Chapter 10
Sanibel had been so good to Willow. She met a lot of lovely people, spent time with her best friend, and got back into her old hobbies she’d missed so much. She even started to look into law school again.
Willow thought that giving herself time away from home would make her miss her old life, but it didn’t. She was gone for an entire week and hadn’t heard from Charlie since their big fight the night before she left.
She looked down at her phone and saw a dozen outgoing calls, none of which Charlie picked up. She’d texted him eight times. She had even emailed him at work, but all she got was a confirmation mail that let her know her email was received. That was it. The fact that he had ignored her made it easier for her to stay angry. She didn’t even miss him. Clearly, he didn’t miss her either.
On her seventh day in Sanibel, she took herself out for a nice solo dinner on the beach. She got dressed up in a nice summer dress, pulled her hair into a slicked back bun, and sat at a table near the water to take in what her life had become.
I can’t believe I’ve allowed myself to think that everything was okay for so long. Did I just not want to believe that Charlie didn’t love me anymore? Why doesn’t he even have the decency to call me back? Does it even matter now?
She wondered why Charlie had ghosted her. Completely cut off communication. They were together for five years. He told her he loved her and wanted to be with her forever. She was confused by his actions, his lack of communication and his care for her.
I feel like I’m starting to see things clearly since I’ve been away. There’s so much more that I want out of my life. The career, the beautiful house, the fun social events. Brandi does seem to have it all…
When I met Charlie, I genuinely thought that would be enough for me. The love we had felt like enough back then. But it’s not enough. I can’t be ignored or pushed to the side any longer. If I want to have the life that I’ve always wanted, maybe it really is time to start over.
Her thoughts overpowered her mind that evening. At one point, she thought about inviting some of the people she’d met over the past week out for a few drinks, but she knew it would only numb her from the pain she felt. She knew it was time to process her new reality.
After she finished her dinner, Willow took herself for a walk on the beach. She kicked off her shoes and let her feet be kissed by the waves washing against the shore. While she walked, she looked out into the ocean and up at the moon.
Maybe I just need to focus on myself for a while. Get me back to the woman I used to know and love. Ant then maybe the man I”m truly meant to be with will find me and sweep me off my feet. Only this time, it’ll be genuine and not some fairytale I made up in my head.
She took in a deep breath and gave herself a serious pep talk before heading back up the beach toward the cottage. Her belly was as full as her thoughts, and she needed to sleep them off before she found herself hurling them into the ocean.
On her way in, she felt her phone buzzing in her purse and stopped to retrieve it. The call came from a Tallahassee area code, but the number was one she didn’t know. Maybe it was Charlie? She picked it up and was about to give him a piece of her mind… but it wasn’t him.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Willow. It’s me, Mark.”
Mark was Charlie”s brother. He and Willow didn’t have much of a relationship since they’d only met a small handful of times. Charlie never wanted them to be around each other. He didn’t allow her to be around any of his family, which was odd to her because she really liked his family and would happily have spent more time with them if he’d let her.
“Oh, hey, Mark. Is everything okay?”
“Have you heard from Charlie lately? I’ve been trying to call him and haven’t heard back. Is he all right?”
Mark hadn’t heard from Charlie either? Worry filled Willow’s heart. She started to regret more than just marrying him… she started to feel bad about being angry with him.
“Uh, no. I haven’t heard from him in a while…” she said slowly.
“You haven’t?” Mark sighed as if something deeply troubled him.
“No, I drove down to Sanibel last Friday and left him a note, but I haven”t heard back from him at all. I thought he was mad at me for spending time with my best friend from college… and that’s why he wasn’t returning my calls. What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I talked to him a few nights ago, but ever since then it’s been radio silent.”
“Wait,” Willow interrupted. “You talked to him a few days ago? When?”
“Yeah, maybe three or four nights ago.”
Willow hadn’t heard from Charlie in a week. It was clear that his phone wasn’t broken so he was clearly ignoring her specifically.
This made her furious all over again.
“I’ve been trying to call him all week and you talked to him a few days ago?” she scoffed. “Well, when you talk to him again, let him know I”ll be filing for a divorce. This has gone on long enough and I”m done with his games.”
“Whoa, whoa,” Mark said. “Divorce? Willow, come on. Do you really think that’s necessary? Maybe he’s just taking some time for himself. Just like you are.”
She was frustrated at Mark for standing up for Charlie. Even though he had a point. She had wanted some time to clear her head. She needed some space, and that’s why she’d ended up in Sanibel in the first place. But it was obvious that Mark had no idea what it was like to be married. You can’t cut off all communication and think that everything is going to be okay.
“Do you think it’s okay to ignore someone’s calls for a whole week and not say where you are or what you”re doing?” she asked. “If you do, then I hope you”re not married because no woman deserves to be treated that way.”
“I’m not married,” Mark tried to calm her down. “I’m just saying, maybe we’re overreacting here. There might be something wrong and he’s just not telling anyone.”
That excuse didn’t make sense either. She was Charlie’s wife. She felt like if there was something wrong, she should have been one of the first people to know about it.
“What he’s doing is not okay. I’m sure you”d feel the same way if you were in my shoes.”
“Well, he owes me money and I haven”t heard from him, so I can imagine what it feels like. A little.”
How did Charlie owe anyone money? He worked all the time and there shouldn”t have been a single unpaid debt. All their bills were paid, on time and in full. Their cars were paid off. Charlie took so much pride in being the provider that she didn’t see how he could owe anyone anything. Let alone his own brother.
“How much money does he owe you?” she asked. “Maybe we have it in our savings. If you need it for your family or something. I might be able to work something out.”
“Charlie owes me $250,000, Willow. I’m not sure you have that kind of money in your savings account.”