Chapter 7 - A New Address and a Quiet Sunset
Three weeks later, the chaos of the legal proceedings had settled into a dull legal hum managed entirely by attorneys. Grant had moved into a modest, second-floor loft apartment on the north side of Westbridge. It had exposed brick walls, creaky hardwood floors, large industrial windows overlooking a quiet brick-paved alleyway, and absolutely zero pretense.
There were no custom cabinets here. No expensive quartz countertops designed to impress neighbors he didn't even like. Just a comfortable leather armchair, a sturdy wooden dining table he had built himself over the weekend, and Duke stretched out contentedly on a soft rug by the radiator.
Saturday evening arrived with a brilliant explosion of amber and violet across the Indiana sky. Grant stood on his narrow fire escape, holding a mug of black coffee, watching the sun dip below the distant treeline. For the first time in six years, his chest felt completely light. There was no nagging anxiety about whether dinner was fancy enough, no dread about what social obligation was lurking around the corner, and no secret double life ticking away behind his back.
His phone buzzed on the kitchen island inside. He walked over, picking it up expecting a spam call or a notification from his logistics app. Instead, it was an unknown number with a local area code.
He hesitated, then swiped to read the text:
Unknown: Hey Grant. It's Nolan. I know you won't reply, and I don't blame you. But I wanted you to know... Cassidy and I aren't speaking. In fact, she moved back in with her parents in Evansville yesterday. The house is up for sale. I'm sorry. For everything. I was a coward.
May you like
Grant stared at the screen for a long, quiet moment. There was no surge of triumphant vindication. No bitter satisfaction. Just a profound, liberating pity. They had blown up their entire social circle, their reputations, and their comfortable lives for a fleeting, reckless moment of validation, leaving nothing behind in the ashes.
He didn't reply. He simply blocked the number, tossed the phone onto the couch, and walked back to the open window.
