Chapter 43

Curtis had meticulously mapped out the trip, sparking a flame of excitement in Leanne that she hadn’t felt in ages. She dived headfirst into the depths of the internet, scouring blog posts and travel forums for the hidden gems of Iceland. She was serious about crafting the perfect itinerary.

The promise of Iceland’s spring had her imagination blooming with visions of the Northern Lights, fields of wildflowers, and the spectacle of seabirds returning from their

southern winter sojourn across the ocean’s canvas.

Yet, the honeymoon never happened. It fizzled out, just like that.

Curtis became a rare sight at home, and his responses to Leanne’s calls grew colder. It was late when Curtis got home, straight to the shower, then bed, without so much as a whisper of conversation.

Leanne was lost, swirling in what she thought was a dizzying romance, clueless as to why Curtis had suddenly turned so distant.

At the time, Curtis had just broken away from the clutches of the Richardson Group, launching his venture, ElitePinnacle Investments. Curtis was a man brimming with pride, determined to make it without riding on the coattails of the Richardson family.

But for a fledgling investment bank to snag an IPO underwriting deal for a listed company. was no walk in the park.

Leanne tried to console herself, reasoning that his absence was due to the relentless grind of work, that his silence was born from sheer exhaustion, not a lack of desire to

connect.

Curtis was at its peak, so she mustered all her bravery and crashed Devin’s birthday bash uninvited, just to catch a

there she heard those words that would haunt her at night, sending chills

the room descended upon her, casting looks of disdain and pity, that she slowly came to a

job. She just wasn’t worth it.

turned out he still loved Suzan. Leanne was nothing but

easily discarded when he

unseen.

As she walked out, her spine was straight,

lay scattered on the floor, crushed

1/2

up to cloud nine, just to pull the rug out from

chill between Leanne and Curtis solidified into ice.

resentful of being pressured into a loveless marriage, and had fled across the

her shell. For a long stretch,

Leanne returned to the silent haven at Crystal Cove Villas Number 9, the

caretaker over at Number 12, looking after the elderly. Their kids are all settled abroad and the old folks are bored stiff. I mentioned our kittens and she asked if they could have one. They even had a family video call to vote on it and made

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