Do Us Part (The Dumont Diaries (#4)) Read Online Free PDF Page A
Author: Alessandra Torre
later, I am stepping aboard Nathan’s plane, the engines roaring and my hair twisting in the wind as I climb inside. Nathan has granted me one final flight, and I settled in for my last hour in the life of Nathan’s wife.
As the plane soars, snow white clouds moving lazily past, I open my purse. Pulling out the objects inside, I examine foreign objects from a life I barely recognize. A sequined thong, the color garish, material rough, its cheap fabric causing me to wince in recollection of how far I had fallen in life. A tube of blood red Maybelline lipstick. Mascara. Tic Tacs. The keys to my house, my car. I wonder what became of my car, became of the contents of my room in Dib’s house. Was my green Honda Accord still sitting in the Crystal Palace parking lot? My clothes and shoes still crammed in every nook and corner of that small room?
There is an envelope in the purse, the handwriting on the front hurried and unfamiliar. Not Nathan’s. I open it, sliding out a plain white card and a thick wad of bills.
Candace,
The items from your house are in a storage unit in Plant City, the rent is paid through the end of the year. Doris is the manager; she can provide you with a key. Your car was sold, the cash from the sale added to your departure funds, which are enclosed. You will need to arrange payment for your cell phone; we have covered that bill during your time with Nathan. Mark or I will call you once the paperwork is in place for the divorce. Please do not change your phone number; we will need to stay in contact with you until this process is complete. After that, there will be no need for future contact.
Drew
I read the note twice, surprised at how comprehensive it is. It covers all of my questions and more, while completely ignoring the events that occurred between us. I had been prepared to sort through my feelings for Drew, to figure out if there was something there worth pursuing, but this card shuts that door. I had been there, available, and he had fucked me. I think of the cold look in his eyes when Nathan told him that I was staying, moving in, remaining his wife. Maybe it was that moment that shut Drew off. Or maybe Drew never saw me as anything more than a piece of ass.
Honestly, I don’t even care at this point. It is easier on me that he is letting go. It wouldn’t have been fair for me to be with him. Not when Nathan has my heart. I won’t do to him what Nathan did to me — keep him in the wings while I yearn for someone else.
I flip through the cash, counting it — fourteen thousand, five hundred dollars. Generous considering my Accord couldn’t have fetched more than a thousand dollars.
There is a skip and a rattle, and then we are on ground, the plane coasting, losing speed, wind buffering around the carbon fiber body as we come to a stop.
I have always used the FBO’s courtesy car on my visits, taking it to the private hospital and on my errands. But seeing as this is a permanent move, I walk to the rental counter instead, counting out funds and walking out the door with keys to a Ford Taurus.
A surprise waits for me at Crestridge. Pam, her face tight, arms wringing, meets me at the front door.
“What’s wrong?” I demand. “What happened?”
I can’t take this . I can’t take anything happening to him now, not when everything else just crashed to the ground. I am moving here, will be able to spend every day with him, hold his hands, and do crossword puzzles ‘til we are at an expert level. For his health to take a turn now … or even worse …
“It’s not your father,” Pam says quickly. “Please come inside. Mr. Hinton needs to speak to you.”
Mr. Hinton. I try to place the name, one I vaguely remember Nathan mentioning.
“Please,” Pam says, holding up the door. “I will take you to him.”
Something is wrong. If not with my father, with something else. Pam is perspiring, fanning herself with her name badge, even though the elevator is cool. I find my own
As the plane soars, snow white clouds moving lazily past, I open my purse. Pulling out the objects inside, I examine foreign objects from a life I barely recognize. A sequined thong, the color garish, material rough, its cheap fabric causing me to wince in recollection of how far I had fallen in life. A tube of blood red Maybelline lipstick. Mascara. Tic Tacs. The keys to my house, my car. I wonder what became of my car, became of the contents of my room in Dib’s house. Was my green Honda Accord still sitting in the Crystal Palace parking lot? My clothes and shoes still crammed in every nook and corner of that small room?
There is an envelope in the purse, the handwriting on the front hurried and unfamiliar. Not Nathan’s. I open it, sliding out a plain white card and a thick wad of bills.
Candace,
The items from your house are in a storage unit in Plant City, the rent is paid through the end of the year. Doris is the manager; she can provide you with a key. Your car was sold, the cash from the sale added to your departure funds, which are enclosed. You will need to arrange payment for your cell phone; we have covered that bill during your time with Nathan. Mark or I will call you once the paperwork is in place for the divorce. Please do not change your phone number; we will need to stay in contact with you until this process is complete. After that, there will be no need for future contact.
Drew
I read the note twice, surprised at how comprehensive it is. It covers all of my questions and more, while completely ignoring the events that occurred between us. I had been prepared to sort through my feelings for Drew, to figure out if there was something there worth pursuing, but this card shuts that door. I had been there, available, and he had fucked me. I think of the cold look in his eyes when Nathan told him that I was staying, moving in, remaining his wife. Maybe it was that moment that shut Drew off. Or maybe Drew never saw me as anything more than a piece of ass.
Honestly, I don’t even care at this point. It is easier on me that he is letting go. It wouldn’t have been fair for me to be with him. Not when Nathan has my heart. I won’t do to him what Nathan did to me — keep him in the wings while I yearn for someone else.
I flip through the cash, counting it — fourteen thousand, five hundred dollars. Generous considering my Accord couldn’t have fetched more than a thousand dollars.
There is a skip and a rattle, and then we are on ground, the plane coasting, losing speed, wind buffering around the carbon fiber body as we come to a stop.
I have always used the FBO’s courtesy car on my visits, taking it to the private hospital and on my errands. But seeing as this is a permanent move, I walk to the rental counter instead, counting out funds and walking out the door with keys to a Ford Taurus.
A surprise waits for me at Crestridge. Pam, her face tight, arms wringing, meets me at the front door.
“What’s wrong?” I demand. “What happened?”
I can’t take this . I can’t take anything happening to him now, not when everything else just crashed to the ground. I am moving here, will be able to spend every day with him, hold his hands, and do crossword puzzles ‘til we are at an expert level. For his health to take a turn now … or even worse …
“It’s not your father,” Pam says quickly. “Please come inside. Mr. Hinton needs to speak to you.”
Mr. Hinton. I try to place the name, one I vaguely remember Nathan mentioning.
“Please,” Pam says, holding up the door. “I will take you to him.”
Something is wrong. If not with my father, with something else. Pam is perspiring, fanning herself with her name badge, even though the elevator is cool. I find my own