{"id":23893,"date":"2026-01-28T07:17:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T07:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/the-paper-trail-of-our-failures-novel-chapter-4\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T07:20:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T07:20:25","slug":"the-paper-trail-of-our-failures-novel-chapter-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/the-paper-trail-of-our-failures-novel-chapter-4\/","title":{"rendered":"The Paper Trail of Our Failures Novel Chapter 4"},"content":{"rendered":"
Chapter 4<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The days without Orlando passed quickly. Before I knew it, I only had a handful of days left before my departure.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Even though I hadn\u2019t spoken to him, Kristen kept me updated on him and Carolina.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Apparently, they\u2019d had a huge fight\u2014he\u2019d even stormed out of a party and left her there, humiliated.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Rumor had it I was the reason behind their argument.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I just laughed dismissively.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I wasn\u2019t that lovesick fool anymore\u2014the one who used to refresh Instagram endlessly, hoping to catch some sign of him or Carolina, ready to rush to him at the first crack in their relationship just to tell him I was the one who loved him the most.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Besides, couples in the heat of romance always made up quickly after a fight.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
So what if I was the reason? Hadn\u2019t I always been a tool to spice things up in their relationship?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Still, it was undeniable\u2014after that, Orlando started calling me more often. I either declined his calls or made up excuses not to see him.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The day before my flight, he asked me to go to the Adele concert with him.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI booked the tickets,\u201d he said. \u201cMeet me tonight, alright, Gretch?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s our wedding anniversary. You\u2019re not going to turn me down today, are you?\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He\u2019d never sounded so humble before.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In the past, he\u2019d just crook a finger, and I\u2019d come running, eager to please\u2014only for him to turn away in the end for Carolina\u2019s sake.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But this time, I didn\u2019t know what to say.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Because today wasn\u2019t our wedding anniversary\u2014it was the anniversary of our fourth remarriage.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
After all the breakups and makeups, it had probably never crossed his mind that I\u2019d meticulously remember everything related to him.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In the end, I agreed. Not for him\u2014but because I really did want to see Adele.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
That night, I waited at the entrance for a long time, but Orlando never showed.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Finally, a voice message came through. I clicked play, and his guilty voice filled the air, mixed with the noisy backdrop of the concert and Carolina\u2019s soft laughter.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Gretch. Cara isn\u2019t feeling well. I have to take her to the hospital.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cWe have plenty of anniversaries ahead. After she leaves tomorrow, I\u2019ll accompany you to do whatever you want. Alright?\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The concert had already started. Adele\u2019s mellow voice echoed through the night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cNever mind, I\u2019ll find someone like you\u2026<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI wish nothing but the best for you, too\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I closed the chat and opened Instagram for the first time in a month.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Right there, near the top of my feed, was a post from Carolina\u2014a selfie with Orlando at the concert, uploaded just minutes earlier.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t forget me, I beg\u2026<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI remember you said\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The lyrics felt deafening, mocking me for agreeing to come, for that tiny shred of hope I\u2019d carried with me on the way here.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Now, even that last bit of hope was gone.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
After all, this was the seventh divorce. I should\u2019ve known better, shouldn\u2019t I?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But it didn\u2019t matter. This was the last time.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I went straight to the airport and sat there all night, my heart completely still.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
At 7 a.m., I checked in for my flight.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Orlando messaged me on WhatsApp, asking when we should remarry. I didn\u2019t reply\u2014I just blocked his contact.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
At 8 a.m., I was in line for boarding.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Orlando called. I didn\u2019t answer and instead blocked his number.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
At 9 a.m., I was seated on the plane.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
As the flight attendant announced that all electronic devices should be switched to flight mode, my phone rang one last time. It was Kristen\u2014or so I thought.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Then I heard Orlando\u2019s tense voice. \u201cGretch, where are you?\u201d<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 4 The days without Orlando passed quickly. Before I knew it, I only had a handful of days left […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-paper-trail-of-our-failures-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23893"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23902,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23893\/revisions\/23902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}