It was as if the emptiness inside him had been filled in an instant, and all the uncase and panic he’d carried for the past few years
evaporated in that moment.
“Shermaine.” Ezra whispered her name again, his eyes reddened at the corners, as if on the verge of tears.
Shermaine snapped back to reality. She frowned slightly, her tone flat and cold as she said, “Let go.”
Ezra seemed not to hear her. He mumbled, oblivious to her discomfort, “Where have you been all these years? Do you know how long I’ve been searching for you? It doesn’t matter. I found you. Will you come home with me? Shermaine, I was wrong. I can’t live without you. You have no idea how hard it’s been these past few years. Without you, I felt like a zombie going through the motions. I’ve broken up with Melanie. I promise, from now on, you’ll be the only one in my world. If you don’t believe me, I’ll give
you everything I have.”
All the emotions he had suppressed for over four years burst forth like a fountain.
Such intense, passionate love was something Shermaine and Ezra hadn’t shared in the five years they’d been together. If this had been before, Shermaine would’ve been moved to tears. But now, all she felt was an overwhelming sense of frustration and
disgust.
“Ezra.” Shermaine took a deep breath, fighting the urge to slap him. “Didn’t you hear me? Let go.”
Her eyes, full of undisguised contempt, felt like sharp needles, piercing Ezra’s heart.
The pain in his chest was suffocating, and it took all his strength to breathe. His eyes reddened even more, and tears seemed like
they could fall any second.
“Shermaine.” Ezra’s lips trembled, a mix of disbelief in his voice. “Do you hate me?”
Finally, Shermaine managed to pull her hand away.
She stepped back a few paces, lifting the hem of her dress as if to distance herself from him.
1/2
+15 BONUS
Seeing the man she had once loved so deeply now wearing an expression of heartbreak left her strangely unaffected.
Shermaine shook her head, offering a polite, distant smile. “I don’t hate you, because hate is still an emotion. I don’t feel
anything for people who don’t matter to me. Mr. Yarbrough, you should know by now–we’re divorced. And the main reason we got divorced had nothing to do with your affair. In the adult world, it’s best to part ways gracefully. I think we both deserve to maintain our dignity.”
With that, Shermaine turned to leave.
But Ezra quickly caught up to her, desperation in his voice. “If it’s really like you say, why did you show up at an event like this after disappearing for over four years? This is a business gathering. You’ve never liked these kinds of events. You’re here because you want to run into me, aren’t you? Shermaine, we’ve been together for so long. I know you
He wanted to say “I know you still love me,” but he didn’t get to finish his sentence as a tall, distinguished man walked up to
Shermaine’s side.
