Collateral Bride

Darcy's POV

"If you ever call me again, Frank, I'll file for a restraining order." I didn't wait for his response. I ended the call and tossed my phone onto the passenger seat before he could start another round of excuses, insults, or fake apologies. My hands were shaking around the steering wheel, and I hated that they were. Even after everything, he still had a way of getting under my skin.

The traffic light turned green, but I stayed still for a moment while the cars behind me honked. "Move, Darcy," I muttered to myself.

The divorce papers had been signed just two hours ago. Two hours. After six years of marriage, it had taken less than ten minutes for a judge to officially end it.

I pulled the car forward and let out a long breath. It was finally over. Frank no longer had any claim over my life.

No more checking my phone. No more questioning where I went. No more making me feel guilty for wanting things for myself.

The thought should have made me feel lighter. Instead, I felt strange. Like someone had unlocked a cage and forgotten to tell the bird how to fly. My phone buzzed again. I glanced down and groaned. It was Stacy. A smile found its way onto my face before I could stop it. 

"Where are you?" she asked the second I answered.

"Hello to you too."

"Don't hello me. Today is Freedom Day. Where are you?"

I laughed. "I'm driving."

"Great. Drive faster."

"That sounds illegal."

"Everything fun is illegal."

I shook my head. "You're impossible."

"And you're divorced. Meet me at the café."

"Bossy."

"Twenty minutes."

The call ended before I could argue. That was Stacy. She treated every conversation like she was running a military operation. Still smiling, I followed the road toward our favorite café.

If there was one person who had kept me sane through the last few years, it was her. She had answered every late-night call. Listened to every breakdown. Reminded me I wasn't crazy whenever Frank tried convincing me that I was.

I honestly didn't know how I would've survived without her. Twenty-five minutes later, I pushed open the café door. The smell of coffee and pastries greeted me instantly. Stacy was already seated by the window.

She spotted me and jumped to her feet. "Oh my God."

Before I knew it, she had wrapped her arms around me. I laughed into her shoulder. "Hi."

"No. No hi." She pulled back and grabbed both my hands. "You did it."

A lump formed in my throat. I nodded. "I did."

Her eyes watered. Mine did too. Neither of us mentioned it. Instead, Stacy dragged me into the seat across from her. "Today we celebrate."

"By making me cry?"

"Happy tears don't count."

I rolled my eyes. "You've become so dramatic."

"Says the woman who threatened her ex-husband with a restraining order."

I stared at her. "How do you know that?"

She pointed at my phone. "You accidentally called me while yelling."

My face heated. "Oh."

She burst into laughter. "I wish I had recorded it."

"You're a terrible friend."

"I'm an amazing friend."

The waitress brought our drinks, and the conversation shifted to lighter topics. For the first time in years, I wasn't worrying about what Frank would think. I wasn't checking my phone every five minutes. I wasn't mentally preparing for an argument.

I was just sitting with my best friend and drinking coffee. It indeed felt nice and normal for once.

"What are you going to do now?" Stacy asked.

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You're free."

The word settled between us. Free. I still wasn't used to it.

"You can travel."

"I don't have that much money."

"You can still travel."

"I can barely afford groceries."

"Okay, fine. Maybe not Paris."

I laughed. "Maybe not."

"You could take classes."

"Classes?"

"Painting. Photography. Dancing. Pottery."

"Pottery?"

"Don't judge pottery."

I raised my hands. "I'm not judging pottery."

"You spent six years living for somebody else." Her voice softened. "Now you get to figure out what you want."

I looked down at my cup. The truth was, I didn't know what I wanted. Frank had controlled so much of my life that I'd stopped asking myself that question. What food I liked. What movies I wanted to watch. What clothes I wanted to wear.

Everything had somehow become about keeping him happy. The realization made my chest ache. Stacy reached across the table and squeezed my hand. "You don't have to figure everything out today."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"We'll figure it out together."

That was exactly what I needed to hear. The rest of the afternoon passed in easy conversation. By the time we left the café, the sun had begun dipping toward the horizon.

Stacy walked me to my car. Before I could get inside, she grabbed my shoulders. "Repeat after me."

I sighed. "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

I groaned dramatically. She ignored me. "I deserve happiness."

"I deserve happiness."

"I deserve peace."

"I deserve peace."

"I deserve better than Frank."

I snorted. "I deserve better than Frank."

"D*mn right you do."

We both laughed. She pulled me into another hug before stepping back.

"Call me when you get home."

"I always do."

"Good. Byeee"

I climbed into my car and watched her disappear toward hers. The smile remained on my face long after I pulled onto the road. For the first time in years, the future didn't feel terrifying. It was more open now. Like there were a hundred different paths waiting for me.

I didn't know which one I'd take. But that was okay. The choice was finally mine. My phone buzzed again while I waited at a red light. I expected another message from Stacy. Instead, an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.

I frowned. The message was short.

“Darcy, this is Leonard.” My stomach tightened. I hadn't heard that name in years. Leonard was my father's closest friend. The man who had stood beside him at every family gathering before I cut ties with them all.

Another message arrived.

“Your father is very sick.”

“Please come see him.”

“He keeps asking for you.”

The smile vanished from my face. I stared at the screen. My father, sick. How? The man who had forced me into marrying Frank when I was just eighteen. The man who had ignored every tear and every plea. The man I hadn't spoken to in years was sick?

A final message appeared.

“Please, Darcy.”

“I don't think he has much time left.”

 My eyes remained fixed on the screen as my heart twisted with emotions I wasn't prepared to face.

Then my phone rang. The same number. It was Leonard.

Leonard Calling...

"No," I whispered, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat. "Not today."

My phone kept vibrating on the passenger seat. I forced myself to look away. Without thinking, my foot eased onto the accelerator. A deafening scream shattered the silence.

"Watch out!"

My head snapped up. The traffic light was still red. A young woman was halfway across the crosswalk.

My heart lurched. "Oh God!"

I slammed on the brakes.

SCREEEECH!

The car stopped barely inches from her. For one terrifying second, neither of us moved. Then she slowly lifted her head……and looked straight at me.

For one terrifying second, neither of us moved. The young woman stared at me, her eyes wide with shock. My own heart pounded so hard it hurt.

"Oh my God..."

I threw the car into park and stumbled out.

"I'm so sorry!" I rushed toward her. "Are you hurt?"

She blinked a few times before slowly shaking her head. "I-I'm okay."

A small crowd had already begun gathering on the sidewalk. Someone muttered that I should've been paying attention. They weren't wrong.

"I'm so, so sorry," I repeated.

The woman offered me a weak smile. "It was close," she admitted. "But I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Should I call an ambulance?"

"No." She glanced at my car, then back at me. "Just... be careful."

Embarrassment burned through me as she walked away. I leaned against my car, trying to steady my breathing.

What was wrong with me? I had almost ruined someone else's li