Chapter 16 Free Will So I just randomly scored a smoking hot roommate who also happened to own the place ? I shook my head with a wry smile as I stared at Annes closed door .
It seemed like ever since I decided to leave Elizabeth , my luck with women had improved .
Back when I was trying to make Elizabeth feel secure , Id turned down every woman who came my way , starting from when I first pursued her .
Truth was , I used to be quite the catch .
I had plenty of girls interested in me back in school .
Too bad Elizabeth never appreciated any of that effort .
Well , screw it .
As long as my future wouldnt include Elizabeth , I was good with whatever happened next .
I shook my head and went back to my room to sleep , completely unaware that Anne had just answered a call from Lydia the moment she closed her door .
Hey Mom , I met Julian , Anne said .
You were right .
Iles super hot , and hes got an amazing body .
He was shirtless when I saw him , and hes all muscle … Chapter 16 Free Will 2/7 As she spoke , the scene flashed through her mind again , making her fair checks flush slightly pink .
Of course I wouldnt steer you wrong ! Did you think your own mother would set you up with someone lame ? Lydia replied .
I told you Julian was a catch .
Earlier today he tried to lie to me , saying he was married with kids .
I saw right through that .
Lydias smug voice came through the phone .
So , are you happy with my choice this time ? Yeah , Im definitely interested in him .
When he rushed over to help me without hesitation , it really hit me .
This time , its different .
Ive already worked things out with him and moved in .
Hes actually pretty shy … Anne couldnt stop grinning .
Shed already made up her mind that she wasnt going to let Julian slip away .

Im glad you like him .
My instincts are never wrong , Lydia replied with a laugh .
And I promise , if you can lock Julian down , Ill stop pestering you about blind dates .
Hows that sound ? I really hope you two can be together , you know .
They were thoroughly enjoying their phone conversation .
When Anne heard the words be together , her face instantly turned red .
Yes , Mom .
Ill follow your lead on this one , she said .
obediently .
Chapter 16 Free Will Yeah , right .
Who are you kidding ? Lydias dismissive voice .
immediately shot back .
3/7 When I tried setting you up on blind dates before , you went on about free will and how youd never let me arrange your life .
Now youre suddenly this obedient daughter ? I know exactly whats going on here .
Youre not fooling anyone ! Come on , Mom , stop teasing me ! I should go .
Staying up late is bad for my skin .
Time for bed ! Anne couldnt handle Lydias taunting anymore and quickly hung up , her face burning red .
Moments later , she received a message from her cousin .
[ So Anne , howd it go ? ] Anne : [ Everythings going according to plan .
] [ Im glad things went well .
But seriously , I cant believe you made me pretend to be some creepy stalker following you .
You have no idea how terrified I was when he came charging out .
I thought he was gonna beat me up ! I played my part in your little charade , so you definitely owe me those shoes ! ] Annes cousin had even added a scared emoji at the bottom of his messages .
She couldnt care less about his complaints .
She simply transferred the money to his account , made him promise never to blow her cover if they ever met in person , then turned off her Chapter 16 Free Will phone and settled in for the night .

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In Annes mind , the whole act was worth it .
4/7 Shed finally found a guy who was not only attractive but had a good heart to match .
No way was she letting him slip away ! Meanwhile , I was lying in bed about to fall asleep , completely clueless that everything that had happened tonight was just Annes elaborate test of my character .
Just then , my phone rang .
I picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number on the screen .
Who would be calling me at this hour ? I frowned slightly as I answered with a hesitant Hello ? only to hear a voice I knew all too well .
Julian , why did you block my number ? Elizabeths slurred voice came through the phone , her tone accusatory yet somehow hurt at the same time .
Julian , answer me ! she demanded .
Elizabeth ? Why are you calling ? I replied .
Were getting divorced , so whats the point of keeping each others numbers ? Thats why I blocked you .
Hearing her voice made my frown deepen as I recalled the video .
my old classmate had sent me tonight .
Shed gone to the bar after all , and gotten completely wasted .
Chapter 16 Free Will But with her precious Callum right there beside her , why the hell was she calling me in the middle of the night ? Wasnt she worried Callum and Gideon would get the wrong idea ? Whats that supposed to mean ? I asked .
5/7 You dont get to block me , Elizabeth snapped .
If anyones doing the blocking , it should be me blocking you ! Unblock me right now .
I mean it ! Her angry voice blasted through the phone , clearly spoiling for a fight .
Why should I ? I shot back .
Im not your damn lapdog who jumps whenever you say so .
Dont bother me when Im trying to sleep .
I was about to hang up without giving Elizabeth any chance to respond .
But right then , maybe she finally realized I was no longer the husband who put her at the center of everything , because her tone suddenly softened .
Wait , dont hang up , Julian , Elizabeth pleaded .
Im drunk .
Can you come pick me up and take me home ? Please ? No way .

Goodbye .
I rejected her out of nowhere request without hesitation , Chapter 16 Free Will 6/7 laughing bitterly to myself as I ended the call .
At that moment , I couldnt say I felt sad exactly , but there was definitely a bitter irony to the situation .
Back when my heart was full of love for her , Id show up right on time outside whatever restaurant Elizabeth was at whenever she drank too much at her business dinners .
Id wait for her all alone through the night , shivering in the cold , just so I could be the first to wrap her in a warm coat and offer her water .
When I watched her clutching her stomach , unable to sleep because the alcohol was destroying her gut , it truly broke my heart .
Time after time , I begged her to stop drinking so much .
It was wrecking her body .
But her reaction cut deep .
At first , shed snap at me to shut up with that irritated look on her face .
Eventually , she flat out banned me from picking her up altogether .
Elizabeth had no idea how it killed me inside her own husband -having to watch other men bring my wasted wife home night .
after night .
I tried to convince myself it was no big deal .
They were just dropping her off , right ? I was still the one taking care of her in the end .
Then came that night when I suggested having a few drinks to loosen up before getting intimate .
Without a second thought , she Chapter 16 Free Will shut me down with that ice cold stare .
7/7 People who follow Buddhism shouldnt be doing this kind of thing anyway , she said .
Adding alcohol makes it even worse .
She glared at me and told me I could get the hell out of bed , warning me never to make such an unreasonable request again .
The gut wrenching pain I felt in that moment I still remembered it clear as day .
And now that we were getting divorced , suddenly Elizabeth was begging me to come pick her up ? Yeah right , dream on , I muttered .
I put my phone down to sleep , but Elizabeth kept calling again and again , as if shed keep it up until dawn if I didnt agree .
This surprised me completely .