CHAPTER 7

"Babe, come back to me," Zack cried into the phone, his voice filled with longing.

"I understand. I will accept your son. I always told you that man would only bring laughter to your life, and then he left you," I said, my own tears flowing without my awareness.

"Will you be coming back tomorrow? Alright, I'll wait for you here," Zack's words lingered as he bid me farewell. I departed from his house, having forgotten to retrieve the key he had lent me.

"Hey," a voice called out, causing me to halt in my tracks. It was Zack's wife, her smile concealing complex emotions.

"Thank you," she spoke, her gratitude puzzling me.

"Why?" I asked, my confusion evident.

"Your cooking. It made him miss me, and I found myself missing him too. So, I'll be returning to him tomorrow."

"And what about me?"

"It means you'll be gone. So, for every day my husband spends with you, there will be a price to pay."

"What? Wait, I thought you had a boyfriend?"

"Yes, that's true. But he's working in Ital