Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

I haven’t seen Ezra for several days. Each night, his house is shrouded in complete darkness, as if he’s either gone away or never existed at all.

These questions have been swirling in my mind since that strange encounter in my pavilion. I’m starting to feel like I’m losing my grip on reality.

Surely he can’t just disappear—neither from my garden nor from his own home?

I shake my head stoically as the carousel of thoughts refuses to stop spinning.

Things are getting better between me and Thomas, though. Even though the evening was a bit of a bummer for me, at least things have calmed down between us, which I’m happy about because I don’t enjoy arguing with my husband.

Still, I’m restless and find myself thinking about Ezra more and more often.

“Cora? Cora?” I hear my husband’s voice over the intercom.

Startled, I lift my head and see that all his employees are already staring at me, as I must have been lost in thought for quite some time. God, this is embarrassing!

With burning cheeks, I take the call and turn my chair to face the wall, so I don’t have to look at anyone. I’m always focused when working in my husband’s office, striving to be his employee who gets paid for her excellent work, not just his wife. It’s a constant struggle, especially when Thomas initially thought it was ridiculous for me to work. But I want to earn my own money and look after my husband simultaneously, even if the latter is not entirely without ulterior motives.

Thomas has had a problem keeping his hands to himself at work over the last few years, and I’ve found lipstick on his collar more than once. At some point, I’d had enough and confronted him, giving him the choice of his affairs or his family because June would never have forgiven her father for his infidelity—we both know that.

He had sworn to be faithful to me from now on, and things have actually been going really well for the last year, except for our argument a couple of days ago.

“Cora?” When I hear my name repeated once more, I flinch. “Please come to my office,” Thomas demands, then hangs up.

Sighing, I hang up the phone, get up, and follow his instructions. When I enter his office after knocking once, he looks at me with his head tilted. His brows are furrowed questioningly. He doesn’t seem angry, which is a good sign because I wouldn’t have been able to withstand his current temper.

“Sorry,” I hope to keep him in a good mood by apologizing immediately.

“Cora, what’s been happening with you over the last few days? You seem distracted and like you’re not quite yourself,” he replies, and there’s an unexpected amount of worry in his voice.

I shake my head and shrug my shoulders slightly. After all, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. At least, that’s what I’m trying to tell myself.

“Fine, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to take the next few days off. Why don’t you call Kelly and arrange a lunch with her? I’m sure it’ll do you good,” Thomas suggests, which makes me furrow my brow in irritation.

Thomas and Kelly, my best and oldest friend, don’t get along very well. I can’t even say exactly why because they share the same sense of humor and are similar in other ways. Perhaps it's their similarities that cause them to clash. So be it. Still, it’s strange that Thomas should suggest her of all people. But I won’t complain, because I think he’s right. A little distraction will do me good.

“Okay. If you don’t need me here, I’ll finish work, call Kelly from the car, and arrange something with her… Thanks, darling,” I say hesitantly, walking up to him and gently kissing his temple.

Thomas smiles and bids me farewell with a cheeky pat on the bottom, which makes me giggle; after that, I leave his office, shaking my head and grinning. He hasn’t been this exuberant for a long time. I’m glad that at least everything is good between us again.

I tell Hanna, another of Thomas’s secretaries, that I won’t be back this week and what tasks she must cover for me before I leave the office.

Sitting in my car, I dial my best friend’s number and switch to Bluetooth to talk to her while driving. After the third ring, she answers with a dramatic “Is it really you? I thought you were dead”, which immediately makes me grin.

That’s what I love so much about Kelly. Her direct yet humorous manner. She never minces her words, but still isn’t rude or disrespectful.

“Hello, drama queen.” I greet her with her nickname from high school.

Some things will never change, and I’m glad about that.

“Why do you honor me with your call?” she asks, and, as always, when we’re on the phone, I hear her filing her nails.

Kelly always needs something to do, whether she’s on the phone or just staying busy. She’s like a rubber ball, constantly jumping up and down. Sometimes, it’s exhausting, but she keeps me feeling young. She still comes up with the silliest yet funniest ideas, which usually end in unforgettable stories that we will probably still tell each other in 50 years. I hope our friendship lasts forever, and I’m sure it will.

We’ve been through so much together—three weddings, four children, and two divorces. Kelly seems to surpass me in everything, but I’m okay with that. I’m happy to let her take the lead when it comes to divorce because that’s not on my bucket list.

Kelly has always been more of a free spirit, but she can’t stand being alone. Hence, her two marriages and three children. Her children, two boys and a girl, are fourteen and twelve, and the little one is nine years old—two from her first marriage and one from her second. Since I had June at a young age, she’s much older than Kelly’s kids. June used to babysit occasionally, but she soon had other interests and preferred to spend time with her friends, which I can understand all too well.

“What are you doing right now?”

“You know me—the usual. Shooing kids around and terrorizing my ex-husbands,” Kelly jokes, and yet I know part of it is not entirely untrue. Even though Kelly has been divorced twice, she doesn’t face any financial difficulties. Both of her marriages were to wealthy men, and she secured a substantial share in each divorce. That’s not a path I would choose, nor would I feel comfortable using Thomas’s money for myself or living a lavish lifestyle. But that’s simply who Kelly is.

Although I must admit that her first husband, that swine, deserves to pay every penny the judge forced him to. He was a real asshole, and I was relieved when she finally had the courage to end that marriage. Sometimes I admire her for that bravery, especially because I didn’t have the same courage when things were difficult with Thomas. I never seriously considered leaving him because I love him unconditionally and don't want to take June away from her father or risk her losing the chance at a good education. Unfortunately, I can't predict how Thomas would react if I decided to leave now.

“Want to get together for something fun?” I ask, turning and heading straight for her place.

“Uh-huh! I already have an idea. I’ll get everything ready. You pick me up, and then we’ll get sweaty,” she replied, full of anticipation, but I don’t quite follow her.

“What are you up to now?” I ask, grinning.

“You’ll see when you pick me up,” she replies and hangs up—typical Kelly.

After I pick her up and she gets into the car with two sports bags, she still hasn’t told me what she has planned and instead directs me halfway across town.

“You can park here,” Kelly instructs me, and I park in front of a boxing club with a raised eyebrow.

A dilapidated boxing gym, at least that’s what it looks like from the outside. As I turn off the engine, I look at her skeptically, wondering what we’re doing here.

“Don’t look at me like that. The building is under construction, but the interior has been renovated for weeks.”

“The outside needs a do-over, too,” I say skeptically, thinking about how I will get out of this because I know Kelly. There’s no going back once she’s set her mind on something.

“Don’t be so stuffy, Cora,” she scolds me and playfully elbows me in the ribs before getting out.

Sighing and more than reluctantly, I follow her.

“How did you come across this place in the first place?” I continue because I don’t understand what we’re doing here.

Kelly and I like to do workouts together, but boxing? And in a place like this? This doesn’t suit us.

“You’ll see in a minute, and then hopefully, you won’t complain anymore,” she says, silencing me and going inside, leaving me with no choice but to follow her.

Once inside, I’m surprised to admit that the place looks great. There is no trace of the shabby look that the outside fa?ade suggests. Everything here is modern and in pristine condition, as if all the appliances, floors, and equipment were brand new.

I follow Kelly through the large hall in amazement. Here, you can find everything a boxer’s heart desires. There are even three small boxing rings. I spot many small areas with bags of all shapes and sizes in the back corners. And so much more, which I can’t look at while walking, so I follow Kelly until I reach a door.

“You’ve been here before?” I ask her in a whisper as we enter an office.

But she doesn’t answer me and heads straight for the guy behind the desk.

He has his back to us and is sorting files into a cupboard. When he turns around, I freeze. “Ezra?” I blurt out; after that, Kelly turns to me curiously and looks at me questioningly.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise, Mrs. Shepherd. To what do I owe this pleasure… and who’s your friend?” He greets not only me with a charming smile but Kelly as well.

Of course, she is immediately enchanted by him and his manners. On the other hand, I am puzzled about what he’s doing here and why he’s suddenly calling me by my last name again, especially considering what happened between us the other day. Or was it my imagination, and Ezra was never in my garden? Oh damn! I’m really going crazy.