Chapter 468
The days ticked by, and it wasn’t just Stewart and York waiting for Charlene’s
divorce-Granger was counting down, too.
Granger, in fact, knew the exact date: Thursday. That was when Charlene and
Thorne were supposed to sign their divorce papers.
He’d been traveling for work a lot lately, hardly ever in town. But this week, he
made a point of catching the red-eye back, arriving home in the early hours of
Thursday morning. After a few hours’ rest, sometime after ten, he tried to distract
himself with work. But eventually, impatience got the better of him, and he dialed
Moran Albright’s number.
“It’s been a while since I’ve caught up with you and Thorne,” Granger said, aiming
for casual. “How about lunch today? Let’s invite Thorne too.”
Moran replied, “I’m free, but Thorne can’t make it. He’s overseas on business-
left a few days ago and still hasn’t come back.”
A knot formed in Granger’s chest. “Thorne’s… out of the country?”
So, they hadn’t gone through with the divorce today after all?
Granger had kept his distance from Thorne and the rest lately. He’d called Moran
partly to fish for news about the divorce. If it was finalized, maybe today would be
his chance-
But things hadn’t gone as he’d hoped.
“So, any idea when Thorne’s coming back?” he pressed.
Moran, who was no longer as invested in the whole divorce saga as he’d been at
the start, just shrugged it off. “No clue. You know how hectic he gets around this
time every year-no telling how long he’ll be gone.”
Granger stared down at his phone, suddenly silent.
After hanging up, he looked at Charlene’s number in his contacts. He’d thought
today might finally be the day he could call her. But now, it seemed he’d have to
wait a little longer.
Busy days always seemed to pass in a blur.
Friday afternoon, Charlene was at work when Jasmine called. School had just let
out for summer break, and with Thorne out of town, Jasmine wanted to come stay
with her.
Charlene turned her down.
From what Thorne had said on the
phone a few days ago, he’d already
been away on business for several
days, She’d assumed he’d be back
soon, but another week had slipped
by and still, there was no sign of
him.
Jasmine spent a few days alone at
home after school let out but quickly
grew restless. By Wednesday, she
called Charlene again: “Mom, Dad’s
been gone for ages. I don’t like being
home by myself. Can I come stay
with you?”
The loneliness in her daughter’s voice made Charlene’s grip on the phone tighten.
After a pause, she replied, “I’ll come home right after work. For now, go stay with
your grandma, okay?”
Hearing her mother finally agree, Jasmine cheered up and hurried to pack her
things for the Ross family house.
Of course, Thorne’s unexpected business trip-and the resulting delay in
finalizing the divorce-hadn’t gone unnoticed by the Ross family.
That evening, over dinner, the old matriarch couldn’t help but ask Jasmine,
“Minnie, do you have any idea when your father’s coming home?”
Jasmine, oblivious to the
undercurrents among the adults,
answered between bites, “Dad said
he’s not sure. When I called him
yesterday, he said he probably
wouldn’t make it back in time for my
birthday.”
Helena frowned at that.
The mandatory waiting period was nearly over, and still there was no word on
Thorne’s return. Would he really not be back until after the deadline?
If so, would they have to wait through another cooling-off period before they could
finally get divorced?
Charlene caught the implication, and her brow furrowed as well.