Husband In The Shadows - Chapter 12: Chapter 12
You are reading Husband In The Shadows, Chapter 12: Chapter 12. Read more chapters of Husband In The Shadows.
I couldn't predict how Nydia would take it, but I had a feeling she was losing it.
Back in Ecirie City, Nydia was completely thrown by my cold reply.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she shot back several emails in a row.
I read them but didn't answer.
Nydia slumped into her chair. It had been three days since I left, and it finally hit her how badly she'd messed up.
Disappointment never came in a day. It had built up little by little, over a long time.
As she thought back on everything, panic started to take over.
Everything had fallen apart. It was too late to fix any of it.
Back when Jefferson got married, her soft spot for him and that faint, unspoken affection from her younger days had all been buried.
Still, something about it gnawed at her, so she chose to follow her family's advice and went on a few blind dates, hoping to move on.
Between marrying a stranger and choosing me, she picked what felt safe.
I was her fallback, the one she settled for.
And once she didn't need that safety net anymore, I became optional.
In those four years, she got used to me, my presence, my care, my love.
I gave her everything I had, without ever holding back.
Now she sat there tugging at her hair, lips pressed tight in regret.
She wanted to lash out, make a scene—but I didn't leave her the chance.
Unspoken love was supposed to be private—one person hurting, one person overthinking, one person pretending.
She thought she'd kept it quiet, but I saw it all. And that kind of love—it hurt more than anyone admitted.
I knew she wasn't just mad about the divorce itself. What really burned was how clean I made the cut—how I gave her no space to explain, no way to fight for it.
For three days, Nydia locked herself in at home. Then Jefferson showed up.
Nydia was curled up on the couch, noticeably thinner.
Jefferson walked in, worry all over his face.
Papers were scattered across the floor—court documents and some photos. A few caught his eye—something about them felt familiar—but he didn't stop to look closely.
He looked right at her. "Nydia, what happened?"
Nydia looked up slowly, clenching her jaw. "Emerson's gone."
Jefferson frowned. "What do you mean gone? He's an adult. He can't just vanish."
"He filed for divorce," she said quietly. "Did you know?"
Jefferson shook his head, looking stunned. "He never even told me he was married. Are you worried something happened to him?"
He crouched beside her, confused. "Even if he did get divorced, why does this affect you so much?"
Nydia shook her head, eyes brimming with tears.
Jefferson had never seen her like this.
He thought she always seemed so put-together, so strong.
"Nydia, I know you care about your patients, but this isn't your burden," he said.
"No," Nydia whispered, voice shaking. "It is."
She couldn't keep the secret anymore.
She looked Jefferson in the eye and said, "He divorced me."
Shock washed over Jefferson as his eyes widened. He froze for just a few seconds, then quickly regained his composure.
He looked down at the papers again—really looked this time—and saw photos of him and Nydia he didn't even know existed.
"Nydia, you really messed up," he said, his voice low, his face serious.
Nydia covered her face, the tears slipping out between her fingers. "We were married for four years," she whispered.
But no one had ever known.
Back in Ecirie City, Nydia was completely thrown by my cold reply.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she shot back several emails in a row.
I read them but didn't answer.
Nydia slumped into her chair. It had been three days since I left, and it finally hit her how badly she'd messed up.
Disappointment never came in a day. It had built up little by little, over a long time.
As she thought back on everything, panic started to take over.
Everything had fallen apart. It was too late to fix any of it.
Back when Jefferson got married, her soft spot for him and that faint, unspoken affection from her younger days had all been buried.
Still, something about it gnawed at her, so she chose to follow her family's advice and went on a few blind dates, hoping to move on.
Between marrying a stranger and choosing me, she picked what felt safe.
I was her fallback, the one she settled for.
And once she didn't need that safety net anymore, I became optional.
In those four years, she got used to me, my presence, my care, my love.
I gave her everything I had, without ever holding back.
Now she sat there tugging at her hair, lips pressed tight in regret.
She wanted to lash out, make a scene—but I didn't leave her the chance.
Unspoken love was supposed to be private—one person hurting, one person overthinking, one person pretending.
She thought she'd kept it quiet, but I saw it all. And that kind of love—it hurt more than anyone admitted.
I knew she wasn't just mad about the divorce itself. What really burned was how clean I made the cut—how I gave her no space to explain, no way to fight for it.
For three days, Nydia locked herself in at home. Then Jefferson showed up.
Nydia was curled up on the couch, noticeably thinner.
Jefferson walked in, worry all over his face.
Papers were scattered across the floor—court documents and some photos. A few caught his eye—something about them felt familiar—but he didn't stop to look closely.
He looked right at her. "Nydia, what happened?"
Nydia looked up slowly, clenching her jaw. "Emerson's gone."
Jefferson frowned. "What do you mean gone? He's an adult. He can't just vanish."
"He filed for divorce," she said quietly. "Did you know?"
Jefferson shook his head, looking stunned. "He never even told me he was married. Are you worried something happened to him?"
He crouched beside her, confused. "Even if he did get divorced, why does this affect you so much?"
Nydia shook her head, eyes brimming with tears.
Jefferson had never seen her like this.
He thought she always seemed so put-together, so strong.
"Nydia, I know you care about your patients, but this isn't your burden," he said.
"No," Nydia whispered, voice shaking. "It is."
She couldn't keep the secret anymore.
She looked Jefferson in the eye and said, "He divorced me."
Shock washed over Jefferson as his eyes widened. He froze for just a few seconds, then quickly regained his composure.
He looked down at the papers again—really looked this time—and saw photos of him and Nydia he didn't even know existed.
"Nydia, you really messed up," he said, his voice low, his face serious.
Nydia covered her face, the tears slipping out between her fingers. "We were married for four years," she whispered.
But no one had ever known.
End of Husband In The Shadows Chapter 12. Continue reading Chapter 13 or return to Husband In The Shadows book page.