Vivian was already on the phone with the family attorney.
Douglas wandered among the boxes as though an explanation might be hidden beneath a moving blanket.
And Grant stood in the driveway, staring at me.
My ex-husband of only a few hours.
He had cheated.
Lied.
Allowed his mother to belittle me for years.
And on the courthouse steps, when Patricia publicly mocked me, he looked away.
His lawyer had negotiated a settlement designed to leave me almost empty-handed.
And I had let Grant believe he had succeeded.
I let all of them believe it.
Right until they turned onto Habersham Road and saw the truth sitting neatly across the lawn.
Then Patricia asked quietly,
“Where am I supposed to go?”
She sat down on the arm of her own displaced sofa.
And something happened that surprised me.
I felt sorry for her.
Not enough to undo anything.
Not enough to give back what Walter had left me.
