Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 360

Theodore shook his head and sighed. "You really ought to find Nita and see where she's gone. Don't end up like me—full of regret when it's too late."

"No way!" Jared waved him off. "If you won't go, I'll go myself! This is pointless!"

Jared spent the night out with a few middle-aged buddies, reveling in the neon-lit nightlife—drinks flowing, arms draped around women, lost in the haze of indulgence. It wasn't until he stumbled outside that his phone rang, and he noticed his mother had called over ten times.

He finally picked up. His mother's voice trembled as she told him she wasn't feeling well and would be coming to Cresthaven the next day to see a doctor.

Jared, still half-drunk, mumbled an agreement without much thought.

It wasn't until the next day that he remembered—his mother was on her way, but Nita wasn't home.

He needed to get her back.

Without a second thought, he called Nita.

She answered, her voice as chilly as ever. "Hello?"

"My mom's coming today—says she's not feeling well. Where are you? Get back here and take her to the hospital. No idea if she'll need to stay overnight," he said, as if nothing had happened, as if Nita had just stepped out to grab groceries.

At that moment, Nita was walking among the hills, her heart turning to ice at the sound of his voice.

She'd been married to him for four years. She'd quit her job, devoted herself to being the woman behind him, raised their son, cared for his parents. Her own mother had always been frail, but his mother landed in the hospital twice a year—and every time, it was Nita who looked after her. Her mother-in-law was demanding—she could've hired a nurse, but insisted Nita do everything herself. Layne was still little; even with a nanny, Nita couldn't just hand everything off. For four years, she'd worked harder for this family than if she'd held down three jobs at once, and still never heard a kind word from Jared. In his eyes, everything she did was just expected.

Even now, after she'd made it clear she wanted a divorce, he still acted like nothing had changed—like she was the same Nita he could summon with a snap of his fingers.

"Well? Are you going to answer me? What are you even doing?" Jared's voice grew impatient on the other end.

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