in Gerry’s words but chose to embrace the silence. He stared through the window, his gaze hollow yet searching, as if trying to grasp at something just out of reach.
Wisps of hope lingered in Cliff’s mind.
“She’s never been away from her family before. She’ll come back soon enough.”
Gerry sank deeper into his seat, lacing his fingers behind his head with an exaggerated sigh.
“Right, because she’s clearly willing to endure such hardship just to get away from you. Really shows how much she can’t stand you, doesn’t it?”
Rather than engage with his brother’s barbed words, Cliff turned the key in the ignition.
“Let’s head back.”
“Hey, Cliff, were you being honest at that press conference?” Gerry drawled, still lounging casually.
Cliff pressed his lips into a thin line. With his brother, there was no need for pretense. He simply nodded.
“So, you’ve got feelings for Laney?” Gerry probed further.
“When did that start?”
Keeping his eyes fixed on the road ahead, Cliff muttered, “What’s it matter to you?”
“I’ve been directing romance films for years. I understand women. You’re stuck in a rut, and I could help you figure out a strategy to turn things around,” Gerry said.
Cliff retorted, “Says the perpetually single man. What could you possibly teach me about love?” This left Gerry momentarily speechless.
The truth struck Cliff like a thunderbolt-he had never truly made an effort to win Laney’s heart. They had played this game of silence countless times before, but Laney would always break first, reaching out within days like clockwork. Somewhere along the way, he’d stopped taking her moods seriously, treating her unwavering affection like a safety net for his actions.
Now that their roles had reversed, Cliff found himself lost in unfamiliar territory, clueless about how to win back Laney’s heart. Gifts? Flowers?
The irony wasn’t lost on him-her bedroom was already a shrine to his previous presents, all abandoned in her hasty departure.
Sending flowers now felt like a hollow gesture. With Merrick in her life, any romantic overtures would seem like desperate attempts to win her over. No, he couldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be right.
Days of restless thoughts finally drove Cliff to contact Gerry.
“Any word about her moving back?”
Gerry replied, “No, she’s out enjoying herself. Haven’t heard from her. Where did she go?”
“Don’t remember exactly. She’s been posting location tags on social media. Haven’t you checked?”
Something stirred in Cliff’s chest. He’d never bothered with Laney’s social media-she used to message him about everything, down to the smallest details of her day.
Cliff scrolled through their chat history, now frozen like a winter pond. With a mixture of dread and hope, he opened her social media page, only to find emptiness staring back at him. She had blocked him. Gerry’s voice cut through Cliff’s thoughts from the other end of the line.
“Cliff? If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”
After a weighted pause, Cliff’s voice hardened.
“Wait. I’m coming to see you.”
At the film set, Cliff reached for Gerry’s phone to check Laney’s social media.
Just as the screen came into view, Gerry’s hand swooped down to cover it.