Chapter 11
The snow had melted into puddles on the ground, causing a muddy mess as people kept stepping into them.
“I’ll go in to get my ID. Wait here for me,” Angeline said, pushing open the door.
Ned unbuckled his seat belt in the front passenger seat and said, “I’m going with you. Or else, you might run away.”
Ned and Miles followed Angeline into the area, carefully sidestepping the muddy puddles on the ground. They frowned as they looked at the shabby area that was filled with people.
“How could you live here?” Miles asked, shifting his gaze from the pile of rubbish by the roadside to Angeline. “Even if you didn’t want to stay at the dorms anymore, you could still have gone to Lory’s! This place is too shabby and shady for a single female like you.”
“It’s fine.” Angeline didn’t elaborate any further.
It was too expensive for her to stay at a hotel. What little savings she had from taking up part -time jobs while studying would never be enough to cover her stay there.
And if she were to rent a room or an apartment to herself, she would have to sign a long- term contract with a landlord. Since she wasn’t planning to stay in Oceanford for long, there was no need for that either.
Even if this place was quite shady and run–down, it was the cheapest and easiest place she could rent on a short–term basis.
The path leading to Angeline’s temporary home got more and more deserted. Finally, they stopped at an unnumbered wooden door that was padlocked shut. Ned frowned even harder when he saw this.
Angeline didn’t invite them in. Instead, she went straight to a drawer and started looking for
her ID.
The wooden door didn’t look safe or secure. The place inside wasn’t huge either. There was just enough space for a bed, a makeshift closet, a simple desk and chair, and an old stove with some rusty–looking pots and pans. There was no toilet or bathroom in sight.
Nonetheless, the bed was neatly made up and the desk and chair were clean and dust–free. Even the floor was clean and sparkly.
Angeline locked the door behind her and looked at the two people waiting for her. “Let’s go!
”
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The journey to the courthouse from Angeline’s place was quiet. Each of them was plagued by their own thoughts.
The judge at the courthouse hearing looked at the two people seated far away from each other with similar injuries to their heads. He went through the whole routine, said what was necessary, and finally granted them the certificate of divorce.
Ned looked at the document in his hand. Everything went so smoothly that he couldn’t even believe himself.
“You’ve got your divorce. Ned Fletcher, can I get your public apology by tomorrow?” Angeline asked.
Ned came back to his senses and said, “Okay.”
Angeline nodded and got up. “After your public apology, I will leave Oceanford at once. I won’t appear before you or Ingrid ever again.”
Ned clutched the document in his hand, suddenly seeing the scene where he cornered Angeline against the wall behind the school building in his mind.
He folded the document and pocketed it. Then, he looked at Angeline grimly and said, “That place where you’re living now is unsafe. I told you I won’t take back the apartment I gave you. You-”
“No, thank you.” Angeline also pocketed her copy of the cert in her puffy jacket. “So… This is goodbye.”
After finalizing their divorce, Angeline had nothing to do with Ned anymore. She hoped that they would never meet again in the future.
Miles saw that Angeline refused to take Ned up on his offer, so he said, “I have an empty house you can stay at for now.”
Angeline still shook her head and pulled her scarf over her nose and mouth. Only her cold eyes were seen. “I’ll go and withdraw the case now. If there’s nothing else you want from me, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“I’ll drive you there!” Miles said.
Once more, Angeline shook her head and said courteously, “It’s out of the way for you, so you don’t have to trouble yourself.”
Seeing Angeline leave without so much as a backward glance made Ned draw his lips in a
tight line.
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“I never thought you guys would end up like this,” Miles said with a sigh.
While waiting for the bus at the station outside the courthouse, Angeline stared at the divorce certificate in her hands and got lost in thought.
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