After the Last Tear: Rising from the Ashes of a Broken Marriage By Cassila K

Chapter 14

Elaine walked away.

Alistair watched her walk away, suitcase in hand, without a hint of hesitation or a single glance back. It was the first time she had ever turned her back on him. Stunned, he staggered to his car, his mind stuck on her final question-one he still couldn't answer.

As he drove through morning traffic toward Chase Enterprises, he passed Westbrook Academy, on impulse, he pulled over.

Westbrook was where he and Elaine went to high school. They had tied for the top spot, but while teachers loved Elaine, the perfect straight-A student, Alistair was the school's resident bad boy.

He used to run into her all the time—when she was cornered by bullies, caught in the rain without an umbrella, or that one time he teased that she was such a goody-two-shoes she'd help old ladies cross the street... only to actually catch her doing it the next day.

The coincidences didn't stop there. She'd forget her lunch card in the cafeteria, get locked in the equipment room, or end up manning the camera at basketball games-where, he later realized, most of her photos were of him.

her for being such a rule follower, so uptight. She'd just lower her head and take

he cut class, only to sneak back and find her hunched over her

nerd had managed to catch Miss

of the page. That was the first time he

Chase! What a surprise! If we'd known you were coming, we would have prepared

present. The man was practically jogging toward him, his face stretched into a painfully eager

waved him off. "Just passing through. Thought I'd take

not for this unplanned visit, he might never have

he felt a strange sense. So young, so full of life, laughing, teasing each other. Some red-faced and awkward whenever their crush got too

phone rang, it was

refused her, so she's making a scene in the lobby,

his nose. He turned