Page 101 of Penny & Royce

The apartment was empty, but there were still signs that she’d once shared it with someone else. There were moments when she could have sworn she could smell him.

That didn’t make sense, though.

He hadn’t been in her place in over a week.

Before she’d gotten married, she liked sleeping in the center of her bed, sprawled out like a starfish. Now she curled up on her side as if she expected Royce to come back at any second and take his side of the bed again.

Maybe her mind was going.

It would make sense seeing as she couldn’t keep anything down. It wasn’t for lack of trying. She’d never been this sick for this long in her entire life.

Penny knew why, too.

The stress of losing the one person who seemed to know her like no one else was making her body revolt.

What if she gave in?

What if she stopped trying to be noble and admitted the truth she’d been fighting all week?

Would Royce ever be able to trust her again?

She knew better than to believe it would be that easy.

At every turn, she’d pushed him away. It didn’t matter if she’d thought she had good reason. She’d still hurt him.

The following day at work, she got a call from her lawyer. She stared at the caller ID with a new sort of trepidation. She considered not answering it and letting it go to voicemail. Then she reached for the phone while lecturing herself that this was what she wanted.

She’d paid for it.

She wasn’t going to avoid it simply because it wasn’t what she wanted deep down.

After a few pleasantries, her lawyer got down to business. “The paperwork is done. It’s cut and dried. Sorry it took a little longer to get to it.”

“That’s fine,” Penny said hollowly. “Will you fax it over to me? I’ll take it to Royce after work.”

“Sure thing. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns, and I’ll do any revisions you need.”

She nodded, unable to say much beyond a goodbye when he was done speaking.

Penny had expected the workday to drag like most of the ones before. But today, time seemed to speed up. The hands on the clock raced around the face until Shelly came to the door to notify her she was heading out.

Penny offered her a grateful smile. “Have a good weekend.”

Shelly nodded, hesitated, then shook her head. “You too.”

Then Penny was left alone with her thoughts.

She stared at the folder that contained the documents for her divorce.

There were no assets to split up. No finances or properties they needed to haggle over. The marriage was so short they wouldn’t have any evidence they were even married after these documents were filed.

And why did that not sit well with her?

Why did she suddenly want something she could take with her? Proof that she’d done something for herself for once in her life?

It was a silly notion, and she knew it.

The pride she’d always had in being practical and levelheaded was starting to feel thin. In its place was an idealistic version of herself—one who wanted to be sentimental and follow her heart.