Madeline stared straight ahead and replied in a calm voice, “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life, Mom.”
There was no tremor in her voice, but something in her hazel eyes had changed since the day she’d discovered the truth about her husband, something sharper and colder, something that no longer demanded love.
The phone rang and a message came from her lawyer, informing her that everything was ready, as planned, and that she just needed to trust the process.
She smiled slightly at the word “trust,” because after everything she’d been through, the word seemed almost foreign and strangely ironic.
“Give me five minutes,” she whispered, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, letting the memories come flooding back without disturbing her peace.
She remembered hidden rent bills, late-night meetings that always seemed pre-arranged, and phone calls that ended the moment she entered the room.
Then she remembered that April day when she’d seen Ashley Monroe emerge from her building, straightening her blouse and smiling as if she’d finally gotten what she wanted.
Ashley had been a classmate of hers, a woman who’d always admired her life a little too much, and now that admiration had turned into something far more destructive.
A knock on the window made her jump, and there he was, Gregory Hale, dressed in an impeccable suit, his confident smile now almost a mask.
Next to him was Ashley, dressed in an elegant dress, her heels clicking on the wet pavement with studied confidence.
“Shall we go in?” Gregory asked politely, though his voice betrayed a hint of impatience.
Madeline stepped out carefully, supporting her belly with one hand, and replied, “Of course, we wouldn’t want to delay the most important day of your life.”
Ashley walked over, beamed, and said, “I hope there are no hard feelings, because this is the best thing for everyone involved.”
