Dear Ex-wife, Marry Me novel Chapter 1976

Shirley, at 21, stumbled upon an unexpected letter while rummaging through some family documents. The envelope was dusted with the kind of dirt that spoke of long distances and rural origins. The return address pointed to Maplewood, a name that rang no immediate bells in her family's collective memory.

"Mom, do we know anyone from Maplewood? There's a letter," she queried, puzzled by the unfamiliar sender.

Her mother, Mrs. Davis, drying her hands on a kitchen towel, frowned upon hearing the name. "Maplewood... Wasn't that where you went last year with your college group for that community service trip?"

Indeed, a year ago, Shirley had visited Maplewood with her student organization. There, she had met a tall, skinny middle schooler. Moved by his situation, she had left some money for him, along with her contact details, promising to send $2,000 every six months to support his education through high school.

The letter, Shirley realized with a start, must be from him.

Mrs. Davis returned to her cooking, remarking that another letter had arrived two months prior and had been inadvertently thrown away by Shirley's father, suspecting it to be junk mail.

Opening the letter in her room, Shirley found a brief note. It was a stark, almost desperate message from the boy, explaining that he couldn't continue his education due to family obligations. His aunt had had a baby, and he was needed at home.

The words seemed to scream for help, yet Shirley's own life was at a crossroads. She was in her senior year, juggling internships and living in a rented apartment across town.

Dinner that evening was an uncomfortable affair. Her father, Mr. Davis, pressed her about her relationship with Mark, a fellow student whose family owned a successful business. He suggested that marrying well could "change her class," a notion Shirley found both archaic and infuriating.

She wanted to be a French teacher, not a corporate wife.

The conversation ended with Shirley storming out, determined to follow her own path, even as her parents worried about her future and her relationship with Mark.

Arriving at her apartment, she was surprised to find Jessica, a junior from Mark's department, waiting with some of Mark's lab data. The encounter quickly turned awkward as Jessica hinted at a closer-than-professional relationship with Mark, something Shirley wasn't aware of. Jessica's phone call, supposedly from Mark, only added to the confusion and tension.

Shirley stood at the threshold of her apartment, a mix of emotions swirling within her. The letter from Maplewood weighed heavily in her mind, a reminder of the complexities and responsibilities that life had thrown her way.