Chapter 98

Chapter 98
WRITER'S POV
Vera couldn’t tell who was trembling more, Hannah or herself, as she helped her into the house. They sat down on a leather bench in the kitchen. Vera had never seen Hannah’s home this messy. No matter how wild her kids got, no matter how many times they spilled juice or scattered toys, Hannah always kept things spotless.
Hannah was a natural at being both a mother and a wife. If the kids messed up the house ten times, she cleaned it twenty. She never complained. She only scolded them lovingly and reminded them to be careful. So what had gone wrong now?
After a while, Hannah’s crying slowed, and both women sighed and let go of each other at the same time. Their foreheads had been pressed together, and now as they looked down at their shaking hands, they laughed. It was a shaky, tired laugh, but a real one. Vera's heart relaxed. Her friend was still in there somewhere, behind all the pain.
Fifteen minutes later, they were on the couch in the living room, each holding a mug of strong, dark coffee. The house was clean again. They had silently worked together, sweeping, picking up broken flower pots and cracked lamps, and wiping down surfaces. Then they made Cajun fried catfish, even though the seasoning was way too sour from too much lemon and vinegar. Still, they ate. It was something to do with their hands, their mouths, their thoughts.
“Ugh, I knew you were dumping seasoning like crazy!” Vera laughed as she bit into the fish and made a face.
“I did it on purpose. I needed to kill your taste buds for making me believe it’s okay to eat when your heart feels like it’s bleeding.” Hannah tried to laugh, but it came out like a sigh.
Vera gulped some coffee and set her mug aside. Then she took Hannah’s hand and held it tight. She knew Hannah would open up eventually. She wouldn’t push. But it hurt to see her friend like this, shaken, hollow, not like the cheerful, strong woman she had always known.
She’d always believed Hannah was the lucky one. The one with fewer scars, fewer battles. It was Vera who usually found herself tangled in chaos. Not Hannah, the one who seemed to have it all under control.
“It wasn’t even that serious, not really,” Hannah began, her voice low. “Just a small fight about…” She stopped and stared into space like she was trying to remember something important. Then she turned to Vera with eyes full of pain.
“You know how much I love Oscar, right?”
“Without question. I’ve never doubted it.”
“And no matter what happened, he shouldn’t have left with the kids like that! I hate him for it. I hate that he ran away like some coward!” Hannah burst into fresh sobs, softer this time, like her heart was too tired to cry hard.
A loud knock came from the front door. They both flinched. Neither of them had remembered locking it, but they had.
“It’ll be okay, best,” Vera whispered. She got up slowly. “I won’t open it if you don’t want me to.”
Hannah took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. “It’s fine. I'm not expecting anyone, I only called you. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I haven’t even told you everything yet.” A little laugh slipped through her tears.
“There’s my girl.” Vera gave her a quick hug, then walked toward the door.
She stared at the screen above the door. Oscar’s face appeared, looking both familiar and distant. It took her a second to believe it was really him and not some trick of her stressed-out mind.
“Oscar?” she whispered as she unlocked and opened the door.
Before she could step aside, two small figures threw themselves into her arms. Tasha and Rowley, Hannah’s kids. She hadn’t even seen them on the porch. Their sudden embrace knocked the breath out of her.
“Did you say Oscar?” Hannah called as she came up behind Vera. Her eyes met her husband’s, and the room seemed to go quiet.
“Before you say anything, let me go first,” Oscar said quickly. “I know I was a coward. I don’t deserve you. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. But no matter what happens, we promised to stick together and fight through it. I panicked. Those last nineteen hours were the worst in my life. Please, let’s just pretend they never happened.”
Vera barely managed to move out of the way before Hannah threw herself into Oscar’s arms.
“Don’t you ever do anything that makes you give me that kind of speech again,” she murmured, holding onto him tight.
Vera’s eyes stung with tears. She quickly looked away and took the kids to the dining area. She knew they needed a moment to reconnect without an audience.
The kids jumped on the leftover fish and coffee like it was the best meal they’d ever had. Vera didn’t even try to stop them. They weren’t complaining about the sourness, so she laughed and let them eat.
When Oscar and Hannah finally came into the room, they were holding hands again. Hannah waved the kids toward their bedroom and turned back to Vera.
“Mr. and Mrs. Oscar,” Vera said, standing with arms crossed, “can someone please explain to me what happened here? I walked into a disaster zone, and now you two are acting like it’s date night. I feel like someone who still believes every promise made by politicians!”
Oscar chuckled and sat on the couch. Hannah sat close beside him. They didn’t stop holding hands.
Vera opened her mouth to argue but thought better of it. She sat on a stool across from them and let out a long breath.
“This is all my fault—” Oscar started.
“No, love. It was mine. Let me tell her. I made her panic for nothing. I guess I just got paranoid. I thought I would never see you again.” Hannah cut in, brushing his hand with hers.
“Hello? I’m still here!” Vera snapped, waving her hands. “I don’t care whose fault it was. Somebody better start explaining before I lose it!”
Oscar nodded. “Okay. I got a job offer in New York.”
Vera’s eyes narrowed. She knew that tone, that possessive hand rub on Hannah’s leg. He was marking his territory.
“That’s huge. So?” she prompted.
Oscar glanced at Hannah. “It’s a great opportunity. More money, better hours. But I’d have to move there. And Hannah wasn’t sure if she wanted to go.”
“I told him we could talk about it,” Hannah added, “but he took that as a no. We had a fight. I said things, he said worse. He packed up the kids and left.”
“I just panicked,” Oscar said quietly. “I thought you were going to leave me. I didn’t know what to do. I just took the kids and drove off to my mom’s house.”
“You could have talked to me,” Hannah whispered. “You should have trusted me. We’ve always talked things out.”
“I know. I just… I was scared.”
Vera watched them, arms folded, her heart softening despite herself.
“You two need therapy,” she muttered.
Hannah chuckled. “We probably do.”
Oscar reached for her hand again, kissing her knuckles. “I love you, and I’m sorry. Next time, I won’t run. We’ll fight together.”
“Good,” Vera said, finally smiling. “Because if you pull a stunt like that again, you’ll be answering to me.”
They all laughed.
And for a brief, peaceful moment, everything felt okay again.