Regretting The Wife He Threw Away

After James tucked little Nina into bed, he turned around and saw Briony carrying little Mario in her arms. "What happened?" he asked quietly.

"I'm going to lie down with the kids for a while." Briony's voice was soft, her face giving nothing away.

James recognized it for what it was a way to avoid everything.

In the end, he said nothing more. He stepped out of the room, gently pulling the door closed behind him.

Briony settled little Mario onto the bed, then lay down beside her two children. "Mom's here. Let's rest together, okay?"

Little Mario closed his eyes, drifting off almost instantly.

Briony watched her children's peaceful faces, then let her own eyes slip shut.

Outside, the wind and rain continued unabated.

Inside, the room was silent, broken only by the steady, even breathing of the children.

With her eyes closed, Briony couldn't help but replay the man's last words in her mind-

[Bryn, do you still resent me?]

Did she?

She hadn't answered him.

Because, truthfully, she didn't know the answer herself.

...

Briony woke again, the rain had eased and the sky had brightened

the clock.

in much

was the thing about kids-their moods changed

each of hers, Briony led them down

I went up around lunchtime, but you three were so sound asleep I didn't have the

had slept a

Briony replied. "I lay down with them and must've

eat? I'll whip something up right

"Just some noodles, please."

"You got it!"

already off,

groggy from sleep-her

head

the front door

up at

come out of nowhere and had been falling for hours, showing no sign

in her purse, which she'd left

fished out the phone, only to see

wasn't even

then, her phone vibrated again-Cedric

screen, hesitated, and

again. And again. Briony didn't

died and the phone

slipped the dead phone back into

finished making the noodles. Briony called the

hands and