Crescendo

Chapter 29

Soundtrack for this chapter:
Thunder—Imagine Dragons
All My Life—Foo Fighters
Angela—The Lumineers

29

Jules

I'd say that it took all of three seconds for me to realize how much I loved skiing. It had nothing to do with the skill or the sport of it; it was all in the rush I felt gliding down the slope.

The wind was cold on my face but it filled my lungs and reinvigorated every sense within me. The snow beneath my feet was soft and fluffy yet also somehow packed and smooth and helped propel me down the mountain. I'd never in my life felt so revitalized; that was exactly why I tackled Theo at the bottom of the slope and why I hopped into the shower with him the second we returned to our cabin.

I never thought I'd remarry after Will; Theo was able to change my mind in a mere few months. Sure there were things he did that annoyed me, and sure we'd gone through significant highs and lows, but the feeling of support I got from Theo was more powerful than anything else. He was my person, and it took trudging through all of the mud that was my life in Savannah to get to him; he was worth every speck of dirt.

Soon after we returned to Boston, I was back at Parnassus as classes were getting ready to begin again. It was weird sleeping alone after having a partner in bed for the previous few weeks, but I quickly sunk back into my normal schedule. I was glad for it too; I loved Theo, that much was clear, but I never wanted to lose myself, never wanted to feel like I had to ultimately rely on him for something, and the fact that he completely understood that about me made my love for him plunge even deeper.

When I got the text from Theo's dad that he had processed all of my divorce paperwork, my heart felt lighter than it had in years. All that was left was my final phone call with Will; the cards were stacked in my favor, and for the first time in a while, my wings felt as if they could help me soar across an entire ocean.

As my fingers tapped out Will's number, I made certain my laptop speakers were up at full volume; if he was going to hear just how awful of a human being he was, he was going to hear it at full blast.

He picked up, and no chill, no shiver consumed me when he said my name.

"Jules. I've been waiting for this call."

"Have you?"

"Sure have, sweetheart. I told your Boston fling that you'd come back, just like always."

Pure revulsion swirled in the back of my throat. "There's not a doubt in my mind you said that. Unfortunately, your prediction couldn't be farther from the reason for this call. In a few days, you're going to be served divorce papers. I can guarantee, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that it would be in your best interest to sign them."

He laughed, and I imagined his head tipping back, eyes squinting closed. "That's a good one. I've got to imagine whatever shitty lawyer you found down here will be as easily persuaded as your previous one to shred whatever it is you asked him to draft up."

But there wasn't a single thing he could say to shake me. "Who says I have a lawyer from Savannah?"

"We were married in Georgia, Jules. Your residence is here in Georgia. State law says—"

"State law in Massachusetts says that so long as someone can prove residence for one year, she can file for divorce. You're smart enough to count the number of months between when I left Savannah and moved into the university up here in Boston."

But he wasn't going to let me get any note of wavering on his end. "Okay, darling. You want to play this game? You think you can win this?" His voice dripped equal parts arrogance and loathing.