Chapter 3 —
“A Little Patience to Listen and Understand Why Things Happen Is a Blessing”
CLYDE’S POV
Fast forward to earlier that morning.
“Your wife is around,” my secretary’s voice crackled through the intercom.
I had rushed out of the house without breakfast—again—and was already knee-deep in work when Barbara showed up. She stepped into my office quietly, holding a lunch box in one hand and guilt written all over her face.
“Clyde,” she said gently, “I brought you lunch… and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this morning to go the way it did.”
I barely looked at her.
“Just leave it on the table,” I muttered.
She hesitated, hurt flashing in her eyes. “Where to?” she asked, her voice low and shaky.
I looked up at her then. I didn’t have an answer—not the kind that would ease her worry. Not the kind I wanted to give. I just hoped she’d read my silence and understand that I wasn’t in the mood.
“If you don’t mind, I need to head to a meeting,” I said, grabbing my blazer. “And please—don’t wait up for me. I’ll be late. This is a workplace, not a kitchen or a restaurant.”
I said it sharper than I meant to.
Then I walked out—no goodbye, no glance back.
And honestly, it wasn’t really about breakfast. It was something else—something deeper I didn’t have the patience to face this morning.
Barbara and I… we’d never had real fights before. Not the kind that left bitterness hanging in the air. Not the kind that made you question what was really going wrong.
But today, I felt something shift.
And I knew… this wasn’t just about eggs and toast.
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