Hold My Tear, I’m Getting My Wife Back!

Chapter 3

Curtis emerged from the bathroom with the soft sound of his footsteps padding across the carpet toward the other side of the bed. The mattress dipped as he slipped beneath the covers, a corner of the duvet lifting.

Leanne caught a whiff of a subtly cold fragrance, a crisp, penetrating scent that seemed to seep into her bones, the woody notes mixed with his body heat, with a hint of tobacco lingering in the background.-

It was Curtis’ signature scent.

The dim glow from the nightlight barely reached the bed, and the night was so still that their even breaths were the only sounds breaking the silence.

Each occupied half of the bed, setting a cold, invisible barrier between them.

After lying quietly for a while, Leanne gazed in Curtis’ direction. Maybe it was the darkness, but his features seemed more chiseled and distant.

“Aren’t you asleep yet?” she ventured.

Curtis’ weary, slightly irritable voice broke the silence of the dark, “Keep it down.”

Leanne touched the pendant around her neck and then turned her back to him.

When Leanne woke up the next day, Curtis was already up.

She got up, freshened up, and when she walked into the living room, she saw Curtis neatly dressed, sitting at the dining table, browsing the real-time stock quotes on his tablet.

He looked up briefly when he heard her. “Where’s Laura?”

Leanne opened the fridge. “I let her go.”

but didn’t comment further.

slices of ham, lettuce, and cheese to

“Is this what you

fare. Rushing to work in the mornings, she often settled for just a few slices of

it or leave

and Leanne turned to see a timid

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11:13

Chapter 3

litter of strays huddled by the hospital during a downpour weeks ago. The newborn kittens were trembling, soaked to the bone, and

bones.

home, planning to foster them until they were old enough to be adopted. She hadn’t expected Curtis to return from his year-long stay in Emberland Country.

stray and wanted to bring it home. When she asked for his opinion over the phone,

confined to a spare room, but somehow, it

furrowed. “Where did this stray

with disdain which made Leanne uncomfortable. She went to pick up the cat,

“Then you should apply for a

find Curtis donning his coat and the

the mirror and sentenced the cat to

Leanne didn’t engage.

kittens. Why must Curtis b so

yet his heart seemed so callous.

expression in the mirror. “What are

retorted. “ll ensure they’re confined and won’t escape again. I’ll disinfect the house daily, and once I get someone to adopt them, they’ll be gone.”