His mother’s name flashed across the center console.
Tom sighed and tapped the steering wheel button.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Tom,” Judith said briskly, “I’m finalizing the menu for New Year’s Eve, and I need your confirmation for the head count.”
Of course. The party.
The annual minimalist, elegant gathering where everyone sipped champagne and pretended to like each other.
Tom shifted in his seat. “I… don’t think we’ll make it.”
A pause. “What does that mean?” Judith asked, though not with concern. With irritation.
Tom exhaled slowly, watching the empty lanes stretch ahead.
A flicker of something twisted in his chest—anger or shame or maybe both. He didn't want to say it. Didn't want to hear the words spoken out loud.
He gripped the wheel tighter, bracing himself.
“Lauren left me,” he said.
He waited for shock. Or sympathy.
Instead: “Well, we won’t expect her then,” Judith said easily. “But that’s no reason foryouto miss the party.”
He blinked hard at the road. A string of multicolored lights twinkled at the edge of his vision.
“Did you hear me? Lauren has left me.”
Judith’s voice softened. “Tom—darling—don’t let her dramatics ruin the holiday for us. Come to the party. Everyone’s expecting you.”
His wife had left him. And his mother was concerned about, what? Networking?
He hated it. He didn’t want to be talking about holiday parties right now. He didn’t want to hear his mother’s unconcerned tone.
But the path of least resistance had always been easier with his parents. Agreeing now meant he could end this call.
And right now, he needed this conversation to be over. He could still hear the echo of his own voice announcing the failure of his marriage.
“I’ll be there,” he said, voice tight.
“Excellent.” Judith's tone brightened immediately. “Talk to you later, darling.”
She didn’t care. Not about his world imploding. Not about Lauren.
The turnoff to the office was coming up.
His father’s company. The family job that gave him a good paycheck. The salary that meant he could take care of his wife.
Understated projects, “tasteful” palettes, buildings designed to look like every other new build in the county. Quiet, safe work that had long since stopped feeling like anything at all.
He signaled without even thinking.
CHAPTER 18
Lauren
