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Get rid of her.
“Okay, Mom. Enough. I’m exhausted, I think I’m going to try and get some sleep. It’s been quite a fucking day.”
“Of course, sweetheart.” She looks towards me. “Are you going to stay? Someone should stay with him, I think? I can—” she starts.
“No.” Bennett interrupts. “Just go, I’ll be fine. You both can go. Wren’s here if I need anything.”
“Hmmm.” Caroline presses a red nail to her lips and then her nose that I’m fairly certain doesn’t look quite the same as the last time I saw her. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” My eyes trace over his face as he stares her down, and once again, I notice the bags underneath his eyes and how glazed his usually piercing green eyes look.
“Okay, well get some sleep, darling.” She leans forward and presses a kiss to his forehead. “Olivia, I imagine I’ll see you tomorrow?”
I fight the urge to curse my bad luck at the idea of spending yet another day in a confined space with Caroline Clarke. I go for sarcasm. “I guess.” I elongate the first word and smile at her, my body almost rejecting the function. I’ve heard of mother-in-laws from hell, but I honestly felt like nothing could compare to what I had to deal with.
She gives me a fake smile and shoots me two air kisses before she’s gone, making me feel like I need a drink. I’m staring after her, my eyes narrowed into slits and my lips twisted into a snarl when I hear his voice again. “All this time and still nothing?”
My head snaps towards him. “That woman hates me, Bennett. It was different when we were together; I still wanted her approval. I still wanted her to like me. I don’t give a fuck now. Now I might strangle her.”
“She doesn’t hate you. She’s just…difficult.”
Seriously? “Difficult? Bennett—”
“Wrong word. Sorry.” He puts his hands up in defeat. “I don’t want to argue with you.” He lets out a sigh and his eyes flutter closed. “I am sorry about all this. You really can go, if you need to. I don’t expect you to stay here all night.”
I look towards the uncomfortable chair. “I…I can stay until you fall asleep.” I pull my charger out of my purse and scan the room for an outlet. I spot one and plug my iPhone in, before setting it gently on the floor. It’s nearing 10 PM, and based on how tired I know he is, he’ll be out in no time.
“Thank you,” I hear him whisper as soon as I sit down.
“For what?”
“Being here. Coming when they called you despite…what’s going on between us. Staying all day. I’m sure you had other things to do. I’m sorry if I fucked up your day.” His voice is sincere just as it always is when he apologizes. Especially when it came to me.
I blink my eyes at him. “Not important.” I clear my throat, wanting to clarify. “I just mean… I wanted to make sure you were okay. That was more important.”
He nods and looks to the space right next to me. “I think my stuff is in there. Do you mind grabbing my phone for me?”
“Oh, right. Yes.” I reach for the clear plastic bag and pull it into my lap, searching for his phone amidst his clothes and personal items when my hand finds a thin chain. I’ve never known Bennett to wear any kind of jewelry so I frown when I tug on it to reveal a simple silver chain.
“Is that mine? That can’t be…” He chuckles, probably thinking the same thing I am about the necklace when I reach the other end. I blink my eyes several times as a ring I’d know anywhere is attached.
“It’s your ring.” I clear my throat, trying to remove the emotion as best I can as I realize that my soon to be ex-husband has been wearing his wedding ring on a chain around his neck for God knows how long.
“I see,” he says quietly. “Where…where are yours?”
“You have them.”
“I do?”
“Yes, I gave them back. It didn’t seem right for me to keep them…I mean…I know women usually do, but they just reminded me of you and us and…I was more hurt than angry by all of this. Keeping my rings and what…selling them for money? That wouldn’t have made me feel better.” I shake my head. “Besides they were too beautiful. I’d never be able to sell them or melt them into something else,” I ramble.
He nods. “Are yours in there too?”
I roll my eyes at the thought that he’d be that sentimental to carry my rings along with his and continue searching through the bag when I find his cellphone and his wallet, a black Louis Vuitton bi-fold I’d gotten him for his birthday three years ago.
“Here’s your wallet. Do you want to make sure everything’s in there?” I hand him his phone and he shakes his head.
“You’d probably know better than me. Do you have any idea what my passcode is?” For the longest time, it was our anniversary, but maybe he changed it in light of recent events. I shake my head, and he sighs before setting it to sleep. “Well, I guess I won’t be getting into my phone anytime soon.”
