Envious Read Online Free PDF Page A

when Hannah started school full time. Well, I started out thinking I’d try one course just to see what it was like.”
    “And?”
    “I liked it. A lot.”
    “Good.”
    “So I took another and another, and well, I almost have enough credits to complete the program.”
    “Seriously?” He looked stunned. “How long have you been doing this?”
    “A few years.” He didn’t just look surprised; he looked hurt. Not that she could blame him. He was her husband, and she’d cut him out of a big part of her life. She would have felt the same way if their situations were reversed. “I would have told you sooner, but I was afraid I wouldn’t have what it takes to complete the program. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
    “I don’t understand.” He set his water bottle down on the counter. “You’ve been taking courses behind my back for three years? How? They must have been expensive, and you haven’t been withdrawing that kind of money from our joint account. If you had, I would have noticed.”
    “I wanted to do it on my own.” She sat up straighter. She couldn’t cower in fear, or he would know she felt guilty. “I picked up some freelance jobs as a personal assistant to pay my tuition.”
    “I don’t believe this.” Lee dropped his head into his hands. He was silent for a moment before looking at her. “Why the hell didn’t you just tell me what you were doing? You didn’t think I’d support you?”
    “It wasn’t that.” She was almost ashamed to admit the truth. He deserved to know what she’d been thinking and feeling when she cut him out of the decision-making process. “You know me. I’ve never been one to finish the things I start. I was afraid this would just be another failure to add to the list.” But it wasn’t. It was different, and knowing she was finally going to complete something she could be proud of made her feel different.
    “Girl, why can’t you see what the rest of the world sees when they look at you?” He looked at her for a long time, his gaze softening. “You’re gorgeous, and sweet and smart and compassionate. Our little girl is lucky to have you.”
    It felt like forever since Lee had paid her a real compliment. She didn’t know how to react. “Thanks. She’s lucky to have you, too.”
    He smiled. “I think it’s great that you’ve been doing this. I just wish you’d told me about it. I would have helped you. I hope you know that.”
    “I do.” Lee wasn’t the kind of man to stand in the way of her dreams. She knew she’d never have gotten off drugs without him. In the early days, he had been the only one she had to turn to. They celebrated each and every hour without a drink or the urge to shoot up or pop pills. Those hours turned into days, then weeks, then months, and finally years. They tried to relegate those dark days to their memories and focus on the blessings in their lives.
    “The fact that you didn’t feel you could come to me with this…” His expression looked pained. “That says a lot about where we are in this relationship, don’t you think?”
    Katie couldn’t say why, but her heart pounded harder, nearly deafening her. “I don’t know what you mean.”
    “Yes, you do.” He bent down on one knee in front of her. “You once felt like the only friend I had in the world. When we came together, we were scared and alone and desperate. We felt like the world had abandoned us, and all we had was each other.”
    He was right. She didn’t think she would have gotten through her darkest days without him. “I remember.”
    “I’ll never forget what you did for me, how you helped me put my life back together and believe in myself again.”
    Katie felt the walls of their newly renovated kitchen closing in on her. “Why does this sound like a good-bye?” When he didn’t respond, she let out an anguished cry. She knew they hadn’t been connecting on an intimate level. Lee spent more nights on the sofa than in their bed, but she