She looked away.
“Derek makes me feel alive.”
I picked up the overnight bag I’d already packed in my head without realizing it.
“Then go be alive.”
I walked upstairs.
I packed six shirts.
Three pairs of jeans.
My toiletries.
My laptop.
And the old photograph of my parents that Claire had never liked.
I left my wedding ring on the dresser.
I was halfway down the driveway when my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered through the truck’s Bluetooth.
“Cole?”
“Who’s this?”
“Derek.”
I sighed.
“What do you want?”
“You think you’re just going to walk away?”
“She asked for a divorce.”
“She called me crying.”
“That sounds like your problem.”
His voice hardened.
“You’re not taking half that house.”
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
“That’s between me and Claire.”
“No. You’re going to come down to my gym.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m giving you a chance to prove you’re a man.”
I almost hung up.
Then he said something that made me stop.
“You fight me for five minutes Friday night. Five minutes. If you survive, I’ll personally buy your half of the house.”
I laughed quietly.
“You’re serious?”
“Dead serious.”
“And if I don’t?”
“You walk away with nothing.”
