When the Lights Go Out in Manhattan Chapter 10

"Hello...! Eleanor, why didn't you come to work?"

Presumably shocked that I still answered the phone, the man's low, hoarse voice was laced with poorly concealed delight.

"I'm on annual leave."

"Oh... right, I heard. You haven't taken a vacation in years. You should rest."

Julian sounded overly cautious, obviously afraid I would hang up if he said the wrong thing.

I was getting impatient. "What do you want?"

"I... I started getting dizzy yesterday. Went out for dinner, came back and threw up all night. I think I have a fever."

"Oh. And?"

Hearing my emotionless retort, Julian fell silent.

His breathing was heavy. I knew he wasn't lying.

But what did that have to do with me?

"Hey! Long time no see, Eleanor."

My friends had arrived. I immediately said to Julian:

"I'm having tea with friends. Gotta go."

My friend looked curious. "Who was that?"

"My ex-husband."

"Oh my god, Sue said you were divorcing but I didn't believe it. Spill! What happened?"

Just like that, my girlfriends and I spent an exceptionally pleasant afternoon roasting the scumbag over cupcakes and black tea.

A few days later, if my mother hadn't called to tell me Julian was hospitalized at Mount Sinai with acute pneumonia, I wouldn't have known he was so sick.

"Honey, I support your divorce. But... don't forget your vows—'in sickness and in health.' For your own peace of mind, you should at least visit him."

Hearing this, I let out a silent, cold laugh.

I didn't argue with my traditional mother. I just said:

"I know, Mom. Don't worry, I'll handle it."

Minutes after hanging up, my former mother-in-law texted me Julian's room number and a long list of care instructions for pneumonia patients.

I didn't even read it. I put down my phone and continued watching my crime thriller.

A week later, I appeared in the lobby of Mount Sinai Hospital with a bouquet of flowers and a fruit basket.

"Eleanor, you did this on purpose, right? Picking the day Julian gets discharged to show up! If you don't want to take care of him, just say so—don't pretend to be a virtuous wife now!"

I didn't need to look back to know it was Chloe's voice.

I turned around and locked eyes with Julian, who was standing beside her.

His first reaction upon seeing me was to walk toward me with joy.

"Eleanor, you finally came."

Hearing the man acting so pathetic, Chloe was so angry she smashed her overnight bag onto the floor.

"Julian! I'm the one who stayed up all night taking care of you, not Eleanor Vance!"