Mrs. Matched | Complete

Chapter Thirty-Six

Once I got to the Scott's neighbourhood, it was clear I'd made one fatal miscalculation: I couldn't remember their address. Slowly peeking around every corner as I drove, I scoured each and every street, hoping I would recognize their house when I saw it.

It was a long shot, but I was desperate and running out of ideas. If I couldn't get him to talk to me, it was really over. But if I could just get him to listen...

Finally, I found the house with the red mailbox and slammed on the brakes, earning an angry honk from the car behind me. Apologizing to no one, I waited as the car drove around me before searching for a spot to park the car.

There were no cars in the driveway of the house, but it was possible they were in the garage. I wasn't going to allow myself to give up simply for the lack of cars, so I hopped out and clicked the remote to lock the doors, gingerly limping my way across the street and up the Scott's driveway. Finally, I stood in front of the door and knocked three times. "Chris?"

A pain twisted my chest when no one answered, but I knocked again. "Chris, it's Aubrey. Please let me explain!"

I wrung my hands together and bounced on my heels, sending a bolt of pain up my leg. Being so out in the open, and being visible to every passing car, was making me wish I were anywhere but there.

And I seriously considered running away. It would be so easy to get back in the car and drive away, leaving all of this worry behind.

But then I wouldn't have Chris.

And even if I did see it through, I might not have Chris, but I had to try. If he doesn't want to be married, fine. But I'm not giving up until I clear this up.

I steeled my face, took as deep a breath as my ever-tightening chest would allow, and shouted once more. "Chris! Chris, if you're in there please just talk to me." Tears streamed down my face that had nothing to do with my angle. Perhaps it was sheer embarrassment.

But no one answered.

I was not giving up that easily. I knew he was there and I was going to find him.

My ankle screamed in pain as I gingerly wandered around the side of the house and reached my hand up to open the gate. My hand was still fumbling around looking for the latch when a car pulled into the driveway.

Shit.

"Aubrey? Is that you?" Mr. Scott called out to me through the window.

"Yeah," I said, after deciding I had no way out of this. "I was looking for Chris."

"Chris is here?" his mom called over her husband. "I didn't know he was coming over."

At least that answered my question. He wasn't there.

I didn't want to be the one to break the news to them about how I broke their son's heart, so I blurted out the first lie I could think of. "Oh maybe I have the week wrong." I was hoping that was a good save, but the tears on my cheeks were probably giving me away.

"Well, come inside. We'll have some tea and call Chris to come over for dinner. Doesn't matter if it's the wrong day, you're always welcome here."

The fact that they didn't know what was going on gave me a small sparkle of hope in the darkness, but only sent the tears streaming faster down my face.

"I... uh. I think I should maybe be going, actually," I stutter out between light sobs. "I'm sure he'll miss me if I'm not at home."

Mrs. Scott's eyes told a tale that her words could not. Somehow, she knew. She might not have known, but she knew.

We stayed there for several seconds that felt like minutes, me standing with my hand hanging over the gate and them sitting in their car idling in the driveway. "Well, I'll be going. Thanks for everything."

"See you next week, dear," she called after me as I hobbled down the driveway, hiding my face from their view.

If they didn't know something was wrong before, they definitely knew then. But at least they didn't force me to stay and explain anything. I couldn't have taken that.

But that relief was short lived, because I was no closer to finding Chris.

Hobbling across the street was so painful I almost gave up and sat down in the middle of the asphalt but some force or sheer will power drove me forward until I was safely inside the car.

And then the sobs came out of me in gushing waves like a tsunami, not caring who saw. I used my hand to wipe away my tears enough to send Mel a text. Not at work or his parents' house. Parents haven't seen him. I'm coming home.

Her reply arrived so quickly she would have had to be staring at her phone when my message had arrived. Wonder where he's staying then. Do you know his friends?

Wait! Where could he be sleeping that he'd need to take time off work? Could it be?

I put the car in drive and flipped my sunglasses down onto my eyes, completely ignoring anything else Mel might have to say.

* * *

I arrived at the edge of the forest a few hours later and cursed myself for not paying more attention the last time I was up there. Where had the pathway been? How far did I need to drive up the mountain before I'd reach the turnoff?

"It has to be here somewhere," I said aloud, squinting through the thickening fog and pulling my sunglasses off so I could see in the growing darkness.

Where on earth am I?

By the time I passed four turns that looked the same and found myself on a dirt road rather than a paved one, I decided to stop and check a map. I couldn't risk getting any more lost than I already was, and the tension in my chest grew with every passing moment.

The seconds it takes my phone to find the coordinates of the cabin we'd visited the day of the hike drag on for hours. My heartbeat raced in my chest and my hands shook – with excitement or nerves, I knew not.

Finally, it spit out the answer I was looking for. My mind raced, beating in time with the wind rustling around me as I honed in on the path from where I was to where I wanted to be.

I had a location. I had a plan. And I was ready to go when I pulled the car back out onto the main road and carefully counted the turns until I arrived at what I sincerely hoped was the right one.

It better have been, because I could not handle two awkward encounters in one day. Well, two awkward encounters with people who weren't Chris. Because no matter what the end of this path held, I was bracing for a whole lot of awkward and then some. And no matter what he did – no matter how he reacted – it would be fair. But that didn't make the situation any easier. In fact, it made it far worse. My heart beating in my ears reminded me why I was there.

You'll find him, I tried to convince myself as I wound my way through the trees for far longer than I thought it should take to arrive at the house.

Buthen the trees finally did open up, they revealed a foggy clearing with a large cabin in the center.

My heart must have fully escaped my chest. Chris's truck was parked just to the left of the imposing structure. I had found him.

And what on earth am I supposed to say to him? 'Sorry I accidentally divorced you. Please take me back'? It went against everything in me to arrive before I'd prepared the speech of what I would ask him. Usually even calls to make an appointment would have full details ready to go before I ever picked up the phone.

The pain of him saying he wanted me to leave is something I didn't think I could bear.

I almost turned the car back around.

I would have turned the car around if I hadn't seen Chris lock eyes with me through the small kitchen window where he was doing his dishes. Now that he'd seen me there, leaving would definitely send the wrong message. I had no choice. I had to go speak to my husband.

I had to go inside and hope he didn't break my heart the way I was hoping I'd broken his.

No one can say I didn't try. I hope try isn't all I do.