Chapter 10 #3
The generosity of his offer almost left her speechless. He had betrayed her in the home they shared and now expected praise for offering her one room inside it.
“I don’t want space from you across a hallway,” Abby said as she closed the box. “I want a life that doesn’t include you.”
Hudson’s face hardened. “You should be careful about making statements you can’t take back.”
“I’m not taking it back.” Abby placed both hands on the box between them. “I meant exactly what I said.”
He looked toward the trash bag beside the coffee table. One of the seating card samples remained visible near the top.
“You threw away the seating cards?” Hudson asked as he crossed the room and pulled the sample free. “My mother paid the calligrapher’s deposit.”
“Then the refund can go to her.” Abby looked at the invitation in his hand. “I’ll give the venue her information.”
“Do you hear yourself?” He held up the ruined invitation, displaying the stain his own glass had left across their names. “You are treating our wedding like an appointment you can cancel on a whim because you had a bad night.”
Abby looked at the paper between his hands. “You treated it like something you could do while sleeping with someone else.”
Hudson glanced at Sadie, his humiliation turning quickly into anger. “I will not discuss this in front of her.”
“That's fine because there’s nothing to discuss.” Abby lifted the first box and nearly lost her grip when its weight pulled against her arms.
Sadie took it from her. “I’ll carry these. You get your car keys.”
Hudson moved between Abby and the entry table. “You’re not driving in this condition.”
Abby stopped several feet away. “Move.”
“You haven’t slept. You’re upset, and you’re clearly not thinking rationally.” He lowered his voice, trying to draw her into the private space of their old arguments. “Stay here tonight. Sadie can take the boxes, and we’ll talk after you rest.”
For a moment, Abby could see how it would happen.
She would agree because she was tired, Hudson would order food, and he would become attentive enough to make her leaving seem cruel.
By tomorrow evening, she would be apologizing for searching the drawers while he explained that forgiveness required them both to change.
“Move away from the door,” she said as she took out her phone. “If you stop me from leaving, I’ll call the police myself.”
Hudson stared at her. He seemed to search her face for the woman who would have softened the threat before making him uncomfortable.
Sadie returned from carrying the first box into the hallway. “She asked you to move.”
He stepped aside with a contemptuous shake of his head. “Go, then. When you come back, I expect an apology for turning this into a spectacle.”
Abby picked up her car keys and purse. “I’m not coming back alone.”
They carried the remaining boxes to the elevator while Hudson stood inside the apartment. He did not help, though he watched every trip as if cataloging what Abby had taken from him.
On the final trip, Abby paused beside the kitchen. The roses remained in the sink, their outer petals beginning to brown where the water from the faucet had soaked them.
The ring was gone. Only a damp impression in the ribbon showed where it had rested.
She did not ask where Hudson had put it. She closed the apartment door and followed Sadie to the elevator.
They loaded the last box into Abby’s car shortly after five. Sadie wanted to drive both vehicles back to her house in separate trips, but Abby asked for ten minutes alone before they left.
She sat behind the wheel with the wedding venue’s number displayed on her phone. The contract allowed partial reimbursement if they canceled before the final ninety days, a deadline that would pass at the end of the week.
Abby had memorized the clause because Hudson once accused her of being careless with deposits. Now the same preparation gave her a narrow window in which to reclaim some part of what they had spent.
She pressed the number and waited through two rings. Her pulse beat against the phone when someone finally answered.
“Rosemont House, this is Caroline,” a woman answered with the warm efficiency Abby remembered from their planning meetings. “How may I help you?”
Abby gripped the steering wheel. “This is Abby Kendrik. We have the Covington-Kendrik wedding scheduled for September.”
“Of course. I have your file right here.” Paper shifted on the other end of the line. “Are you calling about the menu tasting?”
“No.” Abby watched Sadie through the windshield as her sister stood beside her car, giving her privacy without leaving. “I need to cancel the wedding.”
The paper stopped moving. Caroline’s voice softened when she answered. “I’m very sorry to hear that. Would you like me to place the event on hold while you review your options?”
Hudson would prefer a hold. A hold preserved the possibility that Abby’s refusal could expire before the reservation did.
“No,” she said as she looked at the boxes filling the back seat. “The wedding will not be taking place. Please cancel it.”