Dear Ex-wife Marry Me

Jessica's face was a picture of guilt as she hung up the phone, turning to Shirley with an apologetic smile. "I need to go see my mentor in the lab's lounge. Sorry for dropping in unannounced." Shirley found the situation amusing but had no interest in calling out Jessica's obvious ploy for attention.

Jessica seemed irritated, puzzled by Shirley's lack of reaction. Had she not picked up on the hint that Jessica had spent the previous day with their senior mentor?

"Senior..." Shirley began but then simply closed the door behind her, leaving Jessica outside, stamping her foot in frustration.

Inside, Shirley was busy packing her things. Her senior year was light on classes, filled instead with various internships. She hadn't decided where to apply yet, despite having a handful of certifications under her belt.

While packing, she came across a letter with beautiful handwriting. It was from a kid in a rural area she had been financially supporting. The elegance of the script was surprising, considering the child's background.

After reading the letter again, Shirley called the local community leader. "Hi, I'm Abner's sponsor. How's he doing?"

The leader's thick accent was hard to understand, but the gist was that Abner was doing well in school and was about to enter his junior year of high school. He subtly hinted that Shirley should continue her support.

But Shirley was skeptical. Was the money even reaching Abner?

Her doubts were interrupted by a call from Jessica. "You should really come. There's a department dinner, and our mentor, he's had too much to drink."

Shirley sighed, tossed her trash, and hailed a cab to the bar.

Entering the VIP section, she found Mark, the beloved mentor, drunkenly clinging to Jessica, who was desperately trying to push him away. "Mark, you're drunk," she chided.

The others teased, "Mark's always taking one for the team. Wasn't he covering for you at yesterday's dinner with the clients, too?"Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Jessica tried to play off their relationship as a joke, but the moment Shirley appeared, the atmosphere shifted. Despite Shirley being Mark's official girlfriend, Ber rare appearances made her a stranger to his circle.

Trying to help Mark stand, Shirley was met with resistance. He leaned into Jessica, who looked smug yet feigned concern.

"Let me help him to the car," Jessica offered, her voice laced with false innocence.

Shirley, always the peacemaker, agreed. Once in the taxi, Jessica instructed the driver to take it easy worried about Mark's stomach. The driver's assumption that Mark was her boyfriend added an awkward twist to the ride.

At Mark's place, as he sobered up, Shirley confronted him about his closeness with Jessica. Mark defended himself, insisting there was nothing between him and his

junior lab assistant.

Shirley remained calm, pointing out the inappropriateness of their behavior and questioning how Mark would feel if their roles were reversed.

Mark promised to include Shirley in future gatherings, but she declined, preferring to focus on her own commitments.