Dear Ex-wife Marry Me by Twin Bridge

Chapter 1976

Chapter 1976

Shirley, at 21, stumbled upon an unexpected letter while rummaging through some family documents. The envelope was dusted with the kind of dirt that spoke of long distances and rural origins. The return address pointed to Maplewood, a name that rang no immediate bells in her family's collective memory.

"Mom, do we know anyone from Maplewood? There's a letter," she queried, puzzled by the unfamiliar sender.

Her mother, Mrs. Davis, drying her hands on a kitchen towel, frowned upon hearing the name. "Maplewood... Wasn't that where you went last year with your college group for that community service trip?" Indeed, a year ago, Shirley had visited Maplewood with her student organization. There, she had met a tall, skinny middle schooler. Moved by his situation, she had left some money for him, along with her contact details, promising to send $2,000 every six months to support his education through high school.

The letter, Shirley realized with a start, must be from him.

Mrs. Davis returned to her cooking, remarking that another letter had arrived two months prior and had been inadvertently thrown away by Shirley's father, suspecting it to be junk mail.

stark, almost desperate message from the boy, explaining that he couldn't continue his education due to family obligations. His aunt had had a baby, and he

Shirley's own life was at a crossroads. She was in

that evening was

affair. Her

pressed her about her relationship with Mark,

student whose family owned

successful business. He sunet

a notion Shirley found both archaic and

a French teacher, not

with Shirley storming out, determined to follow her own path, even as her