A Marriage Never Meant To Be

than; it was his mother, Eleanor Hayes. Her v

bit quiet last night. Are you st

o me, Eleanor," I

a far more valuable one. You should be grateful for his generosity instead

my lack of appreciation, my emotional instability. I let the words wash over

I thought about the watch. My brother, Liam, had saved for six months to buy it fo

cheap diner, celebrating my first front-page story. He' d slid

ter's watch. For telling the time, for meeting deadlines, for always rememb

ter that. It was my connection to him, a tangible piece of his belief in me. And E

y apartment. He had a bouquet of r

unding sorry at all. "She's just stressed

eply, bone-achingly tired of figh

ed, placing the roses on the counter. "But you have to a

aking of which, I brought her with me. She wants to apologi

ee her. I didn't want to hear her

ournful. She was clinging to Ethan

m just so, so sorry. I can't stop thinking abou

had laid out the pieces of the broken watch

d?" she said, her voice full o

the main casing, the one piece that held the delicate,

was a faint, final crunching sound. I watched as a tiny, essential gear, dislodged from the fir

s now absolut

r's love to her face. She was already starting to

ng to comfort her. A single, hollow que

hy

he letting this happen? Wh

just had Chloe, sobbing in