A Stranger In My Home

Chapter 13

“The divorce went through yesterday,” Julie sighed. She’d hoped to tell Jason before anyone else, but he was still avoiding her and she needed someone to talk to.

“Oh… I’m sorry…” Logan said awkwardly.

“Thanks,” Julie shrugged, not knowing what was the appropriate response.

“Were you married long?”

“Eight years,” she answered.

“Wow… I was only married for five, yet it hurt like hell when it ended,” he said sympathetically.

“You’re divorced?” Julie frowned.

“For three years now,” he nodded. “We married right out of college and had different ideas on what we wanted our future to be like. It was doomed from the start, I suppose,” he shrugged.

“Then five years is a long time…” Julie remarked.

“I wanted it to work,” he said earnestly. “My wife did too, at first. Then she met a guy and decided he was the better choice for her.”

“I’m sorry,” Julie said sincerely.

“Thank you,” he smiled. “It’s over and done with, though. No point in dwelling on past mistakes.”    

“If only there was a manual on how to move forward,” Julie sighed.

“Put one foot in front of the other each day and soon enough, you’ll get the hang of it,” he smiled.

“Thanks. Well, I’m going to go practice, see if I can make it to the parking lot all on my own,” Julie smiled. “Have a good night… Logan.”

“If you ever need someone to talk to,” he said, halting her, “I’m here. Maybe we could get some coffee sometime after class?”

“Thank you,” Julie said. “I’ll remember that.”

Once she got to her car, Julie checked her phone for messages. She didn’t expect Jason to have tried to reach her, even though she was later than usual getting home. Therefore, she was surprised to see a new message in her inbox. The sender, however, was undisclosed and apprehension washed over her as she clicked to open the text.

You didn’t really think it’d be that easy, right? A piece of paper doesn’t change the fact that you belong to me - always will.

Julie gasped, tossing the phone aside. It bounced slightly on the passenger seat and landed face down. Her pulse raced and she fumbled with her car keys, attempting to start the car. Derek. She should have known it wouldn’t be that easy to cut her ties with him. She could feel anxiety building and gripped the steering wheel, trying to regain control of her breathing. A knock on her window had her screaming out loud.

“Julie?” Logan tapped her window again and once the initial shock had settled, Julie could tell who he was and see the concern in his eyes. She rolled down the window, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his brows furrowed.

“I’m fine,” she shook her head, trying to convince herself. “Just a little tense, is all…”

“You don’t look too good,” he frowned. “I don’t think you should be driving.”

“Really, I’m fine. I’m just… I’m gonna go.”

“Julie,” he said, stopping her from rolling up her window. “You are not fine. I’m driving you home. You can come back tomorrow for your car – I could pick you up if you need a ride to work – but you’re not driving out of here this upset,” he said firmly.