Chapter 103

Getting up, I stormed out of the dining room and out the front door. Striding through the garden, I swung the gate open. It slammed behind me as I flung the car door open. Grabbing a pack of cigarettes, I lit one and took a drag.

It was already getting dark but according to my watch it was barely 7 p.m. Blowing out the smoke, I closed my eyes. This was too much. All of this was too much. I was so overwhelmed and lost in this sea that was Auri’s life now. Morgan fit, as he always did. Hell, he even abandoned her and she forgave him, eventually. It was five years later but it happened. Was there still hope?

“May I?”

My eyes widened and I slipped from my lean against the car. Auri had snuck up on me. She was holding out her hand. Putting the packet of cigarettes in her grasp, she easily tapped one out but lit it from a flame she produced from her finger.

“Normally, I don’t like smoking around the house. The kids and the garden. But I’ll let it slide tonight.” Auri leaned against the car